Water efficient millet helps High Plains farmers manage drought risk
The U.S. High Plains region frequently experiences low winter precipitation, which can increase the risk of drought and reduce crop productivity. Climate studies show that years with limited snowfall and rainfall often lead to more severe drought conditions. This winter’s very low snowfall has raised concerns about potential drought risks in western Nebraska.
Researchers believe that farmers may benefit from adopting water-efficient alternative crops that can protect farm income during dry years. One crop gaining attention is proso millet, a grain known for its ability to grow with limited water.
According to research conducted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center, proso millet uses significantly less water than crops such as corn and winter wheat. The crop can produce grain using roughly half the water required by corn, making it suitable for areas where water resources are limited.
“This calls for amplified efforts to adopt water-use-efficient alternative crops that can buffer major crops during drier years or in the event of crop failure,” said Rituraj Khound, UNL post-doctoral research associate at the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center (PREEC) in Scottsbluff.
Proso millet also has a short growing season, allowing farmers greater flexibility when planning planting schedules. Studies indicate that replacing summer fallow with proso millet can even improve winter wheat yields in some cropping systems.
The crop has already played an important role in dryland agriculture across the High Plains, particularly in eastern Colorado, western Nebraska, and South Dakota. While corn remains the dominant crop in eastern Nebraska, producers in western Nebraska often depend on irrigation from groundwater resources.
During dry years, however, maintaining large, irrigated corn areas can place pressure on limited water supplies. In such situations, proso millet may offer a valuable alternative. Researchers suggest that planting a portion of irrigated acres with proso millet can help conserve water while protecting the productivity of remaining corn fields.
Proso millet is also valuable as livestock feed. It provides energy levels like corn for cattle and swine, allowing farmers to use it in livestock rations while reducing water demand.
“Proso millet offers more than diversification. It can offer resilience to both dryland and irrigated cropping systems as a risk-buffering alternative crop,” said Khound . “By integrating millet into corn-based systems and leveraging modern breeding tools, growers in the High Plains can build robust cropping systems that maintain both profitability and productivity.”
By combining improved varieties with modern breeding tools and research collaborations, scientists believe proso millet can help farmers build more resilient cropping systems while maintaining both productivity and profitability.
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