Japanese Millet

[cyclonenation10]

Was curious if anyone has used Japanse millet or "duck millet" for pheasant food plots? From my limited knowledge and research, it appears that this thrives in more wet soils than the standard grain sorghum we generally use?

Our property is about 50% tillable / 50% flood plain ground. The ground does not always flood, but usually every other year or so. Currently, we plant our food plots on the good tillable so they do not flood and kill the food plot in the spring. However, this has the negative consequences of getting rid of prime/valuable nesting habitat that will have the best nesting success rate in a wet spring.

Maybe I am looking at this much to "simple", but in my opinion we would be better off trying to establish food plots on the flood ground and leaving the best nesting areas in native grasses.

There are shallow "ponds" that were part of the wetland program we are enrolled in, however they really don't hold water and are essentially a waste of space in my opinion. Would japanese millet do well in those areas? Is it as beneficial to the birds as traditional grain sorghum?

What's everyone's thoughts?

 

[5 stand]

Or rice?

Rice: A new cash crop for South Dakota?

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) -- Some South Dakota State University plant scientists are researching whether rice, the most-consumed staple food in the world, can be grown in the state.

siouxcityjournal.com

 

[haymaker]

I have used Jap millet in cover crop mixes, but my favorite millet is proso millet.

 

[birdhunter6]

Would consider using proso millet, pearl millet or brown top millet over jap millet in upland mesic soils. Prefer to drill at 12 - 15 lbs acre on 7.5" row spacing.

 

[ArmchairBiologist]

Was curious if anyone has used Japanse millet or "duck millet" for pheasant food plots? From my limited knowledge and research, it appears that this thrives in more wet soils than the standard grain sorghum we generally use?

Our property is about 50% tillable / 50% flood plain ground. The ground does not always flood, but usually every other year or so. Currently, we plant our food plots on the good tillable so they do not flood and kill the food plot in the spring. However, this has the negative consequences of getting rid of prime/valuable nesting habitat that will have the best nesting success rate in a wet spring.

Maybe I am looking at this much to "simple", but in my opinion we would be better off trying to establish food plots on the flood ground and leaving the best nesting areas in native grasses.

There are shallow "ponds" that were part of the wetland program we are enrolled in, however they really don't hold water and are essentially a waste of space in my opinion. Would japanese millet do well in those areas? Is it as beneficial to the birds as traditional grain sorghum?

What's everyone's thoughts?

Those shallow ponds sound like seasonal wetlands. If you're enrolled in a wetland easement you should check the rules of the easement before you start an activity.

The easiest thing to do is plant barnyard grass (wild millet). It's native and the pheasants eat it. It thrives in seasonal wetlands that dry out in the summer. I've shot many roosters this year in barnyard grass out of dry wetlands. They were all full of the seeds.

If that doesn't work you might want to consider if a food plot is even necessary. If there's property surrounding yours that's in grain then you might be better off planting grass where you currently have a food plot for more habitat. The birds can feed in the adjacent crop land.