Early Chill May Impact Sugarbeet Quality

Nov 14, 2019

By Karla Wilke

Temperatures dropping below 15°F in early October may have put some sugarbeets in western Nebraska at risk of decaying at the crown. When decay begins, the beet becomes unacceptable for sugar production for human consumption.

Sugarbeets not fit for human consumption can be an economical source of feed for beef cattle. Producers should be aware, however, of how sugarbeet nutrient content compares to other common feeding rations such as corn and beet pulp, and also how the rotting process affects the beets’ nutrient quality.

In a University of Nebraska research trial, gestating cows performed similarly when their rations were changed to replace 20% of the corn with sugarbeets. When growing calves were fed 44% sugar beets (dry matter basis), they were more efficient than calves receiving corn. In a finishing diet, however, when sugarbeets replaced corn up to 15%, cattle had reduced performance compared to 0% sugarbeets.

When sugarbeets begin to rot, sugars are lost rapidly. Analyzed for water-soluble carbohydrates, rotting sugarbeets were found to contain only 26.9%, compared to 73% in fresh chopped beets. Fat-soluble carbohydrates were 22.7% in rotting sugarbeets compared to 69.5% in fresh chopped beets.

Therefore, mixing chopped rotting sugarbeets with straw or poor-quality hay as soon as possible will help reduce sugar loss. An effective method is mixing 10% poor-quality roughage and 90% sugarbeets (on an as-is or actual pounds basis) and packing in a bunker or ag bag.

The nutrient quality of chopped sugarbeets is different from that of sugar beet pulp, the by-product of sugar production. Sugarbeet pulp has a crude protein content of 10%, while sugar beets will likely be 4.5%. The neutral detergent fiber content of sugarbeet pulp is about 45%, compared to only 15% in sugarbeets, making the beet a more comparable substitute for corn in the diet than a fiber source.

A protein source such as distillers grains or alfalfa would need to be included in a diet with a mixture of poor quality hay or residue and rotting sugar beets. The amount of sugar left in the rotting sugar beet will vary, but assuming they have lost 10% of their original sugar, and mixed with residue or poor hay in the proportions mentioned above, then the mixture could have a total digestible nutrients (TDN) value of about 64%.

Source : unl.edu

Video: US Soy: Pig growth is impaired by soybean meal displacement in the diet

Eric van Heugten, PhD, professor and swine extension specialist at North Carolina State University, recently spoke at the Iowa Swine Day Pre-Conference Symposium, titled Soybean Meal 360°: Expanding our horizons through discoveries and field-proven feeding strategies for improving pork production. The event was sponsored by Iowa State University and U.S. Soy.

Soybean meal offers pig producers a high-value proposition. It’s a high-quality protein source, providing essential and non-essential amino acids to the pig that are highly digestible and palatable. Studies now show that soybean meal provides higher net energy than current National Research Council (NRC) requirements. Plus, soybean meal offers health benefits such as isoflavones and antioxidants as well as benefits with respiratory diseases such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

One of several ingredients that compete with the inclusion of soybean meal in pig diets is dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).

“With DDGS, we typically see more variable responses because of the quality differences depending on which plant it comes from,” said Dr. van Heugten. “At very high levels, we often see a reduction in performance especially with feed intake which can have negative consequences on pig performance, especially in the summer months when feed intake is already low and gaining weight is at a premium to get them to market.”

Over the last few decades, the industry has also seen the increased inclusion of crystalline amino acids in pig diets.

“We started with lysine at about 3 lbs. per ton in the diet, and then we added methionine and threonine to go to 6 to 8 lbs. per ton,” he said. “Now we have tryptophan, isoleucine and valine and can go to 12 to 15 lbs. per ton. All of these, when price competitive, are formulated into the diet and are displacing soybean meal which also removes the potential health benefits that soybean meal provides.”