Grazing millet and Nutrition

In addition to being used as seed,millet is also used as a fodder crop for grazing.Instead of letting the plants reach maturity,it can be grazed,usually for sheep and cattle.Millet is a C4 plant with high water use efficiency and high temperature utilization,and is a summer crop.C4 plants use different enzymes in photosynthesis than C3 plants,which is why it is more efficient with water use.In southern Australia,millet is used as prime pasture in summer,taking advantage of warmer temperatures and summer storms.Millet is frost sensitive and is sown after the frost period once the soil temperature has stabilized at 14°C or higher.The sowing depth is shallow.

Millet grows rapidly and is ready for grazing 5-7 weeks after sowing when it is 20-30 cm tall.The highest feed value comes from young green leaves and shoots.Plants will grow heads quickly,so they must be managed accordingly,as forage value and palatability decrease as plants mature.Japanese millet (Echinochloa esculenta) is considered the most suitable species for grazing,especially a new variety of Japanese millet,Shirohie,is the most suitable species for grazing.This is due to a number of factors:it regenerates better and matures later than other Japanese millets;it is cheap-seeds cost $2 to $3 per kg,and dryland production yields approx.10 tons per hectare;seedlings stand fast,can be grazing early,suitable for both cattle and sheep.Compared with forage sorghum grown as an alternative grazing forage,animals gained weight faster and had better hay or silage potential after eating millet,although it produced less dry matter.Lamb eats millet better than sorghum.Millet does not contain hydrocyanic acid,which can be present in sorghum. Hydrocyanic acid poisons the animal by inhibiting the cells' use of oxygen and is transported throughout the body through the bloodstream eventually the animal dies of asphyxiation.No additional feed supplements such as sulfur or millet salt blocks were required.The rapid growth of millet as a grazing crop allows flexibility in its use.Farmers can wait until late spring/summer when moisture is available.It is ideal for irrigation where livestock finishing is required.

Nutrition 

A 100 g (3+1⁄2 oz) reference serving of raw millet (Panicum miliaceum or proso millet) provides 1,582 kJ (378 kcal) of food energy and is a rich source (Daily Value of 20% or more, DV) of protein, dietary fiber, multiple B vitamins and many dietary minerals, especially manganese at 76% DV.Raw millet contains 9% water, 73% carbohydrates, 4% fat and 11% protein.

Comparison with other major staples

The table below shows the raw food nutrient content of millet compared to the main staple foods.However, the raw form is inedible and not fully digestible.These must be prepared and cooked to be fit for human consumption.In processed and cooked forms, the relative nutrient and antinutrient content of each of these grains differs significantly.Cooked nutritional value depends on cooking method.