Equibeet getting expensive - and Speedibeet even worse :(

[JillA]

The man I get my feed from is a small independent, the only one in the area who stocks Equibeet, and he has supplied my feed for three or four years now, He tells me the price is going up from around £7 to almost £10, and Speedibeet, the other unmollassed one, will be nearly £13!!! Due to hot dry summer and poor crops (hmm, I wonder if it will come down in a normal summer???). I use quite a lot, as high fibre low sugar for my lot, along with Ready Fibre Mash (similar profile, slightly more protein). Is there an alternative or will they all be similarly affected? Might stock up if it hasn't already gone up.

 

[tda]

I use Trident unmollassed beet £7.50 per bag at the moment (west yorks)

 

[Steerpike]

I've visited my local feed store this morning, the conditioning cubes I get have gone up £1 along with the ERS pellets, the owner thinks quite a few more feeds will go up in price soon, but I can bet they won't go back down!

 

[Oscar]

Sugar beet is a winter crop though!!!

 

[JillA]

Sugar beet is a winter crop though!!!

Must be last winters weather then?

 

[TPO]

Speedibeet has been around £13 for years around me in Central Scotland.

 

[Fransurrey]

Speedibeet has been around £13 for years around me in Central Scotland.

Same here! I haven't fed it for a good 5 years and it was around £12 then!

 

[TGM]

Popped in to a local feedstore the other day to pick up a bag of Speedibeet and it was £14 a bag, I nearly keeled over at the price, but I was running out so had to buy it! I try to get the unmollassed pelleted stuff but not stocked by many places locally.

 

[AandK]

Speedibeet has been around £13 for years around me in Central Scotland.

Same for me, but I am in West Sussex.

 

[Snoozy]

Wish I could get Equibeet here (Normandy), D&H Kwikbeet a mere €17.27 + tax!

 

[stencilface]

I think the hay/haylage situation might not be too bad? People who taking a second cut here a few weeks ago in Yorkshire. Possibly silage, but maybe haylage too

 

[JillA]

I use Trident unmollassed beet £7.50 per bag at the moment (west yorks)

Trident make Equibeet - is that not the same one? Dark blue bag

 

[JillA]

I think the hay/haylage situation might not be too bad? People who taking a second cut here a few weeks ago in Yorkshire. Possibly silage, but maybe haylage too

Yes, here too the panic is over. Any number of round bales @ £35, I have found some lovely meadow hay small bales at £4 delivered

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Speedibeet is £12.65 from local feed merchant and Equibeet is £8.99
That's NW Surrey.

 

[JillA]

Resurrecting this one because my (soon to be ex) feed supplier tells me that Trident have withdrawn Equibeet altogether. Anyone else heard this or are you still able to get it in your area? (Soon to be ex because he is a patronising git but I put up with that because he was the only local Equibeet stockist!!)

 

[blitznbobs]

Just wait till after brexit...

 

[Fruitcake]

I think Simple System Purabeet is around £10.
Takes forever to soak though so depends whether you’re after a quick-soak option or not.

 

[TGM]

Resurrecting this one because my (soon to be ex) feed supplier tells me that Trident have withdrawn Equibeet altogether. Anyone else heard this or are you still able to get it in your area? (Soon to be ex because he is a patronising git but I put up with that because he was the only local Equibeet stockist!!)

My feed supplier was able to order me in some Equibeet about a fortnight ago. Obviously the situation may have changed since then ...

 

[DabDab]

Yeah, my local feed supplier has said they can't get any speedibeet now until after the harvest....???
So I've switched to pink mash from the next nearest store. Never not been able to get speedibeet before

 

[windand rain]

The beet is being harvested now so will need to be processed. The reason stocks may be low is that in hot dry summer the beet is smaller and more sugary so less bi product. As I think it is mostly grown on the east coast, the lack of rain is still evident as we have had no more than 24 hours of rain at a time since April. We have now had a little but the gound is still very dry

 

[Surbie]

Yeah, my local feed supplier has said they can't get any speedibeet now until after the harvest....???
So I've switched to pink mash from the next nearest store. Never not been able to get speedibeet before

Plenty online if you don't mind paying delivery.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I don’t understand why unmolassed beet is cheaper than molassed?
Surely adding an ingredient should make the price higher.
I think it’s more consumer demand that regulates prices than the weather, that’s just the excuse for everything atm

 

[windand rain]

I don’t understand why unmolassed beet is cheaper than molassed?
Surely adding an ingredient should make the price higher.
I think it’s more consumer demand that regulates prices than the weather, that’s just the excuse for everything atm

Un molassed beet has all the molasses washed and bleached out so is more expensive as it is processed more. You can used well washed soaked sugarbeet as a replacement for speedibeet but you have to soak it then rinse until the water runs clear

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ohhh ok yes of course that makes sense. I was thinking the molasses had been added therefore making it the more processed product. Duh 🙄

 

[chaps89]

Sounds like price are dropping so less will be grown. So I guess by default if there's less around it makes it more expensive?
https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar-beet/sugar-beet-area-set-to-fall-next-spring-as-prices-dip

 

[Keith_Beef]

Just wait till after brexit...

There will be such a shortage of courgettes, peppers and avocados that spent sugar beet will be processed into food for people and marketed as "high fibre, low sugar, superfood" and will cost £7 per lb.

 

[DD]

use normal mollassed shreds and soak in lots of water pour away soaked water and the molasses will lgo away with it .its a horse thing twice the price because they know horse people are buying it.

 

[TGM]

According to Trident who make Supabeet, the molasses is added in, not washed out "Supabeet is a co-product from sugar production. Once the sugar has been diffused out from the beet, the fibrous residues are dried and combined with molasses." I suspect the reason unmollassed is more expensive is that they have recognised it is popular with horse owners so can charge more for it.

 

[JillA]

The wholesaler I used to get it from still has Equibeet listed, can't see the price though as I am no longer registered with them. I doubt I would be able to make up the minimum monthly order now though - looks like shreds and lots of water

 

[poiuytrewq]

How would you wash it out? In a sieve maybe?
Would this be a safe enough option for a horse who has had laminitis?