Many farms are finding themselves short of straw with yields, in particular on late harvested crops, being some 30-40% down on expectations.  With prices of straw looking to rise sharply over coming months, now is a good time to look at bedding strategies and whether there are alternatives to using straw at high cost.

Many clients operate muck for straw deals with arable farmers and this could be a useful way of levelling out bedding cost, to ensure you are not paying high prices for straw when supply is short.  Typically, separated solids are worth £8-£10/tonne and farmyard manure £5-£6/tonne this can then be equated to the value of the straw, depending on whether the arable farmer is hauling and spreading straw, or in some cases, even cleaning out yards.

Economising on straw can be a cost effective option.  Bedding and spreading machines are able to cut straw usage compared to loose bale bedding in straw yards by 50-60%.  Another advantage being you don’t have to use the whole bale every time with a bedding machine, so can leave straw to bed again another day.  More regular bedding can be cost effective, as can cleaning out sheds more often to ensure the bedding doesn’t become damp and treaded in and therefore, less effective.  Correct stocking density of sheds is also important and looking at ventilation to keep the beds dry, can all help reduce bedding cost.

There are alternative bedding materials, such as woodchip, which can be used on straw yards and these can be investigated locally, subject to Environment Agency regulations.

In cubicle housing, switching to sand bedding or sawdust and away from straw will have some savings, but it is in straw yards where the biggest savings can be made.

Keeping cattle out longer, feeding drier diets, possibly including hay or straw in the TMR mix to dry the diet up and ensuring correct position of water troughs, so bedding doesn’t become wet, are all important in reducing dampness of the bed and therefore straw use.

It is worth making farm staff aware of how important accurate use of bedding is, especially in a high cost year.  Don’t just accept a higher cost, contact Max Sealy at maxsealy@fcgagric.com or your local FCG office, to explore tailored solutions to your requirements regarding all farm management costs.