When we are talking about millet farming on a commercial scale, it has a long history, apart from being a crop, that finds acceptance amongst a major share of farmers across the world, when it comes to making money through farming. Not only that, millet is one of those two crops that is grown extensively in the poor, semiarid and less fertile farmlands of Africa and Southeast Asia. And in case you are one of the farmers making up his mind to venture into millet farming, then power tractor 439, is a farming equipment that will help you a lot during the whole millet farming process.
A Group Of Highly Variable Small Seed Grasses
To be precise, millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses that are grown on a large scale around the world mostly as a cereal crop or grain crops for both fodder and human consumption. Additionally, they have a high tolerance for drought and several other extreme weather conditions but offer a nutrient content that rivals other major cereals. And a major segment of the millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but there are some exceptions, i.e., some of the millet varieties belong to several other taxa.
A History That Is More Than 7000 Years Old
When we are talking about the long history of millet, humanity has been consuming it for nearly 7000 years now. Besides, there is a greater possibility that millets played a crucial role when we are talking about the rise of multi-crop agriculture and farming societies with stationary homes. In fact, several alcoholic beverages use millet as the basic ingredient in India with distilled liquor rakshi being one of them.
Nutrition Quotient Of Millet
Furthermore, when the question comes to the nutrition part of millet, a 100-gram reference serving of raw millet offers 378 kilocalories of food energy. In addition to that, it is a rich source of protein, dietary fibre, several B vitamins and countless dietary minerals, especially manganese at 76% DV (Daily Value). To be precise, raw millet is 73 percent carbohydrates, 11 percent protein, 9 percent water and 4 percent fat.
Procedure To Make A Foray Into Millet Farming
When we are talking about millet farming, especially on a commercial scale, then things are pretty much very easy and simple, it is more like one is beginning and operating an oats, wheat or barley farming business. So, that is why despite being a newcomer to the game, this farming business will not give you a hard time.
And in case, you require some extra help then you can ask fellow millet farmers or visit your nearby agricultural market and get your hands on some information pamphlets and while you are completing this task, you can also enquire about Mahindra 575 DI price, essential farming hardware for commercial farming activities. Additionally, below we will share with you some essential information regarding this business site selection to harvesting. Let’s begin:
Choosing The Site
To begin with, you require a fine and suitable farm, especially loamy soil with proper drainage, as millets do not flourish on soils where water logging happens frequently or a site where water shortage is a normal thing. Additionally, proso millet doesn’t grow and produce nicely on coarse and sandy soils. And do not forget to ensure that the pH level of the soil is 5.6 or higher.
Basics For Soil Preparation
Furthermore, as is the case during the farming of most crops, preparing the soil plays a vital role when it comes to assuring the better growth of a plant along with ensuring better productivity. So, plough the soil nearly two to three times, to make the land weed free, and post that apply harrow three to four times to ensure that the soil does not lose its moisture. In addition to that, add as much organic matter to the soil as possible when you are preparing the soil.
Fertilising
Like most of the crops, millets too require fertilisers to offer a better produce and nitrogen is normally the most curbing nutrient in millet farming. Besides, the amount of nitrogen that you must provide (through fertilisers) depends both on your yield goals and cropping history. Additionally, you can use fertilisers rich in potassium and phosphorus if the soil requires them. You can also opt for a soil test before seeding to make a better decision at this stage.
Harvesting
When the time is right for harvesting your millet produce, you will notice that the seeds in the upper half of the panicle are in their prime. Additionally, seeds in the lower half of the panicle may still be in the dough stage but the green colour has gone. The stems and leaves may still be green at this stage. Going into detail about the harvesting of millets, it involves a process which is famous by the name: swathing. This process permits straw drying before combining and in case you do swathing before the right time, it will cause a reduction in the yield, colour quality along with the test weight.
In all, these are the basic steps and ways that you must follow in case you are making up your mind to both begin and operate a profitable millet farming business.