Brown top millet for hay?

LukeD · Aug 31, 2015

I run a small square baling business, and I had someone ask me to cut and bale about 10 acres of millet. They want to do it on a 1/4 (they load it and stack it in my barn and I keep 3/4 of it. Does anyone typically use millet as hay? From my research, there's a test that one can do to make sure that it doesn't have a toxic level of nitrogen. But aside from that, is it any good? Is it worth me fooling with? I'd be feeding it to cows and possibly selling some of it

cmyoung2 · Sep 10, 2015

It has been several years since I've seen any (20+) but if I remember right it was good hay, just not as productive tonnage wise as some of the other like the sudangrasses. Need to cut before seeds develop fully for best quality, but for cow hay, no real issues. Nitrates were usually not a problem unless a lot of chicken litter or N fert applied.

big bubba · Sep 11, 2015

not sure if this site info will be helpful to you...think brown top is mainly used for wild life plots esp. in wet natured areas. not as productive as other hays. i use it for wood duck around pond areas... would try to harvest before optimum seed head (could be a challenge) regards
Brown Top Millet Seed - Wildlife Food Plot Seed|How To Grow|Wildlifeseeds.com

LukeD · Sep 16, 2015

Well I cut and baled most of the millet while it was still nice and green. But I've got a small piece that I'll be baling tomorrow, and it was pretty dry when I cut it. My animals LOVED the millet. Looks like I might have a new market. I sold everything that I stored in less than a week.

M5farms · Sep 17, 2015

I cut a small patch and baled it this year. I had it tested and it was 10% protein and 48TDN , its pretty hay but value is no better than Bahia

Hiptfarms · Sep 25, 2015

I have an friend that loves to put up millet for his mules. He thinks it is a good quality hay for his draft animals. They eat the stalk and seed heads.

Texasmark · Oct 10, 2015

Don't know about Brown Top. Foxtail is wild here, sorry hay, quasi for pasture if green. Tried Pearl a couple of years ago and no go. So I went back to good old GMO Sorghum-Sudan.....