source for red Milo

[Stubborn1VT]

I'm probably just being cheap, but I'm looking for a reasonable price on Red Milo. I'm having a hard time finding a source for a 4'-5' tall variety. I plan on using it as structure/interior screening in an open food plot.
I like the seed at Northwoods Whitetail, but his shipping and handling seem fairly high. Now that I know more about Milo, I realize that there's nothing really special about it and the seed prices are driven higher by demand from food plotters. The same thing happened with buckwheat IMO.
Anyone have a good source for a small amount without exorbitant S&H? If all else fails, I'll probably end up buying from NWW or Deer Creek Seed.

 

[omicron1792]

Not red but.

WGF Sorghum Seed

Grow strong, productive crops with WGF Sorghum Seed. Excellent for spring & summer food plots and seed for game birds. Shop WGF Sorghum seed here.

hancockseed.com

 

[goatman]

Welters or Hancock Seeds. If your looking for short WGF milo. Wild Game Food milo. Not sure what shipping is these days. I've bought from both.

 

[Telemark]

I bought mine from Merit.

 

[davidhelmly]

Check your local feed store, mine always carries WGF.

 

[Telemark]

Wilder Grain Sorghum Seeds - Annual, Treated | Merit Seed

Wilder Grain Sorghum Seeds - annual, treated, by Merit Seed, a most valuable source of winter food for quail and other wildlife. Place your order online now!

meritseed.com

 

[Stubborn1VT]

Not looking for WGF, as it only gets 3' tall. I'm a fan of Merit Seed but they don't have the taller, red variety.

 

[Badgers80]

What about just a bag of cheap, mixed bird seed? I know Walmart has a 40 lb economy, red colored bag that is like $15 that contains a majority of red milo seed.

 

[Foggy47]

What about just a bag of cheap, mixed bird seed? I know Walmart has a 40 lb economy, red colored bag that is like $15 that contains a majority of red milo seed.

I've seen this suggested a few times. But without clean seed.....you may be planting allot of new varieties of weeds on your land. Not worth it to me. I ONCE bought some bin-run rye seed.....never again.

 

[Catscratch]

I've seen this suggested a few times. But without clean seed.....you may be planting allot of new varieties of weeds on your land. Not worth it to me. I ONCE bought some bin-run rye seed.....never again.

Winner winner chicken dinner! You can do it (I've done it) but the risk of invasive weeds makes it not worth it to me. Way cheaper to by clean seed than it is to buy the chemicals to fight invasives.


Might be a silly question but do you have a local CO-OP you can check with? Maybe a farmer you can buy a few pounds from? Or a 4H club that might be growing a small plot for shows?

 

[Stubborn1VT]

Winner winner chicken dinner! You can do it (I've done it) but the risk of invasive weeds makes it not worth it to me. Way cheaper to by clean seed than it is to buy the chemicals to fight invasives.


Might be a silly question but do you have a local CO-OP you can check with? Maybe a farmer you can buy a few pounds from? Or a 4H club that might be growing a small plot for shows?

I don't know anyone who grows milo in Vermont. There is a seed/fertilizer store I can check with, but I suspect they only carry white Milo.

Welters has it for a very good price, but only in a 50lb bag.
Northwoods will sell me 3lbs for about $37 shipped, which seems pretty spendy.

 

[davidhelmly]

I don't know anyone who grows milo in Vermont. There is a seed/fertilizer store I can check with, but I suspect they only carry white Milo.

Welters has it for a very good price, but only in a 50lb bag.
Northwoods will sell me 3lbs for about $37 shipped, which seems pretty spendy.

That does sound speedy. This is the first place that popped up when I googled red Milo. https://elkmoundseed.com/products/grain-sorghum-seed-a-k-a-red-milo

 

[davidhelmly]

This place is $1.20 a pound.

Sorghum/Red Milo Seed, Sorghum spp. Seed

Early maturing species; most attractive to mourning doves in the fall; makes emergency food for turkey, pheasants, and deer during the winter.

www.ernstseed.com

 

[Catscratch]

I don't know anyone who grows milo in Vermont. There is a seed/fertilizer store I can check with, but I suspect they only carry white Milo.

Welters has it for a very good price, but only in a 50lb bag.
Northwoods will sell me 3lbs for about $37 shipped, which seems pretty spendy.

My CO-OP will order anything I ask for, and shipping is either cheap or free since they throw it on the truck with everything else they've already got coming in. But, I do have to buy 50lb bags when I do this. I'm thinking of getting some milo for this summer's plots but haven't done any research yet. How much will you need? Why red instead of white?

 

[bigboreblr]

stubborn1,

IF they can grow that all over PA, you should be ok right by the lake there.

I am interested in sorghum / milo. Something for screening. When is a good time to plant it? How long does it stand up? Any good companion crops to this? I am doing liming, fertilizer, and tillage on this spot. Should have a good chance.

I am probably only growing 1/10 to 2/10ths of an acre of this What do you consider a decent planting width for screening. Assuming its like corn, it needs the neighbor plant to help stand up in the wind.

 

[Stubborn1VT]

stubborn1,

IF they can grow that all over PA, you should be ok right by the lake there.

I am interested in sorghum / milo. Something for screening. When is a good time to plant it? How long does it stand up? Any good companion crops to this? I am doing liming, fertilizer, and tillage on this spot. Should have a good chance.

I am probably only growing 1/10 to 2/10ths of an acre of this What do you consider a decent planting width for screening. Assuming its like corn, it needs the neighbor plant to help stand up in the wind.

I have grown it here, I just don't know any farmers or food plotters that grow it.

It needs to be planted in warm soil. Greater than 60 degrees, I believe. I will plant in June. It is super easy to grow. Very pH tolerant, drought tolerant, and doesn't have to have fertilizer. I rototill, broadcast at 5-6lbs an acre, and drag in with chain harrows.

I'll be planting strips 10-15 yards wide. It isn't as great as corn for screening, but nothing messes with it. Last time I planted a variety that only got 4' tall. It's a pretty hardy stalk and it stood up pretty much all winter. I brush-hogged it the following spring. Deer ate the seed heads in December and January. I wish I had more ground to experiment with, but I need room for clover and brassicas as well.

 

[buckdeer1]

Every area has a seed dealer,I have planted milo lots of time but there are downfalls such as if planted too thick won't head out.It is eaten by everything from blackbirds,coon,deer,turkeys so hard to keep much.Some varieties have more of a chemical that helps detour birds. It also takes a fair amount of fertilizer.With the droughts we have been having we stated planting early milo for our ag fields. For temp screening I would use one of the mixes from some like Real World and then plant switch so you don't have to plant every year.You don't say how many acres but you will need more than a couple pounds

 

[Stubborn1VT]

Thanks for the replies all. I found it for under $5/lb from Nature's Seed with reasonable shipping.
Anyone else planting Milo/grain sorghum? I'm really looking forward to planting it instead of field corn.

 

[Stubborn1VT]

Every area has a seed dealer,I have planted milo lots of time but there are downfalls such as if planted too thick won't head out.It is eaten by everything from blackbirds,coon,deer,turkeys so hard to keep much.Some varieties have more of a chemical that helps detour birds. It also takes a fair amount of fertilizer.With the droughts we have been having we stated planting early milo for our ag fields. For temp screening I would use one of the mixes from some like Real World and then plant switch so you don't have to plant every year.You don't say how many acres but you will need more than a couple pounds

I didn't have any issues with birds. Nothing messed with it until the seed heads reached dough stage. It doesn't take much fertilizer in my experience. Certainly less than corn. My screening changes every year as I rotate strips in my plot. I'm not a believer in switch. I'll probably plant less than 1/5 acre to break up the plot and give it a little structure. I'm working on a totally different scale than most of you guys.

 

[buckdeer1]

I was planting over an acre with lots of ag around and they do hit hard when dough and then everything else hits it when it starts to ripen.I would be great for early ML season but gone by middle of Oct.