Millet Planted in Rows

[ga. prime]

38 inch rows

 

[novaman]

Looks nice. What's the reason for having it on a wide spacing?

 

[ga. prime]

What's the reason for having it on a wide spacing?

Mainly because the planter and the tractor and the cultivator are set up for 38inch rows. Tifleaf millet will lap the middles less than a month after planting on 38 inch rows. I guess it would make more forage on narrower rows, but it makes all my cows need on the 38in spacing.

 

[Douglas]

What's the reason for having it on a wide spacing?

Mainly because the planter and the tractor and the cultivator are set up for 38inch rows. Tifleaf millet will lap the middles less than a month after planting on 38 inch rows. I guess it would make more forage on narrower rows, but it makes all my cows need on the 38in spacing.

How many cows do you carry and for how long?

 

[mnmtranching]

That looks nice. And I bet there is less tromping by the cows. I'm thinking the cows probably follow the rows. and less walking on the plants?

 

[ga. prime]

Douglas- I would estimate easily 2/acre straight through for 2-3 months- through most of the summer. At that time it's mostly converted over to crab grass. That's a four acre patch in the picture. I move some on and off depending on growth of the millet(can't let in get too growthy or it becomes unpalatable to the cows) and have as few as eight and up to fourteen at a time on it. I use that patch mostly for weaning and holding heifers until they're mature enough for breeding. Mnmt- you're right, the cows or heifers do walk the middles resulting in less tromping.

 

[bigbull338]

that is some goodlooking millet.

 

[Jogeephus]

A good friend of mine swears by this method. Like ya'll pointed out, he said the cows walk the middles. Also, you can run a cultivator and a knocker box over it and cut down on the amound ot fertilizer you use which in fact is giving the millet more fertilizer than it would normally receive it it were broadcasted. That's the good thing about owning a set of those JD planters. :nod: (I still haven't gotten mine)

 

[jedstivers]

What kind of planter and what plates and seed spacing? Just wondering so i can set mine, have a Deere 1720. Planted pearl millet with a drill on 7" spacing on 38" beds, had 4 units on the bed, rest in the middles. Wish I would have blocked those off. Also will be able to water down the middles.

 

[ga. prime]

They're JD 71 planters, Jed. Here's a pic of one of the plates. They're sixty cell if I counted right. I always call them millet plates. I have planted okra with them but they don't work too well for that. By the time you plant 100ft, most of the cells are jammed up with seed. I slow down the speed of seed drop as much as the sprockets I have will allow. One 50lb bag of millet will plant 4 acres.

 

[jedstivers]

They're JD 71 planters, Jed. Here's a pic of one of the plates. They're sixty cell if I counted right. I always call them millet plates. I have planted okra with them but they don't work too well for that. By the time you plant 100ft, most of the cells are jammed up with seed. I slow down the speed of seed drop as much as the sprockets I have will allow. One 50lb bag of millet will plant 4 acres.

Thanks ga.

 

[edrsimms]

38 inch rows

Planted with a grain drill April 15, 2009 (20 lbs/acre) --- Baled 5/7; 5/28; now just grazed by Cow/calf pairs
8 cow calf pairs per acre (limit grazed) Fertilizer applied pre plant 50-30-50 (pH = 6.0)

 

[1982vett]

38 inch rows

Planted with a grain drill April 15, 2009 (20 lbs/acre) --- Baled 5/7; 5/28; now just grazed by Cow/calf pairs
8 cow calf pairs per acre (limit grazed) Fertilizer applied pre plant 50-30-50 (pH = 6.0)

How much rain?

I can only dream again.

Looks like you got it going on.

 

[Steve Wilson]

Ga,

You gotta love a field of hybrid pearl millet. I can't wait till the ones I planted this year get that tall. Won't have to wait long though, they were 2 to 4 inches tall last weekend.

 

[edrsimms]

Since that Millet was planted we have had 14 inches of rain

 

[ga. prime]

Steve, you're right- it's a pretty short wait between four inches and 12 inches.. Millet likes rain but I would call it highly drought tolerant. An inch or two every week to ten days would probably be ideal but I never get that much and get a lot of grazing out of it. I don't grow it for hay, I'd likely plant with a drill if I did, I bale bermuda for all my hay.

 

[Steve Wilson]

This is my first time growing it as a hay crop, we have always used it in a small 4 acre lot as rotational grazing for 200-350 pound calves. I'm picking up an old John Deere 24W wire tie baler next weekend, just for that task. Because the ice storm last year crashed a tree down on the old International baler and pretty much toasted the pick up reel to the point that it is scrap iron now.

 

[edrsimms]

This is my first time growing it as a hay crop, we have always used it in a small 4 acre lot as rotational grazing for 200-350 pound calves. I'm picking up an old John Deere 24W wire tie baler next weekend, just for that task. Because the ice storm last year crashed a tree down on the old International baler and pretty much toasted the pick up reel to the point that it is scrap iron now.

Well you need to cut it with a mower conditioner preferably and I prefer the MoCo type with the rollers so you can really press that stem--- lay it flat (not windrowed) and leave about 2-3 inches in stubble so it will lay on top of the stubble and there is air circulation beneath it as well as it will dry even faster-----hope for several dry hot days.
One thing though---
1. If you used more than 50 units of N/acre pre-plant, I would strongly recommend getting a plant material sample before cutting your Millet. < 1000 ppm is ideal.(Nitrates)
2. If it has been dry since planting your Millet and you have used too much N there is a good chance you will be baling a hay that is unsuitable for any cow.. High in Nitrates and will be your undoing.
Hope that helps