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SAATEN-UNION: The comeback of the beet (English)

Biogas can be obtained from a variety of agricultural substrates. Currently research is done to find alternative products for the biogas plant No. 1 - the maize. The cultivation of maize as monoculture poses some disadvantages. On good maize sites only the beet has a similarly high productivity in the field.

The cultivation and harvest are somewhat more complex and costly than for maize. Above all, lacking harvesting, cleaning and storage technics were previously reasons why the beet largely was neglected in the biogas production. Modern fodder beet can be harvested with sugar beet harvesters. Depending on the degree of contamination a wet or dry cleaning still must be done afterwards. If the soil is sandy and has relatively little stones, it is probably enough with dry cleaning, as it is integrated with the T7 THYREGOD beet harvester already during the harvesting process.

First the top is harvested. After the beets are lifted they run through two cleaning turbines, where the coarsest dirt is already removed.
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Biogas can be obtained from a variety of agricultural substrates. Currently research is done to find alternative products for the biogas plant No. 1 - the maize. The cultivation of maize as monoculture poses some disadvantages. On good maize sites only the beet has a similarly high productivity in the field.

The cultivation and harvest are somewhat more complex and costly than for maize. Above all, lacking harvesting, cleaning and storage technics were previously reasons why the beet largely was neglected in the biogas production. Modern fodder beet can be harvested with sugar beet harvesters. Depending on the degree of contamination a wet or dry cleaning still must be done afterwards. If the soil is sandy and has relatively little stones, it is probably enough with dry cleaning, as it is integrated with the T7 THYREGOD beet harvester already during the harvesting process.

First the top is harvested. After the beets are lifted they run through two cleaning turbines, where the coarsest dirt is already removed.
After that they are brushed on two rubber rollers brush the fine dirt and sand. Perpendicular to the direction of the beets there is a steel roller to remove the adherent stones. Then the chopped beets and together with the previously separate sheet put together. The top and the chopped beets can then be stored after the overloading. A maize silage makes up both for mixing the biogas plant, as well as possible for the dairy cattle a year-round use. To this a late silage maize type is needed, that achieves until the end of October between 30 and 35% dry matter content. Alternatively, the beets can be mashed and stored in a a folio tight basin, where they subsequently are getting ensiled and fed through a pump system to the plant.

The benefits of fodder beets are obvious:
- High biomass yields,
- Low soil tare by the smooth skin and abdominal furrow significantly smaller than in sugar beet
- High yields in the methane digester.
In addition to the biogas production as well as many dairy farmers are interested in the fodder. Many biogas plant operators have recognized the great potential of energy beet. With increasing solutions to the technical challenges the beetwill take the place within in the rotation of energy crops and thus contribute to more diversity on the field.

Production: SAATEN-UNION GmbH

Director: Oliver Mengershausen

Camera, Cut & Sound: Ralf Bieler