Using Sorghum Sudan Grass and Mega Millet for Summer Grazing Sheep

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: millet, sorghum (milo)
• Animals: sheep
• Animal Products: dairy

Practices

• Animal Production: feed/forage, feed rations, manure management, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational, watering systems, winter forage
• Crop Production: double cropping, no-till, nutrient cycling, organic fertilizers
• Education and Training: extension, on-farm/ranch research
• Farm Business Management: feasibility study
• Natural Resources/Environment: soil stabilization
• Soil Management: composting

Midsummer grazing conditions are often challenging because of heat and drought, and the farmer will experiment with drilling millet and sorghum sudangrass followed by no-till turnips or Italian rye grass. The goal is to graze sheep through the summer pasture slump by using new forage species, thus avoiding the need for using stored feed. The farmer will monitor forage yield and take body condition scores and the results will be presented at a field day and offered to the agricultural media.