Sorgum-Sudan

[Caustic Burno]

Looking into planting Sorgum-Sudan or Haygrazer 3 in the future to get improved hay yields in this drought from hades.
Any tricks or tips on getting a good stand and experience as hay.

 

[HAY MAKER]

This might be an interesting thread caustic,maybe both of us will learn something,I been planting the sudans a long time and the only trick that I know of is rain,never have figgered it out tho,IM seriously thinking about millet for a while till we get outa this dry period,as they need less moisture and pretty good feed...............good luck

 

[Caustic Burno]

This might be an interesting thread caustic,maybe both of us will learn something,I been planting the sudans a long time and the only trick that I know of is rain,never have figgered it out tho,IM seriously thinking about millet for a while till we get outa this dry period,as they need less moisture and pretty good feed...............good luck

There is a seed company out of Tyler that has developed a pearl millet that doesn't cause pruassic piosoning.
It's 34 bucks a bag and I have some on the way Sudan is 12 bucks.

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/cro ... orghum.htm

I found that site if it helps any

Have a good day

 

[HAY MAKER]

Yup pearl is a good one,I may drill some into this sudan stubble after the cows get through,then this fall oats/rye what ever it takes to get by,weather folks got our chances at 30% this weekend.........let R rip...............good luck

 

[MikeC]

Caustic. The pearl millet we get around here is only around $15 bucks a bag. Somebody sees you for a sucker. Don't buy it for that price. Go somewhere else.

Tifleaf III is what I use.

 

[Herefordcross]

Caustic. The pearl millet we get around here is only around $15 bucks a bag. Somebody sees you for a sucker. Don't buy it for that price. Go somewhere else.

Tifleaf III is what I use.

MIKEC
I just talked to Caustics guy this morning and he is pretty well educated, we ordered enough for about four acres just to seewhat it does. What's your guys contact information MIKEC? Thanks

 

[MikeC]

Caustic. The pearl millet we get around here is only around $15 bucks a bag. Somebody sees you for a sucker. Don't buy it for that price. Go somewhere else.

Tifleaf III is what I use.

MIKEC
I just talked to Caustics guy this morning and he is pretty well educated, we ordered enough for about four acres just to seewhat it does. What's your guys contact information MIKEC? Thanks

I just use one of the local feed stores here in the area. I can give you a name/number if need be though.

 

[MikeC]

I forgot to tell you guys about that pearl millet and heavy rain. :lol:

Standing water will kill it. The field I always plant has a low area and if it rains hard and water stands soon after planting I lose it.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

FWIW, I agree with Mike on several counts: CB, that place in east Texas has a bit of info on their website that could be a little misleading -- one might reasonably infer that their pearl millet being prussic acid free is a unique trait, when in fact I'm almost certain that all strains of pearl millet are prussic free. For hay, I think prussic is not that big of a deal anyway since it dissipates over a relatively short period of time (unless my memory is playing tricks on me), unlike with nitrate poison. In addition pearl millet, sorghum alum, haygrazer, etc. all are subject to nitrate accumulation problems in drought situations and a few other scenarios as well.

I planted two fields with pearl millet and haygrazer side by side one year and found the millet to definitely be harder to get a stand in wet conditions. In a typical east Texas spring if you have very wet conditions you might be disappointed with the stand you get with millet.

The other problem, which I'm sure you realize, is the additional time required for drying after cutting, even with a conditioner/crimper (which is practically a necessity) as compared to bahia and bermuda. Also, we found that with wet conditions it seemed harder for an uncut field to dry out with millet and haygrazer and the stuff can get pretty rank, tall & stemmy if a wet spell sets in at the wrong time. Missed several chances to cut because we weren't dry enough and/or rain was predicted in a few days, while Jiggs bermuda guys just across the road easily made their hay. But the millet can produce a surprising amount of forage in pretty dry conditions.

 

[Herefordcross]

Caustic jump back in here, I called a few places local to me today and they didn't have anything even listed or know what I was talking about, your guy was very helpful.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Caustic jump back in here, I called a few places local to me today and they didn't have anything even listed or know what I was talking about, your guy was very helpful.

I was looking at yields more than anything else, have to try something as with this drought the yields coming off the fields aint cutting it. I found these guys close to home that had a hybred millet. I am putting five acres in millet and five in Sudan as an experiment.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Caustic jump back in here, I called a few places local to me today and they didn't have anything even listed or know what I was talking about, your guy was very helpful.

I was looking at yields more than anything else, have to try something as with this drought the yields coming off the fields aint cutting it. I found these guys close to home that had a hybred millet. I am putting five acres in millet and five in Sudan as an experiment.

I've done pearl as a cover crop while waiting on Bahia to establish. Pearl goes nuts in dry soils, will die if it gets too wet (like standing water). Doesn't yield high tonnage but very tasty leaves and good TDN. Don't overgraze. Cows didn't eat the stems much, but when I let them strip the leaves to nothing it took a longer rest to get lush again. Cheap. Annual. Makes a fine dove field for the Fall.

 

[KMacGinley]

I grow 10+ acres every year of Sorghum Sudan, we hay it ever so often. I really like the brown midrib stuff, it dries quicker too for hay. I graze it when it is knee high or so. No problem with prussic acid so far. Keep em off it for 2 or 3 weeks after a frost and then turn em back on it. Needs about 50 to 100 lbs of N for optimum growth, but I have never put any on it and its gets about 7 or 8 feet high.
We are having a great hay year here, I'm sorry to hear that you guys are still dry. We were last year.

 

[HAY MAKER]

Caustic jump back in here, I called a few places local to me today and they didn't have anything even listed or know what I was talking about, your guy was very helpful.

I was looking at yields more than anything else, have to try something as with this drought the yields coming off the fields aint cutting it. I found these guys close to home that had a hybred millet. I am putting five acres in millet and five in Sudan as an experiment.

Caustic,that is why I did'nt comment on the price,lot of varibles out there,some work,some dont,I have had good luck with the photo period hybrids...........good luck
http://www.mossseed.com/

 

[C HOLLAND]

Caustic. The pearl millet we get around here is only around $15 bucks a bag. Somebody sees you for a sucker. Don't buy it for that price. Go somewhere else.

Tifleaf III is what I use.

Mike, I may have to get mine there too. I pay $29 at the local COOP's here. You may be buyimg alot more than me though. I only buy it 5-6 bags at a time.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Caustic. The pearl millet we get around here is only around $15 bucks a bag. Somebody sees you for a sucker. Don't buy it for that price. Go somewhere else.

Tifleaf III is what I use.

Mike, I may have to get mine there too. I pay $29 at the local COOP's here. You may be buyimg alot more than me though. I only buy it 5-6 bags at a time.

They offered a discount on a larger volume, I didn't think 34 bucks which includes shipping to the door was to bad, have to do some more shopping. No one around here grows it or knows much about millets or sorghum. We have been in drought here since 99 except for summer before last. What we are doing is not working scratching by on hay ever year for the last few years.
I figured a ten acre test plot was a good size to experiment to see which performs here. I have no bias about millet or sudan just looking for something to produce more tonage of hay

When it comes to millet or sudan I am as dumb as a stump seen it used in other parts of the country figured I would give it a whirl.

 

[endebt]

Caustic there is a company in Fairfield that sells a giant millet. I planted some 2 yrs, ago. To much rain and planted to late. mjy fault. The sales pitch was it would grow 7 or 8 ft. harvest it let it grow. Ihen graze it. it was suposed to grow with the length of the day. I did every thing wrong. I AM NOT A FARMER. When you see me on a tractor I am not smiling. Looking at cows calving and running around in the passture is more my liking. The company is Smith Ranch Ag. Services. Their phone number is 1-903-389-8627 . You want to talk to Lucas Smith or Beth Smith. Tell them El Rancho En Debto sent you.-$ Hope this helps. Good Luck

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanks for all the feed back I let you know in a month or two how well my farming experience is with millet and sudan.

 

[tom4018]

We tried the Sudan grass at the suggestion of the extension agent. Planted it Friday and got an inch and a half of rain on it today. We'll see how it goes.