A high-yielding forage crop could be the answer to faster livestock growth rates and higher quality beef.
Fodder beet has been seen as a low cost, autumn/winter feed option for livestock for a few years but University of Adelaide research associate Michael Wilkes says more knowledge is needed to optimise its adoption.
The result is a two-year grazing management trial with three irrigated sites in the South East at Lochaber, Kangaroo Inn and Bray.
The Brigadier and Kyros beets were planted in early October last year with grazing from late February.
A field day later this month will include a visit to the Lochaber site which has yielded 30-40 tonnes of dry matter a hectare so far.
Mr Wilkes says the trial aim was to achieve consistent growth rates and higher MSA compliance.
At certain times of the year, including the seasonal break and throughout winter when pasture is scarce, the percentage of cattle which fail to meet the MSA grade due to dark cutting can increase four-fold.
Mr Wilkes is rapt the young steers have been averaging weight gains of about 1 kilogram a day so far and are likely to reach their MSA target carcase weight of 260-300kg from late July – two to three months earlier than normal.
“It is looking like a great option if you have irrigation capacity and you're looking to fill the feed gap and finish stock in winter,” he said.
“We are dealing with something which is comparable to cereal grains energy-wise, but is considerably cheaper. Depending on yield, we are sitting about $60-$120/tDM to grow 12-13MJ ME/kg feed.”
There are 570 steers grazing beets across the three sites, and are being compared to animals run under conventional management.
Mr Wilkes said the three-week induction required careful management, but the cattle were now eating 90 to 95 per cent of the beets. They are being moved daily but also have access to a loose mineral lick ad lib and 2-3kg of roughage a head a day.
At the abattoir, muscle biopsies will be collected and carcase data analysed.
The trial is being funded by PIRSA’s Advanced Food Manufacturing program and Meat & Livestock Australia, with support from NAS Agribusiness and Teys Australia.