Millet Pasture Seed

Millet is one of the quickest ways to get green cover back on bare summer ground. It germinates fast in warm soil, shades the surface and gives your stock a flush of feed while slower perennials are still finding their feet.

What it is

A summer annual grass from the Poaceae family. Its dense, fibrous root system holds soil together, feeds soil biology through root exudates and partners well with mycorrhizal fungi. Once grazed or slashed, the roots and leaf litter return organic matter to the soil.

Good for

• Fast cover on bare or scalded ground over summer
• Quick summer feed while perennial pastures establish
• Out-competing summer weeds that get up first on open ground
• Adding a fast grass to a summer cover crop mix
• Building organic matter in tired, low-carbon soils

Pairs well with

• Sunn Hemp Seed: Millet is a grass and sunn hemp is a legume. Sown together, the sunn hemp feeds nitrogen into the soil and the millet uses it, so you get more bulk from both.
• Buckwheat Seed: Flowers within weeks while the millet is still bulking up, bringing in bees and beneficial insects and adding a broadleaf root to the mix.
• Rhodes Grass Pasture Seed: Millet comes up fast and covers the ground while the slower Rhodes grass gets its roots down underneath. Graze the millet lightly to let the Rhodes through.

Sowing guide

• When: late spring into summer, once frost risk has passed and soil is warm (16°C or more)
• Into existing pasture: 5 to 7 kg/ha
• Sown on its own: 15 to 25 kg/ha
• Depth: 1 to 2 cm, with good seed to soil contact

Grazing notes

• Suits cattle, sheep, goats and horses
• Graze once plants are well anchored, usually at 20 to 30 cm, and leave 10 cm or more behind so it regrows
• Introduce stock gradually, as with any lush summer feed
• After a dry spell followed by rain, let it grow on for a week or so before grazing

Sizes and dispatch

• 1 kg and 2kg bags
• Bare, uncoated seed with high germination
• Every order includes our sowing and grazing guide
• Seed is sold in pre-order rounds and sent out in scheduled dispatch runs. We will email you when your order is on its way.
• We are unable to send seed to WA or TAS due to quarantine rules