Drawing the short straw this harvest?

Straw merchant PJ Reed offers guidance on preventing straw becoming water damaged and explores how its range could save time, money, fuel, labour and machinery wear.

It’s always a challenging time for the agricultural industry – it has ever been thus. However, it’s fair to say that the challenges we have endured recently have been unprecedented in our lifetime. Time and tide wait for no man or, in this instance the farming calendar. With relentless wet weather through this previous winter, and now the coronavirus pandemic bringing much of the country to a standstill, cereal growers and straw farmers alike are looking ahead to the prospects of the forthcoming harvest.

What is already abundantly clear is that there’s going to be a huge demand for straw in the months to come. We’re already competing against the backdrop of a shortage of UK winter wheat this year, and field conditions will yet determine whether there are good stocks of straw available to the industry later this year, or not.

PJ Reed Ltd is a straw merchant based in the heart of East Anglia, near to Bury St Edmunds. The company purchases and sells straw all year round, but is currently seeking to buy straw in the swath this harvest time. It is able to offer a prompt service using the very latest baling equipment, including Parkland Bale Accumulators to quickly and efficiently move straw from the eld, whilst maintaining a controlled-traffic environment. The company says it will pay good prices for straw, and encourages farmers to get in touch for more details. A range of bespoke solutions are also available to the straw industry. ProStraw Systems provides a unique way to cover straw stacks safely and prevent valuable stock from becoming water damaged. Typically, 10–15 per cent of straw is wet-wasted, so investing in a ProStraw stack cover sheet could pay for itself in the first year, PJ Reed says. You also want to make sure you’re storing your straw in peak condition to maintain its quality.

The company recommends monitoring moisture levels within your bales with a Martin Lishman Balemaster moisture meter and probe.

PJ Reed currently has a number of new and used Parkland Bale Accumulators in stock. The range of three- and five-bale machines were developed with controlled-traffic in mind, allowing you to drop bales to the headland, where they can be removed together quickly and easily. This method saves time, fuel, labour, the wear of your machinery and, ultimately, money.