Lee Cope discusses livestock with local farmers.

Ag Page March 19

TRUXTON – Milo planted for

grazing cuts winter feed bills by half and

keeps nutrients on the farm, says Rusty

Lee, University of Missouri Extension

agronomist.

Nutrients stay on the land when cattle and

sheep recycle manure by stomping it into the

soil during grazing, Lee says.

Milo’s strong root system also improves

soil quality. The finely branched tillers and

roots add significant biomass to the soil and

give the plant the support it needs to continue

standing until grazed, he says.

Lee says milo’s tolerance of hot, dry

growing seasons makes it a good choice for

Missouri livestock producers.

During the past few years, Lee and other

producers found success with milo as an

alternative winter feed source. Lee says he

now keeps hay on hand only as a backup.

Planting is normally mid-May to early

June, on 30-inch rows. “The intent is grain

production, as the bushels of milo per acre

determines the grazing-days per acre,” he

says. “While land with marginal productivity

can produce grain, the higher-productivity

acres will generate more cow days per acre.”

Milo in the field puts dollars back into the

producer’s pocket. Move the feedlot to the

field to reduce equipment and labor costs for

harvesting, grinding and transporting feed.

Made hay costs about $1.08 per day per cow,

Lee says, while bought hay is $1.26 per day

per cow at $35 per bale, $1.62 at $45/bale

and $1.98 at $55/bale. Grazed milo is 69

cents per cow daily on land rented at $100

per acre.

Determine yield to reduce waste and

shortages, he says. Allocate acreage based

on estimated yield and a cow’s daily need of

9-10 pounds of milo grain.

It is important to supplement the milo

field with protein, he says. This can be

through access to stockpiled fescue pasture,

quality hay, or commodity feeds like

distillers grains or soybean meal.

When the allocation is right, cows will

eat most of the grain heads in a paddock

within 30 minutes. Within two hours, they

eat 70-80% of the milo leaves and stalk.

Usually, only the bottom 18 inches of stalk

goes uneaten.

Calves adjust to grazing on milo as they

follow the lead of their mothers, Lee says.

Grazed milo offers cattle added highenergy

nutrition, says Eric Bailey, MU

Extension beef nutritionist.

Its nutrient value is similar to that of

corn silage, Baileys says. He recommends

supplements for lactating cows and

backgrounding cattle.

“Cow body condition maintains and

can improve over winter, even in lactating

cows who calved in the fall,” he says. Body

condition of calves also improves in the

dead of winter.

John Turner, retired USDA grasslands

conservationist, says milo’s high nutrient

value makes it a valuable addition in grazing

systems. Most annual crops produce seed

and die. Milo does not. Nutrients, including

sugar in the stalk sap, remain in the plant

after frost.

However, keep cattle off milo for about

seven days after frost to avoid prussic acid

issues. In central Missouri, it is usually safe

to put cattle back on milo fields by Nov. 1,

Lee says.

Nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 120

pounds per acre will support good yields

and avoid potential nitrate problems from

overfertilization, he says.

Producers get better cattle and save cash,

Bailey says. Hundred-bushel milo provides

400 cow days per acre at a lower cost than

silage.

Sheep and goats are less enthusiastic

than cattle about milo grazing because they

cannot see predators over the tall seed heads.

However, Truxton area sheep producer Harry

Cope found success with strip grazing. He

says that sheep graze the outer edge of the

field first and work their way to the center.

Lee says milo strip grazing requires some

additional labor that one person can handle.

Cattle must be moved to a new paddock each

day; goats and sheep need a new location

every one to three weeks.

Make those moves easier by avoiding

steel posts, which are difficult to move after

a freeze, Lee says. Polywire fencing works

in snow and ice. Choose small-diameter

wire over polytape that will sag.

As with any new crop, Lee recommends

that producers start with a few acres to see

if the change is right for their operations.

“Plant a few acres and stick your toe in the

water.”

For more information, contact your local

MU Extension agronomist, or contact Lee at

573-564-3733 or leerw@missouri.edu.

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