Wheat Straw & Cover Crops

By James Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services

As the wheat and barley harvest progresses, farmers often ask what to do with wheat straw. Should they keep the straw on the field to build soil organic matter (SOM), or sell it? What is the value of wheat straw, and how many nutrients are being lost? Does straw residue hurt the next crop?

Straw is a valuable resource in high demand for bedding or mulch, and livestock farmers are even using straw to add fiber to their livestock rations. Fewer farmers are growing wheat today, and a little barley is being grown.

At a minimum, straw sellers should consider the value of nutrients leaving the farm, the value of the lost organic material, and the harvesting cost. The nutrient value of straw varies, but it contains 9 to 12 pounds of nitrogen (N), 3 to 4 pounds of phosphorus (P2O5), and 25 to 45 pounds of potassium.… Continue reading