Red Milo

[Bowsnbucks]

I might include that seed in pheasant type mixes in the future, but I won't plant that alone again as that was a failure.

At camp, we planted WGF sorghum (milo) as an addition to a food plot seed mix. It was probably about 10% to 15% of the seed mix. Also included were clover, chicory, millet, buckwheat, and oats. The milo made seed heads, which were used by both deer and a variety of birds, but seemed to add some security to the deer when foraging their way through the plot. Doves, turkeys, grouse, and songbirds hit the mature, reddish-brown seed heads. FWIW.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Northwoods Milo with Cow Peas.
10lbs milo and 100lbs cow peas / acre.

Deer don’t seem to be browsing on either plant. Sure is nicer than corn which they eat the whole stock down before tassel.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Pheasants Forever Milo.

20 lbs / acre. Never planted Milo and the Kasco Eco Drill ripped through the small seed quicker than I thought.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Pheasants Forever Milo.

20 lbs / acre. Never planted Milo and the Kasco Eco Drill ripped through the small seed quicker than I thought.

View attachment 81457

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Only found 1 plant starting to head out in the PF Milo.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

For comparison - the peas and sunflowers.
The deer, turkeys, and other wildlife put a hurting on my sunflowers. Both at seed and when they were under 12”. Now it’s a little sunflowers and mostly peas.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Too add, I got my plots in around late Jun. We had really high rainfall amounts in April and May. Then the rain has basically shut off since I planted.

I did overseas most of these plots with a mix of brassicas and clovers two weeks ago before a rain,
, but have seen no germination of anything since.

In upstate NY we would probably need 10” of rain to put us to normal levels right now.

The Milo and peas appear to be taking it in stride though. Aside from some spottty germination issues due to my planter they both seem to be doing good.

 

[omicron1792]

Looks great my man

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Another comparison: 50lbs of beans and 25lbs of sunflowers / acre. You can see how sad this plot looks; due to a combination of browse pressure and drought.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Sad looking sunflowers and beans.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Looks great my man

Thanks. That Milo is the only thing giving me hopes for deer season. Everything else is B R O W N!

 

[Catscratch]

I plant sunflowers most yrs. Usually the deer mow them down. This yr I buried them deep into a really thick stand of milo. Only browsing I can find so far is along the edges. I'm thinking maybe they just don't like fighting the thick stuff to get into the plot. They certainly don't survive when I just plant them solo, or in a short crop of some sort.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

For comparison - the peas and sunflowers.
The deer, turkeys, and other wildlife put a hurting on my sunflowers. Both at seed and when they were under 12”. Now it’s a little sunflowers and mostly peas.
View attachment 81461

What did you use for herbicides on this field and your milo field? They look really good.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

What did you use for herbicides on this field and your milo field? They look really good.

That Pea and Milo and Pea Sunflower field just got 1 spray of 41% glyphosate this June. No pre-emergent or “exotics”

BUT !!! It did have really low weed pressure because last year it had rockstar beans which were sprayed 1 time pre plant and 1 time in late June. I sprayed another 1 acre bean plot twice that summer, but this plot was so thick with beans, I couldn’t bring myself to drive over good looking beans.

I also broadcast two servings of 150lbs acre of rye and wheat, which had decent emergence when the leaves from the beans fell off.

It did also have clover frost seeded this winter (which got smoked with the spring round up.

I won’t claim to be a great farmer. This field is a rockstar. Other fields are so/so

If I had a take away it would be - non-conventional non round up ready crops are easier to grow after clean weed-free good performing (full canopy) beans.

Use quality seed and use a lot of it. In my research and observations, most legumes and small grains can be “over-planted” by about 100% maybe more and still perform for food plot purposes.

No till does help for weed control.

 

[Badgers80]

Thought I’d share some pics of my Milo. First year planting Milo in my new CRP plot. Very happy with the results so far. Planted June 19th after broadcasting and dragging. Not seeing many heads yet - only on the shorter Milo that was suppressed a bit. The millet is seeding out though. Put urea on it twice but probably should’ve added a bit more, it looks pretty good color wise though

Thought this was a fun pic below. Right side must’ve been missed by the 2,4D spraying we did. A lot more water hemp there compared to the left side.

 

[buckdeer1]

My SIL planted 1800 acres of early milo as it has been producing well with weather last couple years. I like full season as it is just in milk stage during ML season. Early season will be cut by then and then cover crop will be planted until wheat goes in. But there are alot of different milos+

 

[Catscratch]

My SIL planted 1800 acres of early milo as it has been producing well with weather last couple years. I like full season as it is just in milk stage during ML season. Early season will be cut by then and then cover crop will be planted until wheat goes in. But there are alot of different milos+

He puts a cover crop in between cutting milo and drilling wheat? What does he plant?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

For comparison - the peas and sunflowers.
The deer, turkeys, and other wildlife put a hurting on my sunflowers. Both at seed and when they were under 12”. Now it’s a little sunflowers and mostly peas.
View attachment 81461

Spikehorn - Deer don't hammer your cow peas?? That pic looks like you have no deer - untouched peas!

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Spikehorn - Deer don't hammer your cow peas?? That pic looks like you have no deer - untouched peas!

Bows - I’ve got some deer over there! You should see my sunflower plants, where the deer have started stripping all the leaves off. My deer density is reasonably high for Northern NY.

For whatever reason they aren’t touching the peas, I don’t know if they don’t like them or if it’s like brassicas, where they need a year or two too get a taste for them.