New crops worth the wait

FODDER crops are playing an increasingly important role as a winter feed source for Tasmanian dairy farmers.

While crops like turnips and rape have been used regularly by some farmers, new varieties of fodder beet and kale are now giving producers more options.

In the state’s North-West, Roberts agronomist Kurt de Jonge said farmers were getting good results with both crops.

On the Finlayson family’s block at Redpa, a crop of kale is ready for grazing.

Planted in spring, the crop will produce between 12 and 14 tonnes of dry matter a hectare.

Mr de Jonge said most farmers used the crops to feed dry dairy cows but they could also be used for young stock.

“Kale has been getting more popular as a wintering crop,” he said.

“A lot of farmers are using fodder crops to transition from old pastures to new ones.”

As with most brassica crops, Mr de Jonge said stock needed to be introduced gradually to prevent health issues.

“The palatability of kale is quite good but we just have to watch the fibre levels,” he said.

“It doesn’t have much fibre so they normally give them access to hay or straw as well.”

While both crops took a long time to grow, Mr de Jonge said they also provided large amounts of feed off a small area, which allowed farmers to rest their pastures.

“In a crop like this you should be able to get between 80 and 85 per cent utilisation, so there’s not much wastage,” he said.

On the Quilliam family’s property at Togari they are using fodder beet to feed their dry cows.

It is the third year using the crop, which they say has advantages despite the long growing time. High in digestible energy, fodder beet has to be introduced slowly to prevent acidosis.

The Quilliams start to feed small amounts to the cows before they are dried off.

The farm’s second in charge, Mercedes Quilliam, said once they got a taste for it, the cows were keen for more.

“They absolutely love it,” she said. “Once they get into their routine they’re all there waiting at the gate to go in every day.”

Fodder beet is a little more expensive to grow but with production of about 30 to 31 tonnes of dry matter a hectare, Mr de Jonge said the amount of feed it produced made it worth the wait.

Miss Quilliam said making sure the cows were not too hungry when they went in on the crop was important.

After being started with just a small amount, the cows are now eating about 10kg/DM from fodder beet a day as part of their diet, which also includes hay, silage and pasture.

Mr de Jonge said fodder beet was a good way to help put condition on cows prior to calving.

“It’s like Red Bull for cows,” he said. “This is the most we’ve sown this year, so it’s being used more and more.”

The fodder beet bulbs can grow up to about 20kg in size, but because they are relatively soft, Mr de Jonge said the cows have no trouble eating them.

Making sure fodder crops are well established, however, is crucial for success.