To Sprig or Not to Sprig

[marksmu]

What type of millet are you planting to get those results, and what is your experience with Millet and too much water? Your logic on paper seems good to me, but I have found that alot of things I decide to do on paper, dont always work for me in the field.

 

[edrsimms]

What type of millet are you planting to get those results, and what is your experience with Millet and too much water? Your logic on paper seems good to me, but I have found that alot of things I decide to do on paper, dont always work for me in the field.

I started planting Millet for grazing in 1982 and at the time we were using Tiff leaf 1. It grew about 8 ft tall and was still better than bermuda or Bahia, but was a jungle out there unless you had the cow numbers to put on it. Several years later, they came out with Tiff leaf 2 and it was considered at the time to be a "dwarf Millet" growing only about 4 to 5 ft and had a much smaller stalk. Another decade went by and Tiff leaf 3 showed up, grows about 3ft tall much smaller stalk and was easier to bale if you wanted to.

We have marginal farmland set aside solely for the purpose of planting summer and winter temporary grazing(millet for summer/ rye for winter). We Lime these fields in the fall to maintain a minimum Lime index of 6.2 and usually put out K every couple of years in the spring.
As far as wet feet and Millet --- we use wet fields every year ( hence marginal farmland) and the only problem we have in doing this is sometimes we do get cinch bugs in late Summer, but never to the threshhold that requires spraying them. Tiff leaf 3 will work in the wet, but as others have mentioned it doesnt prefer constant wet feet.
Japanese Millet loves the water-- we have 2 / 300 acre waterfowl impoundments that we plant in Japanese Millet every year and flood it keeping the water level only a few inches below the top of the millet as the year progresses. So you have many options to go with-- I prefer Tiff leaf 3 Millet.

Planting 20 lbs or Millet per acre and putting down a pre-plant fertilizer of 50-0-0 we can "limit graze" 6 cow calf pairs per acre on it all summer long. Sometimes we do have to come back with a N application in July, but not always. This year we do not plan on reapplying N in mid summer. We have hundreds of acres of bermuda that we just let sit idle, because we dont need it when using Millet. We graze cows/with February calves on Millet from 0530 am until about 1030 am daily and get them off. They spend the rest of the day lounging around under the trees or in a stock tank. Every morning at 0530 they are waiting at the gate to be let in the Millet-- simple

 

[Jogeephus]

I never said anything about putting 6 on bahia --- I said MILLET
Bahia is a weed we use Oust or Cimmaron on it -- hate bahia grass.

No one ever said you did. And yes its obvious you have a thing against anything but millet. Maybe when I retire I can stand around all day and open and close gates for the cows to eat. Does that not have a cost? It would take me all day to do this. BTW - when the cows are not on the millet for their 2 hours where are they?

 

[edrsimms]

No one ever said you did. And yes its obvious you have a thing against anything but millet. Maybe when I retire I can stand around all day and open and close gates for the cows to eat. Does that not have a cost? It would take me all day to do this. BTW - when the cows are not on the millet for their 2 hours where are they?

Actually it takes about 5 minutes to put them in the Millet in the morning and the dog gets them out 4-5 hours later. So, the cost is what I would say minimal.
I cant imagine it taking anyone all day to open a gate, but OK, if you say so.

When the cows aren't on the Millet they are lounging around in the shade in one of those worthless bermuda pastures - yall seem to like so much.

I just thought I would post what I do for those of us in the South. It's quite alright with me if you want to continue to lose money fertilizing grass that isnt much good anyway. I guess your operations are a lot different from ours.
Cows with calves born in October/November are grazed on Rye Dec Jan Feb Mar, Clover Mar, Apr; weaned in mid-May steers avg weaning weights are 660 hfrs about 610. Steers go on Millet for the next 75 days then off to the feedlot. Heifers are forage finished.


Cows that calve in February are grazed on Rye, Clover, then Millet all summer; calves weaned in Mid September. Calves dont see a grass pasture really until late September but by then it is all but finished. I just dont have any use for low nutritional grass pasture. BTW-- your fertilizer estimate is also incorrect maybe you should re-read my previous post. Best of luck to you permanent pasture grazers-- you will need it.

 

[talldog]

No one ever said you did. And yes its obvious you have a thing against anything but millet. Maybe when I retire I can stand around all day and open and close gates for the cows to eat. Does that not have a cost? It would take me all day to do this. BTW - when the cows are not on the millet for their 2 hours where are they?

Actually it takes about 5 minutes to put them in the Millet in the morning and the dog gets them out 4-5 hours later. So, the cost is what I would say minimal.
I cant imagine it taking anyone all day to open a gate, but OK, if you say so.

When the cows aren't on the Millet they are lounging around in the shade in one of those worthless bermuda pastures - yall seem to like so much.

I just thought I would post what I do for those of us in the South. It's quite alright with me if you want to continue to lose money fertilizing grass that isnt much good anyway. I guess your operations are a lot different from ours.
Cows with calves born in October/November are grazed on Rye Dec Jan Feb Mar, Clover Mar, Apr; weaned in mid-May steers avg weaning weights are 660 hfrs about 610. Steers go on Millet for the next 75 days then off to the feedlot. Heifers are forage finished.


Cows that calve in February are grazed on Rye, Clover, then Millet all summer; calves weaned in Mid September. Calves dont see a grass pasture really until late September but by then it is all but finished. I just dont have any use for low nutritional grass pasture. BTW-- your fertilizer estimate is also incorrect maybe you should re-read my previous post. Best of luck to you permanent pasture grazers-- you will need it.

You've convinced me---the rye overseed is a winner for MY region !! :wave:

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Wonder why edrsims keeps them hundreds of acres of bermuda just a setting idle. Maybe for the years the millet don't grow to well. Sounds like alot of plowing and spraying and money spent on buying seed ever year to me.

 

[Jogeephus]

You've convinced me

Me too. I'm gonna get that gate fixed. :lol2:

 

[tytower]

I've been having a look at this .
Ed the chart given in the below link shows Millet with clover used but only suitable for grazing for about two months if I am reading it correctly.
I'm interested to get some seed and give it a go but what comments do you have about this grazing chart below
Thanks for putting this all down by the way

http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/twelve/chart.pdf


This is the Grazing page that got me there

http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/twelve/grazing.html

 

[Brute 23]

Actually it takes about 5 minutes to put them in the Millet in the morning and the dog gets them out 4-5 hours later. So, the cost is what I would say minimal.
I cant imagine it taking anyone all day to open a gate, but OK, if you say so.

I check my coastal once a week if its lucky... :lol2:

 

[edrsimms]

I've been having a look at this .
Ed the chart given in the below link shows Millet with clover used but only suitable for grazing for about two months if I am reading it correctly.
I'm interested to get some seed and give it a go but what comments do you have about this grazing chart below
Thanks for putting this all down by the way

http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/twelve/chart.pdf


This is the Grazing page that got me there

http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/twelve/grazing.html

I see this chart and no- you aren't reading it right ----
It has Tiff Leaf 3 for 1. May, 2. June, 3. July, 4. August, 5. September and 1/2 of October < which is a tad longer than 2 months.
ed