Mow Straw stubble???

I have wheat in the field about 12 acres, it will be combined in July. I will bale the straw when combining is done. What do I do with the Wheat stubble? Do I mow it off and bale that too? Or leave it?

I grew wheat merely to get a cash crop off before planting my hayfield this August. I do not no-till(lack of equipment) thus whatever is left on the field will be disked(twice) and then cultipacked prior to planting my hay field.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I do not need the straw, just looking for more to sell. I guess I'll try to get the guy combining to drop the head down as far as he will go, and then just disk up the rest. The 'mulch' probably will help with weed control and give some added protection in winter.

Thanks for everyones opinions....

I am assuming you straight combine your wheat, 'here' most everything is swathed & picked up that way, so the stubble is very short.

If you want & need straw, yes you can clip it.

No need to do so tho. While the straw does not add fertility (there are entire books about carbon sequestering, mineralization, etc. - it take more N to break down the straw the first year than is released) it does help your soil tilth & long-term adds fertility. Wheat straw is pretty easy to break up & break down. Just work it in & good to go.

Is it typical to plant hayfields in fall in your region? Most areas that do straight combining end up too dry in fall for that to work well. Grasses establish a little better in spring if you catch some rains then. More typical to plant those along with the wheat as a cover crop.

Around here several have started seeding oats or wheat in spring, harvest it, & then solid seed alfalfa in fall. Seems to work for them. So nothing wrong with fall seeding, if your climate provides the moisture then.

--->Paul

Straw is a good fertilizer. Its a good way to increase you fields organic levels. Often, guys cut as much as possible, (..sorry Allen), and practically give the straw away. If you don"t have a use for it (animal bedding) leave it in the field. Hauling it off, has a major negative impact on the land, and the money that you may receive doesn"t nearly cover the cost of fertilizer if you try to replace the "fertilizer" benefits. (...this could be a regional thing as well ). Don"t be afraid to leave some in the field. Hound

Straw is a good fertilizer. Its a good way to increase you fields organic levels. Often, guys cut as much as possible, (..sorry Allen), and practically give the straw away. If you don"t have a use for it (animal bedding) leave it in the field. Hauling it off, has a major negative impact on the land, and the money that you may receive doesn"t nearly cover the cost of fertilizer if you try to replace the "fertilizer" benefits. (...this could be a regional thing as well ). Don"t be afraid to leave some in the field. Hound

In those days, you used everything you could get, even if it took some work to gather it.

In those days, you used everything you could get, even if it took some work to gather it.

Tell the guy who does the combining to get that header down; that you want to save as much straw as possible and that you want to plant in behind him.

He ain't a gonna like it because it puts a lot of material thru his machine and he'll have to slow down to get the crop separated out.

But it will make the straw easier to pick up with your baler, give you more straw and then finally, make your discing and planting of the hayfield much easier too.

Allan