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Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine

Evaluation of straw yield potential of cereal crop cultivars

Principal Investigator: Ontario Cereal Crop Committee (OCCC)

Research Institution: OCCC

Timeline: 2018 – 2019   

Objectives:

  • To measure and report cereal straw yields of all varieties entered in the Ontario Cereal Variety Performance Trials.

Impacts:

  • Straw yield data for cereal varieties enables producers to make informed decisions to improve profitability of the cereal crop. Selling straw or using straw on farm as bedding provides additional revenue, helping maintain small cereals in the rotation as a profitable component of the farming enterprise. Straw yield is often a critical part of the cereal variety decision process for livestock producers to ensure straw supply for their own operations.

Scientific Summary:

Straw yield can be an important segment of cereal production for on-farm use and/or sale into the straw market. Ontario straw finds high demand in the horse industry as far south as Florida, in the dairy industry across the US eastern seaboard, and into the mushroom industry here at home. When straw supplies are tight, straw prices can rival the price per pound of the grain. There is no other source for this information. The purpose of this project is to measure cereal straw yield by variety for each of the oat, barley, spring wheat and winter wheat cultivars entered in the Ontario Cereal Variety Performance Trails at multiple locations (minimum 3 locations). OCCC coordinates collection and analysis of straw yield data and releases the results through the OCCC performance trials. The results will be communicated by the OCCC to Ontario cereal producers and the farming community in Ontario through the OCCC www.gocereals.ca website.

External Funding Partners:

Sponsors of cereal varieties entered in the OCCC Performance Trials all contribute funding towards collection of the data.