Fodder beets have been grown since medieval times and were traditionally used for feeding livestock in the winter. They provide nutritious animal feed and are well-liked by hogs, cows, horses, and goats. These beetroots can weigh 20 Lbs each, and yields of 50 tons per acre have been recorded!
Beets seem to have originated in the Mediterrenean region, where people grew them for thousands of years. Later, beets grew in Germany and Holland and were used as cattle fodder; they were later imported to England for this purpose, but the poor began to raise them for an affordable food source. American colonists later brought them to the New World, where they became a commonly enjoyed food both for their roots and their greens.