Fodder roots, pumpkins and leafy forage crops

In short

• Fodder beet gives roughly 4–8 kg of root per m²; 100 m² feeds 4–6 goats as a supplement all winter; a cow needs 250–350 m².
• Always chop roots into pieces. A whole beet, potato or apple can choke a ruminant.
• Kale, rape and cabbage at most a third of the ration, with hay; change over in 7–10 days.
• Never feed bitter pumpkin or squash to stock or people: it can be poisonous.
• Sorghum and Sudan grass: don't graze young plants under 60 cm (2 ft), or after frost or drought.
• Beet freezes at just -2 °C (28 °F): lift it before hard frosts and store at 2–5 °C.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Why roots and pumpkins
2. Fodder beet and mangels
3. Carrots, stubble turnips and other brassicas
4. Pumpkins and squash
5. Jerusalem artichokes, sorghum and green mixtures
6. Storing in a clamp and cellar
7. Feeding safely
8. Field plan and rotation
9. Common mistakes
10. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Requirement and area calculator
• Forage plot plan
• Sowing and harvest log
• Stock record
• Labels for clamps and crates
• Cost sheet
• Forage crop calendar