Loads of straw

[7610 super q]

Can’t ignore the price this year ! 50% of the extra income will be invested in extra compost / fym etc

Won’t be a regular thing unless prices stay so high

But if folks that normally chop start baling, won't that crash the price ?

 

[Hilly]

But if folks that normally chop start baling, won't that crash the price ?

Hopefully, its like poker and 100 or above im sticking !

 

[Princess Pooper]

Suprised to see a committed direct driller baling his valuable crop residue and soil food

Our committed no-till direct driller (of about 18 years) always sells some straw to his livestock neighbours and this year is no exception. On one field of first wheat that they have chopped this year because the straw was not very thick, it has not weathered at all so has not 'smashed' in the chopper and with no worms near the surface and no prospect of any real rain they are wondering how they are going to drill into this thick mat!

 

[Clive]

But if folks that normally chop start baling, won't that crash the price ?

I can certainly see prices dropping - straw yields are perfectly normal here and as you say a lot less has been chopped this year

Markets are often built on sentiment rather than reality though

 

[stevepmiles]

Our committed no-till direct driller (of about 18 years) always sells some straw to his livestock neighbours and this year is no exception. On one field of first wheat that they have chopped this year because the straw was not very thick, it has not weathered at all so has not 'smashed' in the chopper and with no worms near the surface and no prospect of any real rain they are wondering how they are going to drill into this thick mat!

It will be interesting to see what happens to the no till direct drill only farms this year with the ground conditions in some areas of uk where min rain for nearly 4 months and what drill will be used. Mind you for us late drill to combat blackgrass could have been raining for next 4 months !

 

[Bob lincs]

We would normally only let the straw go off land that is coming OSR but this year we’re selling every acre . The main reasons being it’s that hard and dry the balers and chaser are doing no damage to the land , the forecast is good so I’m less likely to get stuck with slot of wet straw when I want to get on with land work . The price is a bit better than previous years but getting it cleared without causing loads of extra compaction is more important to us .

 

[franklin]

Who is baling all this extra straw? Would hate to be last in a very long queue.....think I will be the only local chopping any though.

 

[warksfarmer]

I think its criminal chopping straw this year with so many people short.was told a story only this week of a grain trader somewhere down the west country who would not buy grain from farmers chopping straw.its getting a desperate situation and can see things not ending well for some people
Nick...

Sounds like an idiot to me.

 

[warksfarmer]

I would normally chop all the wheat straw, but I'm baling the lot this year, hopefully back to chopping for the foreseable future...

A friend of mine has a contract combining job on a neighbouring farm run by agents, he refused to cut it if they persisted with chopping it, the agents agreed not to and there's a few more loads heading off where it's needed.

Well he’s lucky those agents didn’t just get another contractor!

I’m not agreeing with this demand that everybody should bale straw because it’s short!

Since when did the feed buyers help the cereal farmers when wheat was £80/tonne!!

In times of difficulty people adapt and use alternatives not expect help like free loaders.

 

[T Hectares]

Well he’s lucky those agents didn’t just get another contractor!

I’m not agreeing with this demand that everybody should bale straw because it’s short!

Since when did the feed buyers help the cereal farmers when wheat was £80/tonne!!

In times of difficulty people adapt and use alternatives not expect help like free loaders.

I've made the same point on here about the livestock boys were quiet when feed wheat was £100/t two years ago...

I certainly wouldn't be a charity case baling everything if we were at last years prices!!

And as for the contractor, he's a farmer first and the bit of contracting isn't a pivotal part of his business !!

 

[Happy]

But if folks that normally chop start baling, won't that crash the price ?

Yes.
Every area has it's 2 or 3 big contract farmers these days.
If the two in my area that usually chop don't then that's an extra 14,000 acres of straw on the market.

 

[7610 super q]

Yes.
Every area has it's 2 or 3 big contract farmers these days.
If the two in my area that usually chop don't then that's an extra 14,000 acres of straw on the market.

Think I'll chop mine then.....

Next year the straw price could be on the floor anyway ( as it was in 2014/15 ). I for one am going to be miffed, that this once in a blue moon chance to make some money has been f**ked.

 

[warksfarmer]

And as for the contractor, he's a farmer first and the bit of contracting isn't a pivotal part of his business !!

Sounds like another self important twot

 

[bobk]

Am I the only one who had the drought then ? Spring barley knee high, don't expect much more than 2/3 bales (round ) / acre.

Grow winter barley . bingo .

 

[bobk]

Can’t ignore the price this year ! 50% of the extra income will be invested in extra compost / fym etc

Won’t be a regular thing unless prices stay so high

Straw in the soil profile is a pita imo , I think your inputs will reduce getting shut of the stuff , takes years to break down .

 

[T Hectares]

Sounds like another self important twot

No, he has a lot of cattle himself and probably has sympathy for his fellow stock farmers who unlike himself has a substantial arable area to substitute alternatives to grass from.

 

[warksfarmer]

No, he has a lot of cattle himself and probably has sympathy for his fellow stock farmers who unlike himself has a substantial arable area to substitute alternatives to grass from.

It’s ok having your own thoughts but when a contractors starts to dictate the people running the farm then it’s time to go ......

 

[spin cycle]

Think I'll chop mine then.....

Next year the straw price could be on the floor anyway ( as it was in 2014/15 ). I for one am going to be miffed, that this once in a blue moon chance to make some money has been fudgeed.

surely where you are straw would be hovered up by the irish

 

[7610 super q]

surely where you are straw would be hovered up by the irish

Well, let's hope so.....

 

[warksfarmer]

surely where you are straw would be hovered up by the irish

Yes very bad in Ireland at the moment as I heard from a dairy farmer a couple of days ago. He was thinking about selling some stock to relieve the pressure.