Webinar: Growing fodder beet in Scotland

This hour-long webinar will focus on growing fodder beet in Scotland.

Kirsten Williams from SAC Consulting will explain the ‘action research’ project focusing on fodder beet currently being undertaken between five farms and members of their community groups involved in the Monitor Farm Scotland network.

She will then be joined by Dr Alex Sinclair, SAC Consulting senior consultant and soil and nutrient specialist, to discuss the nutrient requirements of the growing crop, including nitrogen requirements, salt reactions in the soil and timings for applying trace elements.

Fodder beet offers many potential benefits to livestock producers in Scotland, the largest of which is the yield potential, which is larger than any other forage crop grown in the UK. The high yield potential gives the crop the ability to be the cheapest forage per kg of dry matter, while the excellent nutrition gives it the ability to be the cheapest forage per mega joule of energy. Achieving the yield in a cost-effective manner is key to maximising the potential of the crop.

This webinar is part of a series that will be held as part of this farmer led action research project, funded through the Monitor Farm Scotland innovation pot, which is exploring ways to collate information and data on farming activities- in this case the growing of fodder beet.

Through the fodder beet trials, the team will develop a much-needed knowledge repository on growing fodder beet, covering all of the growing stages, which then can be used by farmers from across Scotland who are looking to grow a winter forage crop.

Monitor Farm Scotland is a joint initiative managed by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds with funding from the Scottish Government. The aim of the monitor farm programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.