Pearl millet is considered as a staple food in Africa and India where it is used to make flour, bread, and porridge. The plant stems can be used for roof thatch and building construction. In countries other than Africa and India it is most widely grown as poultry feed.  It is a very robust grass which tillers widely and grows in tufts. It is the preferred choice for forage when compared to similar warm season millets such as browntop, Japanese, and proso millet. Pearl millet production for grain is mainly used for poultry feed.

Pearl millet grass is commonly grown for forage, wildlife, or as a cover crop. It can reach heights of 3 to 5 feet tall under ideal conditions. This multi cut forage grass is preferred over other millets for hay, pasture and silage production because it is highly digestible, high in protein, and free of prussic acid. Pearl millet also makes excellent cover and feed for birds, deer, and other wildlife. Lastly, pearl millet is a great green manure crop for hot summer months. This crop requires warm growing conditions and should not be planted until soil temperatures reach 65 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

Seeding Rate: 25 - 30 lbs per acre

Japanese millet can also be used for a cover crop, forage and grazing, and many types of wildlife besides birds.

• Upright, warm-season, summer annal grass that grows 3 to 5 ft tall
• Quick germination and emergence in 3-5 days under ideal growing conditions
• Tolerates wet soils prone to flooding or ponding better than other millets
• Excellent at scavenging nitrogen and preventing erosion
• Finer stems than pearl millet or sorghums, great for grazing
• Wait to plant until soil is 65 degrees Fahrenheit

Seeding Rate: 25 - 35 lbs per acre

German Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) - German Millet is a fast growing, warm-season annual grass and a foxtail type millet. German Millet is a fine-stemmed, leafy variety that is commonly planted as a single-cut hay millet and used for forage and birdseed. German Millet is quick maturing and works excellent in double cropping scenarios where time becomes limiting for the second crop. It can be ready to cut for hay in as little as 60 days from planting. It produces hay that will cure easily and be highly palatable for livestock. German Foxtail Millet is extremely drought tolerant and will grow rapidly during hot summer conditions reaching heights of 2 - 5 feet. It does well in light soils due to its high level of water efficiency.

Harvest can be delayed until millet is more mature, but palatability declines significantly with mature seedheads. Millets are less likely to have high levels of nitrates than other warm-season forages such as sorghum. Under drought conditions, nitrate levels may rise and caution should be used if haying or grazing.

• Forage/Hay: It is a single-cut crop that does not easily regrow after harvest. It should be cut for hay in the early head stage for best quality.
• Planting: Plant in late spring or early summer when soil temperatures are 60F or higher. Seeding rate is generally 20 - 30 lbs per acre, drilled 1/2 – 3/4 inch deep.
• Soil: Prefers well-drained soils with a pH of 5.5 – 7.0.
• Caution: Not recommended for horses as it can cause kidney and joint issues.
• Wildlife: Excellent for attracting birds, including quails and pheasants, and for food plots.