Ed Medcalfe (FCG WhiteAvon)

Over the spring and summer, we have been experiencing a prolonged period without rain which has, in turn brought harvest forward by two to four weeks with a lot of arable farms getting close to finishing harvest by the end of July. The dry spell has caused yield losses in both grain and straw. One of my own clients who would usually get a yield of 1.8t/ac of straw from their winter wheat only achieved a yield of 0.9t/ac this year. For this reason, certainly in the south, farmers may have to consider alternatives to straw to get their livestock through the winter months. As can be seen in the table below according to AHDB the straw price for barley is currently roughly £89/t and £88/t for wheat straw.

When comparing this to last year, farmers were paying closer to £52/t for barley straw and £45/t for wheat straw. This means farms will be paying roughly twice as much for straw this year compared to last.

There are numerous alternatives to straw that farmers could look to utilise this year to minimise their bedding costs. The question is, how good are these alternatives and will they work with your farming system? In this article we’ll give you the pros and cons to help you with your decision making.

Sawdust:

Sawdust prices vary quite a lot, but prices average between £60/t and £110/t depending on specification and whether it has been treated to prevent any bacterial growth. The advantage of using sawdust is that it can be a comfortable and clean bedding if managed correctly. Farmers can also use it for deep litter bedding if they wish. The disadvantage is that farmers will have to change it more often due to the dry matter decreasing when absorbing urine. Leaving wet sawdust for too long can result in mould forming which could cause health issues in livestock.

Wood Dust:

This product is supplied by one of our own clients local to Swindon which is much like sawdust and has the same pros and cons. The product is about 15mm. The price of this product is £10/t collected. This is soft and provides clean bedding. They also provide woodchip and advise that you could put woodchip at the bottom to help absorb the moisture and the keep topping up with the wood dust to keep clean and dry bedding.

Woodchip:

Prices for woodchip vary approximately from £10 to £60/t. The price variation depends on the distance from supplier. The advantage of woodchip is that farmers are able to re-use if managed correctly for several winters. It can also promote high welfare and cleanliness in livestock sheds. Woodchip is also quite readily available so easy to source. The issues are that farmers need enough storage to keep the woodchip dry especially if re-using the following year. Farmers do also have to make sure wood chip does not have any unwanted objects such as nails or wire which could cause injury to livestock. As a product it can be abrasive and for that reason it is not the preferred choice of bedding. 

Sand:

Sand can be used as an alternative bedding to straw however, it is more suited to dairy cubical systems and not an open beef housing system. Bedding sand prices start at about £20/t. Sand does create a clean and dust free bedding which is well drained. Sand accelerates wear on machinery and concrete floors, which is a negative. In a loose housing system farms would also require vast amounts increasing the cost compared to other bedding options. It can be spread on the land, but long-term use can start to affect the soil pH.

Paper:

Prices start at about £45/t depending on quantity and area. Paper waste is a highly absorbent bedding if it has been kiln dried making it below 10% moisture. It is easy to store and easy to spread for bedding. The issues are that unless spread correctly, there can be areas of floor that are not bedded correctly. It also requires frequent changing which does increase workload. It can be spread on the land; however, it may clump together when spreading and may not add the value to the field in NPK compared to other options thus increasing the reliance on chemical fertilisers. As can be seen from the different options in this article, there are lots of alternative options to straw that can be brought at a lower price per tonne. What would work for them from a bedding and spreading point of view? Farmers will also have to consider proximity of supply which will inevitably affect prices. Contact Ed at edmedcalfe@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office regarding costings or check the numbers themselves before deciding their next move.