Straw and shavings shortage this winter

[jenniehodges2001]

I went to the local feed merchants the other week and got chatting to the chap that owns it, we were reminicing about when my friend ran it for him around 20 years prior when all it was, was a little shed with a couple of bags of feed and a bale or two of hay. Now it's a massive storage area full of dog/cat/bird and horse feed and all manner of tools, equipment and clothes.

He was saying that this winter would be very expensive for horse owners as there is a massive straw shortage due to the crap season we had and that shavings prices would go through the roof.

I've just bulk bought with some friends a load of really good quality shavings at a fabby price so I'm not too bothered about this news, but has anyone else heard the same thing? I seem to hear this every Autumn that the forthcoming winter will be really expensive/have a massive shortage of something or other but it never seems to materialise (thank God).

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Same here, straw supplies down by 70%. No trouble getting Aubiose or wood pellets so far.

 

[southerncomfort]

Seems ok here in West Yorkshire.

I found a farmer local to me to supply small bale hay (last years, £3 per bale) and straw. My hay shed is full and he says he has plenty more of each.

Maybe I've just been lucky though.

 

[Country Mouse]

I can remember picking up a small bale of straw for 2/6d, (old money) Happy days

 

[dogatemysalad]

No problems in our area so far. Hay supplier has plenty of really nice hay and haylage. We've bought enough shavings for 3/4 months and suppliers seem to have usual amount of stock.
Bicycles are a different matter, 2 dealers told us that they can't get bikes until March. Local bike shops aren't doing repairs either at the moment.

 

[TPO]

So much straw here that loads of local farmers have left hundreds of bales still sitting in their fields ?

 

[chaps89]

So much straw here that loads of local farmers have left hundreds of bales still sitting in their fields ?

Please tell them to send it down South! (Well, maybe not soggy ones that have been left out)

Shortages down here. Because the crops didn't grow, when they went to take straw off the field it was all too short and stalky to bale.
We are currently using big Heston but they're really clever as they are 2 bales then bales together so you can buy it in a half in a neat tidy way. I quite like it tbh. Straw around here has gone up I've noticed, £3 a bale in previous years is now £4 a bale and these heston things are £15 a half.
I don't think a straw Heston has ever been near £30, but it would be a long time since I checked.
Not a massive difference to be fair.

However, I agree OP, every year there is going to be a hay shortage - whether it's because too much rain, too dry, cattle being kept in with wet winters etc. All logical and likely reasons, but thankfully so far I've never had issues with hay shortages and if I've ever mentioned it to a supplier they've always said they're fine.

 

[poiuytrewq]

So much straw here that loads of local farmers have left hundreds of bales still sitting in their fields ?

Wow! My OH has been calling round to try and find straw.
We are on a farm and all our straw usually go’s to dealers in Wales. This year he hasn’t had enough to send them and they are desperate for more.
The crops just didn’t grow as tall this year so straw production was way down (Gloucestershire)
They even baled bean straw which was horrid looking stalky black stuff and sold that!

 

[TPO]

Wow! My OH has been calling round to try and find straw.
We are on a farm and all our straw usually go’s to dealers in Wales. This year he hasn’t had enough to send them and they are desperate for more.
The crops just didn’t grow as tall this year so straw production was way down (Gloucestershire)
They even baled bean straw which was horrid looking stalky black stuff and sold that!

Theres one farmer that always leaves his straw out after spending a week baling. He takes them in when they are black, honestly dont understand it.

Theres a field the runs opposite ours and it has 200 at the very least left sitting on it. We've had bad weather and forecast a week of rain so they'll be absolutely ruined soon.

I dont understand it ??‍

 

[poiuytrewq]

Theres one farmer that always leaves his straw out after spending a week baling. He takes them in when they are black, honestly dont understand it.

Theres a field the runs opposite ours and it has 200 at the very least left sitting on it. We've had bad weather and forecast a week of rain so they'll be absolutely ruined soon.

I dont understand it ??‍

It’s madness isn’t it! Here in summer they use big bales to make barriers outside as temporary grain storage. Being out all summer they obviously get really grotty- even these sell, I’ve seen the most disgusting looking bales loaded onto lorries, mostly going to power stations. Your local guy is missing a trick ?‍
Maybe there’s a reason behind it?! I mean it costs to bale so why not chop and plough in otherwise.

 

[jenniehodges2001]

Bicycles are a different matter, 2 dealers told us that they can't get bikes until March. Local bike shops aren't doing repairs either at the moment.

We have a very active cycle community in our area and I heard the same.

 

[jenniehodges2001]

Theres one farmer that always leaves his straw out after spending a week baling. He takes them in when they are black, honestly dont understand it.

Theres a field the runs opposite ours and it has 200 at the very least left sitting on it. We've had bad weather and forecast a week of rain so they'll be absolutely ruined soon.

I dont understand it ??‍

We have four fields of about 10 acres down the road from where I live and they are full of corn. I keep saying I will pull up the car and grab a couple of corn on the cobs for my tea as there is a public footpath running through it and I'm sure with 10 acres they wouldn't care about two little corns. But they were never harvested and have got to be about 8ft high now and the lovely light golden colour of the stalks have turned a murky brown. I don't get that either??

 

[Fransurrey]

There is a barley field close to my house that they didn't even bother to harvest, it was so bad. Definitely a shortage in Surrey. All crops were noticeably short.

 

[teddypops]

My straw supplier has plenty of straw but short of hay this year.

 

[Rosie'smum]

We have four fields of about 10 acres down the road from where I live and they are full of corn. I keep saying I will pull up the car and grab a couple of corn on the cobs for my tea as there is a public footpath running through it and I'm sure with 10 acres they wouldn't care about two little corns. But they were never harvested and have got to be about 8ft high now and the lovely light golden colour of the stalks have turned a murky brown. I don't get that either??

I noticed this on my to the yard. There is a field that last year was full of corn and was left over winter i think it got plowed in and they are doing the same this year *confused* is there something that im missing?

 

[Britestar]

Same here, straw supplies down by 70%. No trouble getting Aubiose or wood pellets so far.

Aubiose is a bit hit and miss at the moment. The supply chain is a little erratic. Sometimes we have it, but there have been periods when its not available, so don't bank on it.

 

[Carlosmum]

Our straw ( we buy in from a local farm ) is down by about 40% this year. We have had to look at ways of stretching the straw we have to last over winter for bedding cattle

 

[holeymoley]

Maybe he has no storage for it? Just trying to think why you’d leave it out. Or he’s lazy ?

My farmer has LOADS of hay. I think we were really lucky up here this year, we were worried for a bit but we managed to get things cut at the end of July. Normally we can cut around May too but that wasn’t long enough.

I’ve heard shavings increase in price but only by a 20p or so per bale.