straw price: should accommodate nutrient replacement costs

摘要

The baling of crop residues is used by some farmers to manage excessive levels of stubble and to contain weed seeds. The resulting product may be another source of income but as Laura Page found out, farmers should account for the lost nutrients and impacts on soil characteristics such as pH, organic matter and erosion risk. Geoff Anderson, development officer with the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA, has been reviewing the current research relating to the management of crop residues and cautions farmers who bale and remove their entire harvest residues immediately after harvest.