Real good questions! Here's my brief responses: 1.) Interested to learn of your work with the harvest of millets in South Dakota. Will what you filmed be available for viewing? Are you planning to fit that into a production of some sort? Answer: Yes and yes. Rather than trying to update my books that are available to download for free on ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gary-Wietgrefe/research, Proso Millet: A Trade Summary (1989) and How to Produce Proso Millet: A Farmer's Guide (1990), I have been producing 4-minute YouTube videos the last couple years. The first four have over 11,000 views. Since the Gering NE millet conference, I realized proso cannot grow much without a standardized pricing system. So, about a month ago I released Proso Millet Pricing. See https://youtu.be/pVQclIw5Rbw?si=xsuweEVPlBQxjeAi. It utilizes and updated information from my 1989 book "A Trade Summary". Your specific question was about my release of Pearl and Foxtail Millet Forage. I finalized and released that just over a week ago. See https://youtu.be/usv-kruub54?si=JG9UMZ7-ua_XhAPg. 2.) Am assuming the proso, foxtail, and pearl millets for forage are cut before the grains have developed? Answer: Yes on all three millets. However, average (last 5 years) proso 86.8% is harvested for grain/seed in the USDA 3-state (CO, NE, SD). See https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/results/1BA2ACE6-0182-3CA4-952C-9B34E38A530.... I would guess only about 5% or less is harvested for forage or grazed. The balance is abandoned due to agronomic conditions--often too short to harvest for grain. Nearly all foxtail and pearl millets harvested for forage before physiological maturity are mainly baled. The next highest percent is grazed, followed by greenchop. Foxtail and pearl are also the main millets used in cover-crops--I'm estimated perhaps a half-million acres in the U.S. Also, about 50,000+ acres of millets are seeded for wildlife plots (mainly upland game like pheasants, quail, doves, turkey, and deer) mainly proso, foxtail, and browntop. Today, I drove about 200 miles across western South Dakota and saw several thousand acres of (mainly) foxtail millet about ready to cut, cutting, laying in windrows, and fair amount already baled. Mid-September it is the common harvest period for forage millets in South Dakota. 3.) Does anyone out there leave the foxtail or pearl through maturity and harvest its grains? Answer: Yes, but not much. The South produces pearl for seed, mostly hybrid seed. Foxtail for seed is mainly produced in the same states as proso seed, CO, NE, and SD. 4.) May I ask if your grandson is growing proso for forage or grain? Answer: They have no livestock; so they only produce proso for grain. Morning dew and a light shower caused windrows to dry slowly last week, so I only combined proso three days--usually late afternoons. They have three combines running today. See video attached. Proso Harvest 091223.MOV <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yzPSUQvo5eoUIt49encatjnZGfvZoWKQ/view?usp=drive_web> 5.) Does it look like the proso crops in your area in general are above average this year? Answer: Yes, proso will have above average yields in South Dakota, and I'm certain the same will be true in Colorado and Nebraska too this year. 6.) Your comment: We should talk about your work on documenting the extent of cultivation of millets for forage in the US. Your findings seem to align with the first part of the NAMA line that in North America, we will be "growing more millets for diverse purposes, and eating more millets from diverse sources." Answer: You identified some of my main purposes for promoting millets. However, I have been working since the late 1970s to get proso into good agronomic rotations to minimize soil erosion and maximize moisture use. I might also add that I have not focused as much proso for food, but rather proso for "...diverse uses" such as grain for poultry and ethanol use, and other millets for livestock forage, grazing, ground-cover, wild birdseed, and for other wildlife....Gary On Sat, Sep 16, 2023 at 5:32 AM Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org> wrote:
Thank you, Gary, for the information on proso, foxtail & pearl harvests and your research, I'll comment briefly on those but first wanted to emphasize that the SBSF maps are an effort in progress, and not final, so the feedback is valuable. My interest is in precisely the kind of information you (and Dipak and David) have shared - and in supplying that with soils and climate info to them.
There is an updated set of maps, for which I'm not sure I have the right to share, that show the high plains areas you mention colored deep red (very good) for proso. (The earlier version you saw was originally posted on LinkedIn.) I'm writing to ask if that is because they added US data on proso, or if new data from other sources led to the change in the map. Will keep you all posted.
Interested to learn of your work with the harvest of millets in South Dakota. Will what you filmed be available for viewing? Are you planning to fit that into a production of some sort?
Am assuming the proso, foxtail, and pearl millets for forage are cut before the grains have developed? Does anyone out there leave the foxtail or pearl through maturity and harvest its grains?
May I ask if your grandson is growing proso for forage or grain? Does it look like the proso crops in your area in general are above average this year?
We should talk about your work on documenting the extent of cultivation of millets for forage in the US. Your findings seem to align with the first part of the NAMA line that in North America, we will be "growing more millets for diverse purposes, and eating more millets from diverse sources."
All the best,
Don
DO, EL, MI, US NAMA
On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 3:46 PM Gary Wietgrefe via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
In the SBSF slides I assume darker red is most potential and white--no potential. In the central U.S. the SBSF slides have no sense of reality.
This week I filmed on a ranch harvesting pearl and foxtail millet for forage yielding about 1.8 short ton/acre dryland and irrigated pearl which traditionally yields at about 6 ton/acre planted as double-crop behind forage barley (in far west South Dakota). Next week I will be helping my grandson combine above average proso (central South Dakota just east of the Missouri River).
I estimate there are over a million acres of forage millets harvested annually in the U.S., and perhaps up to a half million acres with various millets planted as cover-crops or wildlife food plots. However, U.S.D.A. does not track those plantings. Proso millet acres have been tracked by U.S.D.A. in annual surveys of three states, Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota. If you select "Census" on the NASS link attached, you will find the other 22 states that plant proso (at least prior to the last (2017) Census that sought proso production). https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/
According to SBSF slides, my South Dakota observations are impossible. My proso research in Mongolia and Turkey and observations in Australia also seem to be outliers. I cannot speak for the rest of the world, but SBSF *production* data for the U.S. is worthless and *potential* millet production is highly questionable....Gary Wietgrefe
On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 1:18 PM <collab-request@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Grain teff and proso millet in the US: Rainfed or irrigated? (Dipak Santra)
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Message: 1 Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2023 19:17:22 +0000 From: Dipak Santra <dsantra2@unl.edu> To: Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org>, "Brenner, David (CTR) - REE-ARS" <david.brenner@usda.gov> Cc: "collab@lists.millets2023.space" <collab@lists.millets2023.space> Subject: Re: [Collab] Grain teff and proso millet in the US: Rainfed or irrigated? Message-ID: < CY4PR08MB33505BA926ABC9774CB85A1E9AEDA@CY4PR08MB3350.namprd08.prod.outlook.com
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Don: You are correct what you stated in this sentence. Another angle on this broader issue, taking into account that a lot of major grain crops are grown in many different agroclimatic zones, is that of varieties of a crop. It may be that varieties x, y, and z of a particular millet (whether subspecies or bred crop cultivars) may be indicated for slightly varying geographic areas (overlapping largely, perhaps, but not identical). If the Crop Locator is further developed, such precisions may make it more useful.
I am confident that there is suitable genetics/germplasm of various millets in the National gene bank for growing in various region of the US. It is a matter of screening to identify the right one for right location. This is much easier than getting it done. I have been interested testing available germplasm of other millets in western Nebraska. But The limitation is fund. I do not know sources of fund for such research.
Regards,
Dipak
[cid:image001.png@01D9E256.4E396770] 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<tel:3086321372>4 (work) / (308) 765-2324 (cell)
From: Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org> Sent: Friday, September 8, 2023 11:24 AM To: Dipak Santra <dsantra2@unl.edu>; Brenner, David (CTR) - REE-ARS < david.brenner@usda.gov> Cc: collab@lists.millets2023.space Subject: Re: [Collab] Grain teff and proso millet in the US: Rainfed or irrigated?
Non-NU Email ________________________________ Thank you David, Dipak,the information you have provided is most helpful.
I will reference this discussion (understanding that Dipak may be able to provide further information on proso), with the principals of the SBSF Crop Locator project, and copy you both. They are Shravani Basu, Sebastien Foucaud, and Mukti Sadhan Basu. Results of the correspondence can be shared with the list.
Further info on what they found with regard to teff (not mapped), is that in the Americas they show it succeeding as a food grain crop in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, some northern parts of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, central Bolivia, and northern Argentina. But from their data, the potential in the US is limited. Yet, it has been grown in parts of the US for some years. My sense is, that as we consider such secondary centers of cultivation (i.e., outside of teff's home region in the Horn of Africa) where teff has been successfully grown for many seasons without relying on regular irrigation or high inputs, this additional data will greatly enhance the utility of the crop locator.
A similar point for other millets such as proso.
Another angle on this broader issue, taking into account that a lot of major grain crops are grown in many different agroclimatic zones, is that of varieties of a crop. It may be that varieties x, y, and z of a particular millet (whether subspecies or bred crop cultivars) may be indicated for slightly varying geographic areas (overlapping largely, perhaps, but not identical). If the Crop Locator is further developed, such precisions may make it more useful.
Anyway, the usual caveat here, that this is beyond my expertise. So any expert comments are invited.
Best to all,
Don
DO, EL, MI, US NAMA
On Tue, Sep 5, 2023 at 5:03?PM Dipak Santra <dsantra2@unl.edu<mailto: dsantra2@unl.edu>> wrote: Don:
Commercially production of rainfed proso millet is common in western Nebraska, easter CO and southwestern SD.
I will see what specific data I can share with the group. However, I need the specific details
Regarding Teff: I have tested in one year at Scottsbluff ~10 years ago under irrigation and I had some success. I never tested under dryland condition.
I know that Stockton, KS had a USDA teff project several years ago. The person to contact is Edgar Hicks ehicks@cfosystemsllc.com<mailto: ehicks@cfosystemsllc.com>. You may also contact Teresa Webb, Solomon Valley RC&D, program assistant, 320 South Sixth St., Stockton, KS 67669, 785-425-6647. I attached their project report.
Please, let me know if any questions.
Thanks
Dipak
[cid:image001.png@01D9DFFE.C38104C0] 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<tel:3086321372>4 (work) / (308) 765-2324 (cell)
From: Collab <collab-bounces@lists.millets2023.space<mailto: collab-bounces@lists.millets2023.space>> On Behalf Of Brenner, David (CTR) - REE-ARS via Collab Sent: Tuesday, September 5, 2023 12:22 PM To: Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org<mailto:don@milletsalliance.org>>; collab@lists.millets2023.space<mailto:collab@lists.millets2023.space> Subject: Re: [Collab] [External Email] Grain teff and proso millet in the US: Rainfed or irrigated?
Non-NU Email ________________________________ Don,
I am told that grain-teff performs well in the Nebraska high plains. Many of the millets could be grown across large areas where they are not grown now.
It is possible to have widely adapted crops but only local marketing infrastructure, proportional to small markets. By infrastructure I include personalities that find ways to market novel crops.
David Brenner ________________________________ From: Collab <collab-bounces@lists.millets2023.space<mailto: collab-bounces@lists.millets2023.space>> on behalf of Don Osborn < don@milletsalliance.org<mailto:don@milletsalliance.org>> Sent: Monday, September 4, 2023 8:02 PM To: collab@lists.millets2023.space<mailto:collab@lists.millets2023.space> <collab@lists.millets2023.space<mailto:collab@lists.millets2023.space>> Subject: [External Email][Collab] Grain teff and proso millet in the US: Rainfed or irrigated?
[External Email] If this message comes from an unexpected sender or references a vague/unexpected topic; Use caution before clicking links or opening attachments. Please send any concerns or suspicious messages to: Spam.Abuse@usda.gov <mailto:Spam.Abuse@usda.gov> As discussed briefly on this list this past June,/1 SBSF's Crop Locator project is developing a tool to map out ideal locations for growing the various millets for grain. It works from data on where a given crop is successfully grown (e.g., agroclimatic, soils, altitude), and then finds locations elsewhere in the world with closely matching characteristics,
The project included a map for proso millet but not yet for teff. For proso millet (slide 15 via the link), it's not clear whether US data was incorporated. However I understand they would be seeking data on locations only where irrigation is not normally necessary to get a grain harvest.
https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/D4D1FAQGogZwAC2uXpA/feedshare-doc... < https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/D4D1FA...
It would be helpful to be able to supply information to the Crop Locator project about where grain proso is grown, along with data on those locations.
Since I understand mapping teff is also foreseen, it would be helpful to know about whether the teff grown in say Idaho or Nevada is purely rainfed or relies to one or another extent on irrigation to produce grain.
I recall on this list in March 2022, Steve DeWitt mentioned his experiment with rainfed teff for grain in Oklahoma was not successful, but that another farmer there was successfully growing grain teff with irrigation./2 Irrigation, as long as there is water available, makes a lot of things possible, but it would not seem that Oklahoma would be a positive data point for this grain for the Crop Locator project.
On the other hand, part of the story of the introduction of teff culture in the NW US in the early 1980s was that Wayne Carlson saw similarities between the areas of Ethiopia where he had seen teff grown, and the Snake River valley./3 So, the question is, over the ensuing years, whether teff is typically grown there without need for irrigation. If so, this information might help refine SBSF's data on locations best suited for grain teff.
Grain teff is also grown in Minnesota (introduced by Tesfa Drar, also in the early 1980s),/4 as well as in one operation we know about in Michigan (Claire Smith, a subscriber to this list, is part of that)./5 So, the question may end up being, where *can't* grain teff be grown? That kind of question, in turn, might affect the model used by the mapping project.
A side note on teff. I've probably mentioned this before, but teff is also fairly widely grown in the US for animal forage and hay - one source I don't have at hand suggested it's in half of the US states already. However, this use is not a focus of the mapping project.
Thanks in advance for any information,
Don
Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance
Notes: 1. https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2023-June/000220.html<; https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/...
2. https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2022-March/000033.html<; https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/...
3. https://www.voanews.com/a/demand-rises-teff-other-alternatives-wheat/3030148... < https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.voanews.com/a/demand-rises-teff-other...
4. https://tefffarms.com/what-is-teff/<; https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/tefffarms.com/what-is-teff/__;!!PvXuogZ4s...
5. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/teffola-the-littlest-grain-that-could<; https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.canr.msu.edu/news/teffola-the-littles...
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