Predicting the tonnages of Irish straw that will be available next winter is a process that will require the inclusion of many factors.
However, Teagasc tillage specialist, Shay Phelan, has confirmed that a drop in Irish grain output is expected this year.
“But the extent of this reduction will not become apparent until after the harvest, which is expected to run into September this year, due to delayed spring plantings,” he said.
Broaching the topic of straw availability, the Teagasc representative, pointed to a reduced budget under the Straw Incorporation Measure – declining from €12.5 million in 2023 to €10 million in 2024 – potentially meaning that less straw will be returned to the seedbed post-harvest.
Phelan continued: “Some advisors are reporting that farmers are actually taking land out of the Straw Incorporation Measure and they are going to bale it and sell it.
“That to me points to the fact that there will probably be more straw available this year than there was last year, albeit it with the caveat that late harvesting poses risks to quality, yield and the baling of straw.
“The ability of the above to meet livestock farmers’ demand for straw remains to be seen and adding a complication to this, is the lack of straw carried over from the harvest in 2023.”
According to Phelan, standing crops look quite a bit healthier this year than they did in 2023.
“I would expect that if we got any sort of a half decent harvest season, then we probably will have more straw than we had last year.
“If I was to advise farmers or advisors here and now, I would tell them to book as much straw as they possibly can, and maybe even put down a deposit on some of that straw to guarantee supply,” the tillage specialist urged.
“A lot of people waited until the harvest was over last year before they went looking for straw and unfortunately then they found that some of this straw – due to the losses post-harvest – wasn’t as freely available as they thought it was,” he added.
However, there are other factors to be taken into consideration, where straw availability over the coming months are concerned.
There was a significant reduction in the levels of winter cereal crop planting recorded at the back end of 2023.
In addition, many spring barley crops will be harvested over the coming months with very short straw lengths.