(Continued from Page 17)
Gary likens millet planting to “basically giving the land a year
off because it leaves so little impact or footprint on the land.
It’s kind of like growing weeds.”
“Because millet is a grass,” states Gary, “you can only employ
broadleaf protection and even that, very minima lly. The most
we do is cultivate three times a season. “
Gary grows millet only once in any given field every five years or,
like any grass, it can get invasive. Millet requires little moisture
and actually performs poorly in waterlogged soils.
OPEN AIR
Gary stores the unprocessed millet outside, “Over the years, we
found it was better when it was stored in the elements to give it
a chance to breathe and get air flowing through it better, rather
than being confined in a building.”
“Deer are a problem, though. We thought about adding fences
but the return on investment was not there for the small amount
eaten by deer.”
CENTRAL WISCONSIN PROCESSING PLANT
Processing spray at the company’s Plainfield, WI plant is a very
specialized operation that captures the intact spray instead
of the seed. Other than conveyer belts, processing is all manual
labor. Millet is raked onto the conveyor belts and larger pieces
are pulled out for bulk boxes (5-lb cartons) of millet spray.
(Continued on Page 19)
Top: The processing plant in Plainfield, WI along with a small photo of a bird enjoying millet
spray. Left: A worker prepares to move unprocessed millet unto the conveyor belt for initial
sorting and grading.
Page 18
Neighbors-March 2011