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The worth of straw, whether or not for energy stations or conventional forage and bedding markets stays, buoyant, and plenty of growers shall be trying to benefit from that.
Nevertheless, with excessive phosphorus (P) and potassium (Okay) fertiliser costs this season, the worth of straw as a cheap supplier of those vitamins, a better appreciation of the natural matter standing of soils and the significance of straw for soil well being, raises an rising variety of questions over straw elimination.
Rob Jewers, fertiliser and crop vitamin specialist for Hutchinsons, believes that with a purpose to make an knowledgeable choice as as to if to promote or incorporate, step one is calculating the worth of nutrient eliminated in baled straw.
See additionally: Tricks to obtain profitable long-term grain storage
Mr Jewers recommends trying on the values of various straw sorts utilizing present market information. “These may be discovered within the AHDB Nutrient Administration Information [RB209 Section 4 – Arable Crops, March 2022 edition]. These figures can be utilized the place the straw is just not weighed when eliminated.”
He notes that because the potash content material of straw can range considerably relying on water availability throughout crop maturity and straw baling, it’s worthwhile figuring out the nutrient content material of consultant straw samples by laboratory evaluation.
Utilizing present costs in June for trisodium phosphate (TSP) at £930/t = £2.02p/kg P and muriate of phosphate at £770/t = £1.28p/kgK, it’s attainable to calculate that for a winter wheat crop yielding 10t/ha, if the grain and straw is taken off, this equates to 70kg/ha of phosphate elimination within the type of P2O5 and 105kg/ha of potash elimination within the type of K2O, he says.
“This works out at £64.87/ha of extra fertiliser worth in straw being eliminated. Compared, eventually 12 months’s costs this was solely £26.07/ha – that’s a distinction of £38.80/ha worth.”
“Taking a look at one other instance – say, a crop of winter oats with grain and straw taken off primarily based on a 8t/ha crop – there’s a lack of 77kg of phosphate and 132kg/ha of potash, so the extra fertiliser worth in straw eliminated is £112.86/ha, which is a distinction of £67.68/ha over final 12 months, when the extra worth was £45.18/ha.”
“The vital message right here is to reinvest a few of the cash made again into changing the vitamin that has been eliminated,” he says.
Mr Jewers factors out that these values are purely the monetary alternative worth of the vitamins eliminated in straw solely.
Nevertheless, there are different elements to be considered resembling elevated visitors and related soil compaction – it is a notably consideration in wetter areas of the nation the place additional visitors will virtually definitely trigger harm to the soil construction.
There may be additionally the worth of natural matter close to constructing soil construction.
Change in fertiliser worth of straw |
||||||
Crop |
Yield (t/ha) |
Phosphate elimination (kg/ha P) P2O5) |
Potash Elimination kg/ha Okay2O |
Present extra fertiliser worth in straw eliminated (£/ha) |
Extra fertiliser worth in straw eliminated primarily based on June 2021 costs (£/ha) |
Distinction |
Winter wheat grain solely |
10 |
65 |
55 |
|
|
|
Winter wheat (grain and straw) |
10 |
70 |
105 |
£64.87 |
£26.07 |
+£38.80 |
Winter barley grain solely |
8.0 |
64 |
44 |
|
|
|
Winter barley (grain and straw) |
8.0 |
68 |
84 |
£51.90 |
£20.86 |
+£31.04 |
Winter oats grain solely |
8.0 |
64 |
44 |
|
|
|
Winter oats (grain and straw) |
8.0 |
77 |
132 |
£112.86 |
£45.18 |
+£67.68 |
Spring barley grain solely |
7.0 |
56 |
39 |
|
|
|
Spring barley (grain and straw) |
7.0 |
60 |
84 |
£57.31 |
£22.80 |
+£34.54 |
OSR seed solely |
4.0 |
56 |
44 |
|
|
|
OSR (seed and straw) |
4.0 |
60 |
70 |
£36.03 |
£14.79 |
+£21.24 |
*Elimination charges are taken from the AHDB Nutrient Administration Information (RB209 Part 4 – Arable Crops, March 2022 Version). These figures can be utilized the place the straw is just not weighed when eliminated. |
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