can someone tell me why...

[ALBERTAFARMER4]

Why is it that so many people are baling their straw?
Let me guess who is going to be complaining about
fertilizer prices next year.

[silverback]

I guess you have never had bad emergence or cold soil due to excess trash cover?

One year of baling straw is not going to break the fertilizer bank.

[per]

My neighbor thinks he doesn't have a chance of one passing next year with the mat he is leaving behind. I am baling his and mine all stays put. Win Win for me.

[JDGreen]

There is no such thing as winning when removing straw. That is a cattlemans illusion only.

[FarmRanger]

In high organic matter soils you might get away baling straw for a while.

Where I farm, selling straw equates to selling future productivity for pennies on the dollar. A surprising number of my neighbors still do it though.

[blackjack]

when straw sold for $50 a bale last year and 2 bales per acre.That pays for quite a bit of fert.

[checking]

Do heavy harrows not work in your excess straw zones?

[Hopperbin]

Does selling carbon credits for 2 bucks a ton make any sense either?? I am still waiting for 150 per ton, I may wait a long time maybe a couple life times, at least if you put the straw into your own cattle you are adding more value and some manure may go back to the field. Hay would anyone ever consider buying straw to spread on instead of fertilizer? Somewhat equivalent of a farmer buying carbon credits for future sale.

[JDGreen]

i will watch every cow starve and freeze to death before i would give it up for 50 dollars a bale x 2 bales/acre. I'm not kidding it is that valuable here in this area. Goes beyond just nutrient value.

[cottonpicken]

You would think everyone here farms in the same area
and conditions.

[per]

I would rather bring straw in that send it out but here is the crop where I am getting straw from my neighbor. It is high organic soil and while this one is exceptional it produces excellent year after year. Sometimes the straw becomes problematic. My own straw is bunched every year for the cows to process and leave right where it came from.
<a href="http://s612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/per1747/?action=view&current=Oct2010242.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

[ALBERTAFARMER4]

Hopperbin I hate to break it to you, but carbon credits
are probably less valuable than monopoly money.

[seabass]

Well put Cotton. Different strokes for different folks.

[DogPatch]

JDgreen

Where do you figure straw is worth $100/acre? Or are you one of those that spite your neighbors too? If you live in an area where there is lots of straw produced, you would be begging someone to take it off your hands.

[ado089]

I agree that straw is your future. Cows don't eat it, they shit on in then it costs you money to haul it back out to the field. If you have so much straw that it is causing spring issues I would look at your combine/straw chopper first. Secondly I would take a look at your fertility. You would be verry supprised how much N you can cut from wheat before yield is affected. Slow release N also helps cut down on straw without comprimising yield. We've grown alot of 60 wheat crops and we don't even own a heavy harrow. A year of farming low OM soil will teach you to appreciate all the benifits that trash brings and once it's gone it's damn hard to get back.