I've never planted milo and was needing some basic info for fertility, seeding, and chemical application on dry land. The places I plan on growing milo is good bottom and hill land. They have had soybeans raised on them for the past 3-4 years and have done quite well, but its needing a rotation because of the weed problems. I'm sure my N requirements will be slightly reduced and Im gonna plant on 30" rows and have been told that 6-7.5lb to the acre was a good population for this area. In corn I've used atrizine and resolve sg as a pre emerge and it works great, how about in milo? What are you guys recommendations?
Thinking about Milo for 2015
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I'm needing a rotation from the soybeans and I've had corn on some of the hill ground and it usually burns up during any kind of a drought we have at all. Milo seems to handle the drought much better than corn and its cheaper to plant. You can have great looking corn crop and two weeks of drought and it looks like Cuban cigars.
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milo
Milo makes for a good rotation with soybeans. Its very easy to get more population than you want so I'd target for 5-6lb rather than the 7 1/2. Atrazine works well either pre-emerge or post. I always fertilized the milo about the same as i would for corn, both being dryland. Most years we sprayed for midge.
No doubt about the "itch".
Steelman
Milo makes for a good rotation with soybeans. Its very easy to get more population than you want so I'd target for 5-6lb rather than the 7 1/2. Atrazine works well either pre-emerge or post. I always fertilized the milo about the same as i would for corn, both being dryland. Most years we sprayed for midge.
No doubt about the "itch".
Steelman
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Why not wheat and get a different season of crop? Milo is hard on the ground.
Your season may be different, but in northern Kansas milo needs water at the same time as soybeans, ie. August. So it does not diversify your succeptability to a month of dry weather.
Weed control is much easier when planting in last years wheat stubble. Milo on bean stubble very hit and miss with respect to pigweed control.
IMO, milo has about 6 significant challanges around here.
1) No volume in planted acres, so it gets very little money in hybred develment.
2) Few and poor weed control options in crop.
3) Few buyers.
4) No control methods for johnson grass or shattercane.
5) It itches.
6) Bird damage.
You may loose enough yield from planting milo to cover the difference in seed cost. It needs slightly more N than corn on a per bushel basis, other nutrients are the same around here. You will spend $20-$25 more per acre on weed control and still be disappointed.
A flock of crows, starlings or grackels can take 1/2 of the entire crop within a week. Do not plant within a mile of any outdoor feedlot or dry lot.
Weed control is much easier when planting in last years wheat stubble. Milo on bean stubble very hit and miss with respect to pigweed control.
IMO, milo has about 6 significant challanges around here.
1) No volume in planted acres, so it gets very little money in hybred develment.
2) Few and poor weed control options in crop.
3) Few buyers.
4) No control methods for johnson grass or shattercane.
5) It itches.
6) Bird damage.
You may loose enough yield from planting milo to cover the difference in seed cost. It needs slightly more N than corn on a per bushel basis, other nutrients are the same around here. You will spend $20-$25 more per acre on weed control and still be disappointed.
A flock of crows, starlings or grackels can take 1/2 of the entire crop within a week. Do not plant within a mile of any outdoor feedlot or dry lot.
The guys around here that used to grow it (before corn became dominate) say it will yeild 7000-8000lbs an acre on decent ground. In the past two years its made a kind of a come back on the dry land and the only disadvantage they have spoke of was the itch and the lack of close buyers. If its cut when its dry, and put in a bin with an aeration floor is it a must to have a stirator in use in the bin?
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We usually cut under 14% but haul it to the elevator, they don't dry it under 14.5 I think. On a good year we get 110-120bu 100bu is the benchmark for a good year. Wheat after milo is not nearly as good as after corn. It is some itchy crap, but it will hold on to moisture. As far as using it as a rotation to fix some weeds in beans, I guess I don't see how it we'll help you much, considering the the reduced herbicide options vs corn. I'm trying to get dad to start trying corn so we can get away from the itchy friggin milo.
Had some last year, same situation as you dryland been in beans several years needed to rotate to help with pigweeds. If its dryland I would drill 7 lbs on 15" so it will canopy early. I sprayed atrazine and dual preplant then came back with atrazine and warrant when it was half knee high. It didn't have half a dozen pigweeds on 85 ac. If you have much grass pressure watch out crab grass will choke it completely out. When the grain fills out and starts to turn spray it with round up to kill it. It will be best money you spend on the whole crop. If you don't and it suckers out you will be cutting it in December. Can't remember how much N I used but its more than you think.
milo is a good crop for the marginal/poor ground. don't know about your weed control options.... around here it will yield better than corn on anything but the good ground. I use .9 units of N per bu of yield goal (I shoot for 120 busl.). 100 busl. or more is very common with some as high as 150 on the good ground. takes a little rain in august, but not near as much as beans. Also, China is buying Milo.....why.....it is non-gmo! I don't think it is hard on ground, but I rotate, and it has a more fiberous root system than corn. I love planting beans after milo no-till....doesn't get any better than that for a seed bed in the spring. good luck
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milo
D&M,
You asked about storing the milo, brought back a few memories. Checkout
the way Hudson Grain stored milo in the mid-late 70s. Google search for
"mountian of milo Hudson Grain". Article ran in the Southeast Missourian Oct.10, 1976. Although "doom and gloom" at that time it must have worked out good as they continued to store milo in the same manner if my memory serves me correctly. My family farm sold them several thousand bushel during that era.
Several interesting incidents during that time period and in that general location involving grain elevators. The Wayne Cryts saga started not too far from where you are located.
HABD
Steelman
D&M,
You asked about storing the milo, brought back a few memories. Checkout
the way Hudson Grain stored milo in the mid-late 70s. Google search for
"mountian of milo Hudson Grain". Article ran in the Southeast Missourian Oct.10, 1976. Although "doom and gloom" at that time it must have worked out good as they continued to store milo in the same manner if my memory serves me correctly. My family farm sold them several thousand bushel during that era.
Several interesting incidents during that time period and in that general location involving grain elevators. The Wayne Cryts saga started not too far from where you are located.
HABD
Steelman
I know Wayne and his family, as a matter of fact my dad, uncle, and grandpa took two bob trucks and three scoop shovels to Ristine elevator to help Wayne get his beans back. They drove those trucks right past state police and FBI agents along with lots of other local farmers. He farmed a lot of land around the area of the elevator and by his home about 4 miles from me. The land he farmed by his home is now a growed up 300 acre thicket and he's been out of farming for years now.
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