"An area of particular interest to all cereal growers this year is what to do with straw. Questions arise about its saleable value, value as fertiliser and organic matter and the costs of chopping and incorporation. Parameters to calculate the value of straw have changed considerably, bearing in mind the jump in fertiliser prices. There is a good chance livestock growers or the mushroom industry will struggle to pay for straw at an equivalent price to its fertiliser value."
This little aside from Michael Hennessy sums up the problem of straw in a nutshell.
No doubt there will be a lot of haggling to be done come the end of the summer for getting the right stuff at the right price for the compost men.
Could it be the straw that breaks the camel's back?
