Straw shortage

[Fire sign]

My yard owner is very worried about potential straw shortages and price rises following all these months of wet weather …

Has anyone else seen price rises for big bale straw ?

Are any yards rationing straw ?

We are in Cheshire

What do farmers think re shortages in the next few months ?

 

[maya2008]

No mention of a straw shortage here (Wilts) and no price rises to suggest one.

 

[Fire sign]

No mention of a straw shortage here (Wilts) and no price rises to suggest one.

Thanks Maya , am hoping it is just an ugly rumour !

 

[Jambarissa]

Most farmers round here were too busy battling bad weather to get their crops in to bother drying the straw.

If your area was the same there would be less available than previous years so a shortage is likely. Most yards bought in advance to make sure they didn't run out. Our local feed stores buy in at auction so there's plenty available but costs more.

 

[rabatsa]

I am paying more for feeding straw from a large merchant.

 

[Archangel]

Straw has been short all winter here in West Wales. Quality is a bit dodgy too. I usually buy big bales but the farmer didn't have enough for his own use so have been using small bales (£5.15 a bale).
I managed to get 1 big bale a month ago £70.

 

[SEL]

Short around here - one of the farmers was on the local FB page recently saying the cows were going out early because they were short of bedding & feed.

 

[Backtoblack]

Don't know about straw but I think there could be a shavings shortage, there's not much in at our local supplier,wynnstay and non of their own brand large shavings.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Short here in cornwall our supplier is completely out for his own livestock too

 

[Midlifecrisis]

I see big lorries of straw moving on the motorways…and massive stacks of the stuff around fields too but I’m hazarding a guess it’s feeding incinerators or bio digesters somewhere.

 

[GoldenWillow]

Our neighbouring farmer mentioned the price of straw the other day, at the start of the winter he was paying £90 per bale ( I think they are Heston bales) they are now £130!

 

[poiuytrewq]

I just asked my OH he does a fair bit of straw and buying/selling straw.
He said they are half regretting spending (a lot of!) money on a new baler this year as he doesn’t think the straw market will be great at all.
My neighbour and I commented out riding this week actually how short the rape crops are to normal (how dull does our conversation sound ) if all crops are shorter which they will surely be that will effect the straw

 

[SEL]

I just asked my OH he does a fair bit of straw and buying/selling straw.
He said they are half regretting spending (a lot of!) money on a new baler this year as he doesn’t think the straw market will be great at all.
My neighbour and I commented out riding this week actually how short the rape crops are to normal (how dull does our conversation sound ) if all crops are shorter which they will surely be that will effect the straw

A lot of fields have been left barren over winter too - just too wet to plant anything. So shortages all round I suspect.

 

[millitiger]

Our straw has been stable price wise and easy to get hold of this season.

I worry about next winter as crops will be much later going in the ground this spring, with the terribly wet ground everywhere.

 

[Snowfilly]

Cattle being turned out here early because the farmers can’t get straw for love nor money. (Cornwall)

 

[spotty_pony2]

Nothing mentioned here, but I have two that cannot be stabled on straw so it’s not a big issue for me as I have to buy shavings anyway straw is £25 per bale here but I have it in what is classed as 1/2 bales but it’s still a fair amount.

 

[poiuytrewq]

A lot of fields have been left barren over winter too - just too wet to plant anything. So shortages all round I suspect.

It’s certainly been a stressful one

 

[Fire sign]

Thanks so much for all the replies ….. it does sound as if there will be shortages and price rises then ..

 

[Irish-Only]

Our neighbouring farmer mentioned the price of straw the other day, at the start of the winter he was paying £90 per bale ( I think they are Heston bales) they are now £130!

A bale or a tonne? At that price per bale he could buy rough hay for much less to use as bedding.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I am using old hay to bed my sheep, it cost less originally than straw is now.

 

[palo1]

I am using old hay to bed my sheep, it cost less originally than straw is now.

OH is using old hay to bed his cattle atm. The straw shortage is likely to affect all of us, even if we don't use it. Those that can't get straw reasonably will turn to other bedding, causing an increase in demand and either short supplies or hikes in price. Those with the biggest buying power are likely to snap stuff up quickly and in bulk too which may make things harder for people that want small amounts. Here, most farmers are definitely not planning to sell spare hay either this year because if need be, they can use the less good stuff for emergency/additional bedding. I never thought I would see this as 'normal' planning!

 

[Wishfilly]

I'm also in Cornwall, I don't use straw myself, but was chatting to a farmer I know about this weekend, and he said he is struggling to get large bale straw and the last he was quoted was £80 a large bale, which he reckoned translated to £6-8 for a small bale. This was a little while back, so with the wet March, could be even higher now. His cattle are mostly turned out now, despite the recent weather.

I know some of the fields we hack past have not been planted yet as it is too wet to get the large machinery in (slightly awkward access down tracks), I can imagine therefore there may well be shortages going forwards.

Hay has also been in relatively short supply, I know a few people who have turned away new clients or small orders when selling hay this year.

I have seen a few people selling spoiled hay as bedding on facebook recently, so I guess there is a market for it.

 

[sport horse]

I buy hay/straw from my neighbour - an arable farmer. It s short now because all the cattle etc ar still in their barns. He is also worried about this year's straw - the crops are not yet sown so will not have so long to grow. Everyone, pray for a warm and sunny spring, plenty of showers to keep everything growing and then a nice dry summer to get the harvest in. Gosh I sould like a farmer!!

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

A local farmer told me a lot of them were concerned as they can't get on the land to plant the crop which would cause shortages in the winter.

 

[rabatsa]

A local large farm has told its usual contractors that it is not now bothering to sow any spring cereals as it is too late, the winter ones sown are not going to do well and are very patchy. They will still be planting maize if things dry up.

 

[SEL]

I hacked past the enormous fields that usually have a grain crop alongside the railway today. I was half expecting to see them ploughed because farmers have been non stop the past few days - but they're still empty. The deer were grazing on the grass that's taken root.

That's a huge crop not sown

 

[poiuytrewq]

I hacked past the enormous fields that usually have a grain crop alongside the railway today. I was half expecting to see them ploughed because farmers have been non stop the past few days - but they're still empty. The deer were grazing on the grass that's taken root.

That's a huge crop not sown

The farm here has been full on flat out just recently but Mr P said today that actually fields that look and feel rock hard are only solid on top. They are still finding many too wet to get big machinery onto.

 

[minesadouble]

I think there will be a shortage of straw and of rape straw bedding products.
The weather just hasn't been kind so far.

 

[SEL]

The farm here has been full on flat out just recently but Mr P said today that actually fields that look and feel rock hard are only solid on top. They are still finding many too wet to get big machinery onto.

There's one on my route to the yard where they've left a big circle which I'm guessing is just too wet. I saw one of the seeders being towed out further down the road.

 

[maya2008]

It’s all go here, fields were used to grow a leafy crop for sheep last winter, then ploughed and fertilised a few weeks ago (plus at some point they planted the maize crop because it’s growing merrily now), before planting the cereal crop fields last weekend. Still can’t get my Landrover through the gate to harrow my winter field though!