I haven't grown millet but people around me have and this is what I've observed.
Seems to establish easy enough despite the hot weather of early summer.
Seems to do well on sandier soil.
Needs to be swathed because it breaks down bad especially after a frost.
The swath does not dry out easily especially given how late in the fall it is harvested.
However even if it gets rained it doesn't seem to sprout.
The market as I understand it is exclusively bird seed and very hit and miss. Easily flooded given the right circumstances. Most guys that grow it prepare to store for two years if necessary. This is the main reason we've never tried it.
Yup.
There are several cultivars also. I’ve grown it for years, hoppers don’t particularly like it, it’s low input(Organic here) low moisture requirements tolerates heat well. We’re under 4” rain for the year and it is doing well so far.
In my experience it does better on sandy land than heavy gumbo. This years plot is sugar sand at one end and cement gumbo on the other, sand end is a bit better at the moment. Mostly likely due to seed soil contact and crusting when it was planted.
Varieties can be taylored to your need, some grow back well after being cut/grazed some don’t. Some are over 100day maturity some are as quick as 60.
Cows love the stuff and do well on it. It’s waxy leaves can be a problem if cutting for dry bales. Leaving for swath grazing works well, it stores very well in the swath. In my experience cows will eat combined millet straw as well as decent alfalfa. I have no idea what the nutrient values are.
If I was going to grow it for the seed sale market, I’d talk to some of the cover crop purveyors about marketing it, or talk to neighbors who silage cereals. When more seed is needed I leave a few acres and combine it after it freezes and drys down...usually hours before winter hits. I’ve never seen it break down, but there’s so many variables involved who knows, it is very possible. Leaving it stand there is definitely a bit of shatter loss with heavy winds.
