Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) deficiencies are common among people who depend on cereals and millets and the soils that support these crops often lack the same elements. A field experiment examined how agronomic biofortification with Zn and Fe affects nutrient uptake by foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) and soil fertility after harvest. The soil was a slightly alkaline clay (pH 8.20) low in DTPA-extractable Zn (0.32 mg kg-1) and Fe (4.18 mg kg-1). Nine treatments combining soil application (2.5 or 5 kg ha-1) and foliar spray (0.25 or 0.5 %) of ZnSO4 and FeSO4 were compared with a control receiving only basal nutrition. Soil application of ZnSO4 and FeSO4 @ 5 kg ha-1 each + foliar spray of ZnSO4 and FeSO4 @ 0.5 % each at 40 DAS gave the highest concentrations and uptake of all five nutrients. Relative to the control, it raised total uptake of N, P, K, Zn and Fe by 57, 84, 44, 150 and 84 per cent and grain Zn and Fe by 90 and 21 per cent, to 46.15 and 838.06 mg kg-1. The soil application of ZnSO4 and FeSO4 @ 2.5 kg ha-1 each + foliar spray of ZnSO4 and FeSO4 @ 0.25 % each at 40 DAS was statistically comparable for most plant variables. Soil pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon were unaffected, residual K did not differ among treatments and residual N and P were lower where crop removal was greatest. Residual DTPA-Zn and DTPA-Fe were highest under the best treatment (0.34 and 4.21 mg kg-1), whereas the control lost both. Combined soil and foliar Zn and Fe supply enriches foxtail millet without harming soil properties, provided the N and P removed are replaced.