Thank you Dipak, Gary for your precisions, corrections, and additional information. The subject of millets is a bit complicated (even as there is a lack of data on some points), so these contributions are appreciated. Maria, Sruthi, an additional source that you might find helpful is a short guide to uses of millets by our friend Dr. Rob Myers (University of Missouri) entitled "Growing Millets for Grain, Forage or Cover Crop Use" (2018). While giving international context, the focus is on uses in the US. Uses by specific millet are broken down under subheadings. These are crops with diverse utility, and the configuration of uses is not the same for all of them. See: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4164 Having done some work relating to languages, I see a linguistic dimension to confusion about millets and their uses. One could say "millet is X" and "milet is not X" and be correct, because one was referring to two entirely different species. It's important to remember that the "millet" we see in major food markets in this part of the world is almost always one species: proso millet. So, "millet" (meaning proso) is grown primarily for grain (and that grain is not part of cattle feed), and "millet" acreage (meaning the area in the US on which various species of millets are grown) goes mostly to feeding livestock (including cattle, but in the form of graze, silage, or, hay). Two quick clarifications, if I may. First, I mentioned proso millet seed use for poultry and possibly hogs. The Dryland Genetics group was (and is?) discussing the potential of proso four chicken feed, so I had assumed this was already a thing. They've also researched its potential for hogs (and indeed one old common name for proso was "hog millet"). I defer to Dipak, of course, for what is actually done. Second, there was some work on pearl millet grain for poultry, and indeed a variety of the crop developed for that purpose at the University of Georgia. Apparently it didn't catch on? (A subtext to this and the above mention of proso for poultry is that there is a well-established agro-industry producing feed based largely on corn and wheat, according to what I read.) Hope this helps, Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA On Thu, May 9, 2024 at 8:45 PM Gary Wietgrefe via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Sruthi and Maria, I hope we did not confuse you.
First, *Dipak is correct that most years proso grain is not fed to cattle*, hogs, poultry, or used for ethanol in the U.S. Trials have been ongoing for a century. Usually, only when proso grain prices get down to corn (priced cents-per-pound) will some proso slide into the feed market which has been rare in recent years. That low priced, or low quality proso grain rarely is sold to commercial proso buyers. That is why Dipak is correct (point 3) "...local marketing companies" do not buy and sell proso grain for feed, except for caged and wild bird feed. (Note, nearly all U.S. bird feed is proso, but foxtail millets, normally for seed, do find their way into caged bird feed.)
Secondly, *U.S. livestock are fed millet forage which does produce meat*. Far more acres of U.S. millets (combining pearl, foxtail, Japanese, teff, and browntop) are fed to livestock than is proso produced for grain. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has not collected any uses of millet for many years. Even though over half the U.S. states raise millets (including proso), since 1999 USDA has only estimated proso, and only proso, harvested for grain. Note also slide 18 in presentation on Acreage Potential of U.S. Proso Millet where roughly 15% of USDA's 3-state proso estimates are planted and NOT harvested for grain.
Thirdly, *your's, and any research on millet uses in the U.S., is welcomed*. I have tried. Since growing millet on our South Dakota farm, I have been around millet my whole life and published two books on it (1989--Proso Millet: A Trade Summary, and 1990--How to Produce Proso Millet: a farmer's guide). Both can be downloaded for free on ResearchGate.com. Review the presentation U.S. Millets for Feed, Conservation, and Wildlife specifically slides 7-13 for feed, 14-18 for conservation, and 19-22 for wildlife. My photos help tell the production and use story. My YouTube channel also has several millet videos, specifically *feeding*: https://youtu.be/usv-kruub54?si=JOR2zymO-R73d417 and *pricing*: https://youtu.be/pVQclIw5Rbw?si=mbno369FtqOan1Sf .
I look forward to reading your proso as food research....Gary Wietgrefe
On Thu, May 9, 2024 at 1:18 PM Dipak Santra <dsantra2@unl.edu> wrote:
Hi Maria and Sruthi:
I would like to clarify a couple of points to the best of my knowledge.
1. In the US, unless Sorghum is considered millet, proso millet is the only millet which is grown for commodity grain. Other two grain millets are pearl millet and foxtail millet but used as certified seed for hay production. 2. You are correct that majority of the US proso millet is used for non-human food. However, this non-human food use means for bird feed not for cattle feed. No proso millet is used for cattle feeding in the US. In fact, I do not know if proso millet is used for cattle feeding anywhere in the world. So, this is not 'round about' way of human food. 3. Currently, the true human food & beverage uses of proso millet are significantly lower than that of bird feed but the amount is substantial due to recent global initiative to promote millets (IYM2023).
It is not possible to get exact percentage or number of acres used cultivating of millets for cattle or bird feed and human consumption. However, ~20% of the US proso millet is used for non-bird feed i.e. human food and beverages. The remaining 80% is used for non-food (bird feed-major and mushroom - minor). *There is no use of proso millet for cattle feeding. *This information is based on personal communications with local millet marketing companies. There is no published literature for this information.
*The US proso millet production data based on USDA-NASS: *The trend of proso millet production in the USA during the last 10 years (2014-2023) based on USDA-NAAS data.
· Total Areas of production average: 192,551 hectares (157,895 – 268,551 ha)
· Total production average: 311,311 tons (227,273 – 454,545 tons)
· Yield: 1.174 tons/ha (1.18 – 2.13 tons/ha)
· Sales price: $220/ton ($132 - $484/ton)
· Value: $73 million ($36 – $134 million)
The following link provides complete and detail data during entire recording time (1999-2023).
https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/results/FDDA3F86-2398-363D-B8C3-D0A1EB4818D...
I hope that this helps.
Regards,
Dipak
Dipak Santra, Ph.D.
*Professor (Alternative Crops Breeding Specialist)*
President, International Broomcorn Millet Association
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Panhandle Research & Extension Center
4502 Ave I, Scottsbluff, NE 69361
*(*308) 632-124 <3086321372>4 (work) / (*308) 765-2324* (cell)
*From:* Collab <collab-bounces@lists.millets2023.space> *On Behalf Of *Maria E Giovanni via Collab *Sent:* Thursday, May 9, 2024 12:17 PM *To:* Gary Wietgrefe <gww374@gmail.com>; Sruthi Vobbilisetti < svobbilisetti@csuchico.edu>; collab@lists.millets2023.space *Subject:* Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 28, Issue 4
*Caution:* Non-NU Email
Thank you Gary and Don! I’m Sruthi’s Research Professor – we want to make the point that some millet is grown in the US but most of it goes to non-human food use (I supposed feeding millet to cattle is a “round about” way to feed people!).
Maria Giovanni
Chico State Univ, Dept of Food Science
*From:* Collab <collab-bounces@lists.millets2023.space> *On Behalf Of *Gary Wietgrefe via Collab *Sent:* Thursday, May 9, 2024 11:08 AM *To:* collab@lists.millets2023.space; Sruthi Vobbilisetti < svobbilisetti@csuchico.edu> *Subject:* Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 28, Issue 4
Sruthi, we welcome your research as it will add food details to the complex U.S. millet matrix. Little is publicly available on quantities and types of various U.S. millets used for food (most of which is proso).
Lacking accurate data, I made estimates in a couple presentations last year for the International Millet Conference in Gehring, NE (Aug. 2), and non-food uses of U.S. millets (Nov. 15) which was a NAMA webinar. See links below and suggested slides that may help you....Gary Wietgrefe
(3) (PDF) Acreage Potential of Proso Millet in U.S. Crop Rotations Aug. 1-3, 2023 Gering NE (researchgate.net) <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373014012_Acreage_Potential_of_Proso_Millet_in_US_Crop_Rotations_Aug_1-3_2023_Gering_NE> See slides 27 and 41.
(3) (PDF) U.S. Millets for Forage Conservation Wildlife and Ornamental Uses (researchgate.net) <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380459996_US_Millets_for_Forage_Conservation_Wildlife_and_Ornamental_Uses> See slides 34, and 35.
On Thu, May 9, 2024 at 11:09 AM <collab-request@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Production of millets for cattle feed and human consumption (Sruthi Vobbilisetti) 2. Re: Production of millets for cattle feed and human consumption (Don Osborn)
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Message: 1 Date: Tue, 7 May 2024 13:29:24 +0000 From: Sruthi Vobbilisetti <svobbilisetti@csuchico.edu> To: "collab@lists.millets2023.space" <collab@lists.millets2023.space> Subject: [Collab] Production of millets for cattle feed and human consumption Message-ID: < MN2PR13MB3678E517EB7F4F6E4B65C638D2E42@MN2PR13MB3678.namprd13.prod.outlook.com
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Hello,
I hope you're doing well!
I'm a graduate student in Nutritional Sciences at California State University, Chico. I'm currently working on my research project " Sensory Evaluation and Acceptance of millets in California State University, Chico". In this project, I collaborated with the university dining hall and conducted a taste test of millets involving students and staff of CSU, Chico to assess their acceptance of millets as a whole grain.
I'm currently working on writing my paper. However, I was stuck when I was looking into percentage or number of acres used cultivating of millets for cattle or bird feed and human consumption. I was wondering if anyone can help me in this regard. It would be of great help to complete the paper and research.
Thank you,
Sruthi Vobbilisetti Graduate student Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science California State University, Chico
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