If you’re looking for a dairy forage that’s highly versatile, reliable, and digestible, pearl millet might be the crop for you.
Bryan Decker, U.S. Agronomy and Nutrition Lead for La Crosse Seed, La Crosse, Wis. said pearl millet planting has been on the upswing in the past 5 years for dairy producers nationwide.
“In some cases, Mother Nature has forced our hand and required us to adopt some alternative forage production strategies,” shared Decker. “Through that process, we’ve learned how to manage those new forages appropriately.”
Decker believes a partial allocation (at least 15%) of forage acres to summer annuals like pearl millet is a wise risk-management strategy that can help keep bunkers full, even in unpredictable weather years. Millet, in particular, has the ability to withstand a wide range of weather and soil conditions.
“It’s a native plant of Ethiopia, so that tells you it’s a hardy crop that can survive some tough circumstances, including drought,” noted Decker. “On average, it requires about 30% less moisture through the growing season compared to corn.”
Pearly millet does well in sandy, lower-quality soils, but Decker cautioned good drainage is essential. It seeds a lot like alfalfa, although the seed size is slightly larger. Decker recommends drilling in narrow (7.5-15 inches) rows into a fairly firm seedbed, at a seeding rate of no more than 12-15 pounds per acre, and a planting depth no greater than a half inch.
A soil temperature of 60-65°F and rising is necessary before seeding, which means planting dates can be highly variable depending on weather conditions and geography. “One of the advantages of pearl millet is that this is a plant that loves heat,” stated Decker. “So, it can handle summer virtually anywhere in the U.S.”
In most locations, producers can expect to take at least 2 cuttings, and often a third if enough growing degree units accumulate in a given season. Harvest typically is advised at the flag-leaf stage, or about 40 inches of growth. It is highly frost sensitive, so the first killing frost will abruptly end its growing season.
Compared to other forage sources, another tremendous advantage is its processing flexibility. Most producers ensile pearl millet in either bunkers, piles, bags, or wet-wrapped bales. But Decker said its high leaf-to-stem ratio make it a practical crop to cut and bale for dry hay. It also can be grazed without the worry of prussic acid toxicity.
As a feed source, well-managed pearl millet can be a dairy nutritionist’s dream. Dwarf and BMR varieties of pearl millet are available. The dwarf characteristic lends to tight plant nodes and thus extreme leafiness, and the BMR aspect adds to digestibility.
“Nutritionists love it because pearl millet typically has a higher NDFD percentage compared to BMR sorghum/sudangrass,” noted Decker. “It is also lower in lignin and starch, and its fine stems mean cows tend to gobble it up and consume the whole plant.”
Pearl millet might lag slightly behind sorghum/sudangrass in terms of total-season tonnage. “A typical year for sorghum/sudangrass might produce about 5-7 tons of dry matter per acre, while pearl millet would be closer to 4-6 tons per acre,” advised Decker.
In terms of cost, both crops would be in the same ballpark, depending on yield, growing conditions, but Decker said pearl millet will almost always win that dual in terms of digestibility and relative feed quality.
Incorporating pearl millet into the crop rotation can also improve a dairy’s land-use intensity, as it can follow harvest of a winter forage like, wheat, rye, or triticale; or a spring forage like oats or barley. This also creates a home for a late-spring manure application in between. Millet also can be left intact in the fall as a cover crop/green manure.
Pests and weed pressure tend not to be major challenges with pearl millet, mostly because its quick growth allows most of those problems to be eliminated by taking a cutting. It also requires no specialized equipment. “If you can raise alfalfa, you have everything you need to raise millet,” advised Decker.
Given fluctuating grain costs and the likelihood of continued climate challenges, Decker predicts more dairy producers will embrace pearl millet as part of an intentional forage diversification strategy. “It is a fairly forgiving crop that checks a lot of boxes to make excellent dairy feed,” he said.
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