News

An increasing demand for wheat straw

Even with fewer wheat acres being harvested this year, the demand for wheat straw is steady to growing.

“The high demand for straw comes from a variety of sources,” says Defiance County Extension educator Bruce Clevenger. “Everything from the industrial uses of straw, all the way back to the traditional livestock use for bedding, but also large dairy farms and dairy farms in general can use straw as a feed source for dry cows, cows that may not need a high nutrient value but they need some roughage in their diet and straw can serve that purpose.”

Clevenger also tells Brownfield that with the supply low and demand high, those with straw are finding elevated prices.

“Some of the local markets I’ve looked at here mid-June, we see $145 to $165 per ton for small square bales, on a per bale price there were some auctions that did not report the weight of the bale, but the per bale price ranged from $1.20 all the way up to $3.60 per bale for small square straw bales,” Clevenger said.

Audio: Bruce Clevenger, Extension educator, Defiance Co. Ohio (1:30 mp3)