CISCO Seeds is introducing a new hybrid pearl millet into its marketing area for the summer of 2014. Sweet Summer BMR Hyrbrid Pearl Millet will be available only in limited supply the first year.
Characteristics of this product include:
Brown Mid Rib - for improved palatability
Pearl millet requires less nutrients than sudangrass or sorghum sudangrass
There is no prussic acid
Safe for livestock after a frost
Farmer can make hay with this product
Works well on poorer soils
It can be fed to horses
There is the potential for 3 cuttings
Sweet Summer BMR Hybrid Pearl Millet can be chopped, wet wrapped, or dry baled. It is safe for grazing after a frost and might even be stockpiled for late fall grazing.
“An overlooked crop is BMR pearl millet. Other researchers and I have found that pearl millets have very high feed quality. In our replicated study, the grazing corn was 12.9% crude protein, the sorghum-Sudan was 14.2%; and the BMR pearl millet was 20% crude protein. The energy was similar (very high) between the BMR grazing corn, BMR sorghum-Sudan, and BMR pearl millet. All three had very high plant sugars. The pearl millet does not have prussic acid management issues. It yields very well in late summer. Pearl millet has thinner stems that may be easier to round bale for wrapping. If you are looking at grazing, be careful, as it is so rich that it can cause bloat.”
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