Feeding value of whole sugar beets

Sugar beets have traditionally been grown and harvested for sugar production, but they may also be fed to dairy cattle as a source of energy. Animal and dairy science researchers at the UGA Tifton Campus have been evaluating different varieties, production systems, disease risk and management of sugar beets for the past three years. This year, sugar beets were harvested, ground, and fed to lactating dairy cows to evaluate their energy value compared with ground corn. Rations were formulated with ground corn or whole sugar beets providing about 20 percent of the total ration dry matter. Results of the trial indicate that the whole sugar beet provided approximately 94 percent of the energy as ground corn based on yield of energy-corrected milk.