Yes, you can feed beet pulp to cattle, and it is a well-regarded feed. Sugar beet pulp is a highly digestible fiber source that works as a partial replacement for grain or forage. Dried pulp is usually fed at about 5 to 15 percent of the ration dry matter for finishing cattle, and wet pulp can go higher in backgrounding diets. The right amount depends on your cattle, your other feeds, and your price per ton, so have your ration checked by a nutritionist or extension agent.
Forms of beet pulp
- Dried pulp (shreds or pellets): about 10 percent moisture. It stores and ships easily and is the form most small producers use.
- Wet (pressed) pulp: roughly 25 percent dry matter. It is cheaper per unit of dry matter but must be used fresh or stored in a silo bag, trench, or bunker, and it is costly to haul far.
- Beet tailings: 75 to 85 percent moisture, and quality varies a lot, especially if soil is mixed in.
How much to feed
North Dakota State University Extension gives these rules of thumb on a dry matter basis:
- Finishing cattle: pulp can replace about 5 to 15 percent of the diet.
- Backgrounding steers: wet pulp can reach 40 percent of the diet, but intake starts to fall above about 20 percent.
- Beef cows: there is no strict nutritional limit, but in practice pulp is rarely fed above about half of the ration.
Energy value compared with corn
Pressed pulp is worth roughly 94 percent of corn’s energy in backgrounding diets and about 86 percent in finishing diets. Its energy comes from digestible fiber rather than starch, so it is gentle on the rumen and rarely causes acidosis the way heavy grain feeding can.
Storage
- Keep dried pellets in a bin or commodity shed, protected from moisture and rodents.
- Ensile wet pulp in a bag, trench, or bunker. Mixing it with dry pulp or wheat middlings to reach about 65 percent moisture helps it store well.
- Throw out pulp that smells rotten or is moldy.
Cautions
- Choking: whole beets and large tailings can lodge in the throat. Chop or crush them before feeding.
- Minerals: beet products, and molasses in particular, are high in potassium, sulfur, and sodium compared with grain, so balance the ration. Molasses should stay under about 15 percent of a feed mix.
- Water: dried pulp swells when it absorbs water, so cattle need constant access to clean water.
- Change feeds gradually over a week or two to avoid digestive upset.
This page is general information, not veterinary or nutrition advice. Talk to your vet or a livestock nutritionist about your herd.
Related guides
- Beet Pulp for Cattle
- Benefits and Disadvantages of Feeding Beet Pulp to Dairy Cows
- Which Grains for Cows Are the Best?
Bottom Line
Beet pulp is a safe, energy-rich fiber feed for cattle when you keep it to a sensible share of the ration, chop whole beets, balance the minerals, and make sure the herd has plenty of water.
