Pearl millet

[pwldrp]

Has anyone tried strip grazing pearl millet with yearling cattle?

 

[JMJ Farms]

Has anyone tried strip grazing pearl millet with yearling cattle?

Haven't tried it. Just remember that Pearl Millet is mature and done with in about 90 days after planting. So planting, 30 days of growing, and 60 days of grazing. So make sure you can match your stocking rate to your quantity of feed. Pearl Millet is excellent grazing. Never seen anything in my part of the world that could even come close.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Read the directions for pearl millet. Was surprised that it said to only plant 1/4 to 1/2" deep. I will be planting into dust - - so do I need to wait for a big rain for germination, or can you get away with planting deeper?

 

[kenny thomas]

A good way to plant if not drilling is to spread the seed and run over it with a cultapacker. It's impossible for me to plant at 1/4" it seems otherwise

 

[JMJ Farms]

A good way to plant if not drilling is to spread the seed and run over it with a cultapacker. It's impossible for me to plant at 1/4" it seems otherwise

Planted some Memorial Day. Well prepared seedbed. Spread on top of ground with fertilizer just before 2 days of good rain. Turned the cows in on it this morning for the first time.

 

[Stocker Steve]

A good way to plant if not drilling is to spread the seed and run over it with a cultapacker. It's impossible for me to plant at 1/4" it seems otherwise

So pearl millet is a weak seed that needs to be much more shallow than SS?

 

[kenny thomas]

My understanding is it just needs barely covered. But it seems if the weather is wet it will stand more covering.

 

[JMJ Farms]

A good way to plant if not drilling is to spread the seed and run over it with a cultapacker. It's impossible for me to plant at 1/4" it seems otherwise

So pearl millet is a weak seed that needs to be much more shallow than SS?

Not Kenny but yes. Get it much deeper than 1/4" and your stand will suffer. It's a pretty small seed. Rainfall will help if it's a little too deep.

 

[BlondeD]

I've some of it in a mix with other seed.......not a large amount.....but will strip some of it in about 3 weeks....can't see letting those girls stomp 50%+ into the ground

 

[pricefarm]

A good way to plant if not drilling is to spread the seed and run over it with a cultapacker. It's impossible for me to plant at 1/4" it seems otherwise

That's how I done mine it worked good. Started grazing mine last week I think with some weaned calves. I been strip grazing it giving the calves enough for about two days.

 

[greggy]

Broadcast then drag would work too....and I would drive over it all and broadcast some more and leave on top....

 

[Brute 23]

How much rain is generally needed to get the stand up in 90 days?

 

[Stocker Steve]

A good way to plant if not drilling is to spread the seed and run over it with a cultapacker. It's impossible for me to plant at 1/4" it seems otherwise

That's how I done mine it worked good. Started grazing mine last week I think with some weaned calves. I been strip grazing it giving the calves enough for about two days.

Looks very good. I have heard folks complaining that they did not get tonnage close to SS, but I know SS has low grazing utilization. How would you compare them?

 

[pricefarm]

A good way to plant if not drilling is to spread the seed and run over it with a cultapacker. It's impossible for me to plant at 1/4" it seems otherwise

That's how I done mine it worked good. Started grazing mine last week I think with some weaned calves. I been strip grazing it giving the calves enough for about two days.

Looks very good. I have heard folks complaining that they did not get tonnage close to SS, but I know SS has low grazing utilization. How would you compare them?

This is my first year planting pearl Millet and so far I like it. I haven't tried SS yet but might next year.

 

[Stocker Steve]

No till planted 2 plots of SS mix at 25#/acre, and one plot of pearl millet mix at 18#/acre. Gauge wheels were set at 1/2" so seed should have been about 1/4" deep. Got rain after planting.

The SS seems more vigorous, and has a more uniform stand, than pearl millet. Does this sound reasonable? Does pearl millet benefit from some shallow tillage?

 

[Stocker Steve]

My pearl millet is growing well but it's lime green color is much lighter than SS.

Is pearl millet always that way or does it need more N than SS?

 

[LocustDaleCattleCompany]

I've been doing a summer project with a buddy and we have been running 40 weaned calves on Summer annuals. We have a block of Sudan Sorghum, a block of two BMR Sudan grasses (one a dwarf variety), a block of pearl millet and a block of a Mix of crabgrass, buckwheat and forage radish. We have run them through each block so far and I'm most impressed with the dwarf Sudan grass so far. They couldn't keep up with the SS so we pulled after 10 days and cut for hay. Produced 28 54" heavy wet hayledge bales. The PM produced exceptional forage but they didn't hammer it like the dwarf Sudan grass. We measure after each exit of each block and have recently sent off forage samples to see what it test at. We have another group of 22 weaned calves on some summer stockpiled fescue for reference and comparison.

 

[kenny thomas]

I've been doing a summer project with a buddy and we have been running 40 weaned calves on Summer annuals. We have a block of Sudan Sorghum, a block of two BMR Sudan grasses (one a dwarf variety), a block of pearl millet and a block of a Mix of crabgrass, buckwheat and forage radish. We have run them through each block so far and I'm most impressed with the dwarf Sudan grass so far. They couldn't keep up with the SS so we pulled after 10 days and cut for hay. Produced 28 54" heavy wet hayledge bales. The PM produced exceptional forage but they didn't hammer it like the dwarf Sudan grass. We measure after each exit of each block and have recently sent off forage samples to see what it test at. We have another group of 22 weaned calves on some summer stockpiled fescue for reference and comparison.

I wish I had flat land that I could do comparison on. I'm sure the fescue won't measure up as a summer stockpile forage.

 

[LocustDaleCattleCompany]

I've been doing a summer project with a buddy and we have been running 40 weaned calves on Summer annuals. We have a block of Sudan Sorghum, a block of two BMR Sudan grasses (one a dwarf variety), a block of pearl millet and a block of a Mix of crabgrass, buckwheat and forage radish. We have run them through each block so far and I'm most impressed with the dwarf Sudan grass so far. They couldn't keep up with the SS so we pulled after 10 days and cut for hay. Produced 28 54" heavy wet hayledge bales. The PM produced exceptional forage but they didn't hammer it like the dwarf Sudan grass. We measure after each exit of each block and have recently sent off forage samples to see what it test at. We have another group of 22 weaned calves on some summer stockpiled fescue for reference and comparison.

I wish I had flat land that I could do comparison on. I'm sure the fescue won't measure up as a summer stockpile forage.

I actually think we won't see that much of a spread difference between the two groups because the fescue has come on really strong as of late with these late summer rains. On a normal year when we are dry in August I'd say yes but we are over 8" since the 1st and the grass is belly deep in the fescue and green. We fertilized both the fescue and the annuals. And there is plenty of Johnson grass, crab grass, clover, etc. in the fescue so plenty of variety. This is a river bottom pasture most of our land isn't this flat!

 

[Stocker Steve]

BMR SS ?