Fodder Beets & Turnips

[highvoltagecattleco]

Has anyone had experience feeding either Fodder Beets or Turnips. I am looking at using some different feed sources. In the UK both are fed quite a bit. :?:

 

[iowafarmer]

I have heard of it but have no expereince with it. I would try google it and hope some university ahs done research on it.

 

[highvoltagecattleco]

I googled it. I read some things about it. Its nice to hear from folks on this forum about things. You get their honest experience. It may sound practical. Until someone who actually has done it says it was a train wreck.

 

[Dave]

I planted some in my wintering area a few years ago after the cows went to grass. They grew fine. When I rotated the cows through there the cows sure liked them. I think I get more production from oats and/or annual rye grass. And my seed cost are less with annual rye. Turnips work best to rotate them behind another crop like wheat or peas. Somewhere that the ground is already worked up or at least very little tillage is required. In the end with my system they weren't very cost effective.
I know a guy who used them behind irrigated wheat in north central Oregon. He liked how the cows did on then but all the sand the cows ended up eating when they pulled up the roots was too hard on their teeth. He ended up switching to triticale.

 

[highvoltagecattleco]

Dave, I was thinking about growing 1 acre of either. Digging them out of the ground to feed in the winter. As you know in our area corn is becoming less of an available food source (cost prohibitive). I feed brewers malt and I'm looking for a good source of energy to replace corn or any other grains.

 

[hayray]

I grow turnips. I planted my first crop last August and graze them into middle January. Planting the turnips is cheap and I estimated I got around 4 to 6 tons per acre of dry matter. Using the turnips extended my grazing season 3 months and saved me thousands in hay, I can't afford not to use them, I plan on planting some every year. I strip grazed them and at first the cows eat the greens and then the bulbs. The greens are close to 20 percent protein and the bulbs are around 12 so they are a complete feed. I don't know what happened with some of the planting that the previous post referred to but they must had some problems with crop establishment or growing season for them to not have had good experiences.

 

[highvoltagecattleco]

Hay Ray, Thank you for the response. Did your cows have any problems getting the bulbs out of the ground? With feed prices being what they are. I think cattle producers need to be agile and flexible. I think I will plant some in the late summer.

 

[mermill2]

I grow turnips. I planted my first crop last August and graze them into middle January. Planting the turnips is cheap and I estimated I got around 4 to 6 tons per acre of dry matter. Using the turnips extended my grazing season 3 months and saved me thousands in hay, I can't afford not to use them, I plan on planting some every year. I strip grazed them and at first the cows eat the greens and then the bulbs. The greens are close to 20 percent protein and the bulbs are around 12 so they are a complete feed. I don't know what happened with some of the planting that the previous post referred to but they must had some problems with crop establishment or growing season for them to not have had good experiences.

I don't mean to hijack this post, but, what kind of turnips do you plant, Hayray? How do they hold up in a hard freeze?

 

[hayray]

Hay Ray, Thank you for the response. Did your cows have any problems getting the bulbs out of the ground? With feed prices being what they are. I think cattle producers need to be agile and flexible. I think I will plant some in the late summer.

No, they had no problem at all. These are forage turnips so the bulbs grow at ground level so the top of the bulb is above the ground. Alot of times you pull the bulb out by pulling on the greens. Oh yeah, it is cheap and very high quality feed. I have fall calvers on it and they and their calves get fat when the snow is flying and there is nothing green anywhere else.

 

[hayray]

I grow turnips. I planted my first crop last August and graze them into middle January. Planting the turnips is cheap and I estimated I got around 4 to 6 tons per acre of dry matter. Using the turnips extended my grazing season 3 months and saved me thousands in hay, I can't afford not to use them, I plan on planting some every year. I strip grazed them and at first the cows eat the greens and then the bulbs. The greens are close to 20 percent protein and the bulbs are around 12 so they are a complete feed. I don't know what happened with some of the planting that the previous post referred to but they must had some problems with crop establishment or growing season for them to not have had good experiences.

I don't mean to hijack this post, but, what kind of turnips do you plant, Hayray? How do they hold up in a hard freeze?

I plant Dynamo and Sampson. The greens are resistant to frost damage until you have 3 consecuitive days of 25 or below. The greens will wilt down then but stay somewhat green and palatable for another few weeks after that, they will wilt flat but the cows still eat them up . The bulbs stay good until you have a few freeze and thaw cycles above 60 degrees, which believe it or not happened to me last winter in January, then the bulbs turn to mush. Otherwise I could have kept grazing. I planted in August and started grazing mid October while the turnips were still growing.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I planted some in my wintering area a few years ago after the cows went to grass. They grew fine. When I rotated the cows through there the cows sure liked them. I think I get more production from oats and/or annual rye grass. And my seed cost are less with annual rye.

Did you broadcast seed the turnips?
Does either turnips or annual rye grow on hay ring residue?

 

[Stocker Steve]

I grow turnips. I planted my first crop last August and graze them into middle January. Planting the turnips is cheap and I estimated I got around 4 to 6 tons per acre of dry matter.

What crop do you harvest before turnips and who much soil prep do you do?

 

[pdfangus]

I talked to a guy a few years ago who flew the turnip seed into his standing corn before chopping the corn.

He really liked the results. Secret is to get em in early enough to get good fall growth so that there is some forage as well as a good turnip. cows love turnips. When i was a kid I used to go pull turnips from the garden and throw em over the fence and the cows would come running . we had a big garden but not enough to graze.

I am planting some tillage radishes this fall.Just as an experiment. going to plant Radishes, rye and vetch.

 

[hayray]

I grow turnips. I planted my first crop last August and graze them into middle January. Planting the turnips is cheap and I estimated I got around 4 to 6 tons per acre of dry matter.

What crop do you harvest before turnips and who much soil prep do you do?

I planted mine after a grazed out pasture that I wanted to rennovate this spring but they would work ideal behind wheat stubble, I just don't do any grain farming. I disk the ground up real good and then cultipack and then have the turnip seed mixed with my fertilizer and broadcast them on and then roll over that with the packer. They grow real aggressive and crowd out other broad leaves, I did not use any pre burn down at all and the fields end up real clean.

 

[Onthebit]

does the ground have to be worked up or what? kk im new!