![John Grawich, Aubigny, harvesting millet for his neighbour Reg Parkinson, in a 1976 Laverda harvester. John Grawich, Aubigny, harvesting millet for his neighbour Reg Parkinson, in a 1976 Laverda harvester.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-agfeed/2021513.jpg/r0_0_600_400_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
IT HAS been a hit and miss season for Darling Downs millet growers according to Deacon Seeds principal Terry Deacon.
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"There wasn't a very big first harvest but there is a bit of crop coming off now," he said.
"This year there was a fairly big late plant, which we haven't seen in recent years.
"Growing conditions for birdseed have been impacted by the unusual weather at the start of 2013."
Like all industries, growing conditions in the millet industry have been impacted by the unusual weather at the start of 2013.
"Results have been varied because of the weather conditions," he said.
"Some places have been disadvantaged by too much rain but others on the Western Downs have struggled with lack of moisture."
Mr Deacon said millet was very much an opportunist market and reliant on supply and demand.
"I think there is certainly enough millet here to supply the domestic market and then to export some," he said.
"Prices have been high because of the lack of supply at the end of 2012."
Across the six millet varieties, prices range between $350 and $400 a tonne.
Finishing off his harvest at Aubigny on the Darling Downs last week was retired transport worker Reg Parkinson.
"I planted 40 acres (16ha) of millet just before Christmas," he said.
"We got the rain in January and regrowth beat us, so that delayed harvest.
"It's going alright, averaging just over 0.75t/acre (1.875t/ha)."
Mr Parkinson retired to the land after a career in the transport industry, shipping meat from the Oakey Abattoir.
His neighbour John Grawich took off the millet with a 1976 Laverda harvester.