Ammoniated Wheat Straw Boosts Winter Feed

By
 KHARDI J MUKUYU
12/30/2015

When dry weather hits winter wheat country, beef producers always worry whether there will be enough feed to winter cows.

Terry Hobbs is no different, but the Penokee, Kansas, rancher boosts his feed supply by stockpiling nearly 500 tons of ammoniated wheat straw. Blended with alfalfa in the winter, the ammoniated wheat straw ensures there is an ample winter feed supply for his 500-head commercial cowherd.

“We’re in a drought area, and ammoniated wheat straw adds value to our wheat crop,” says Hobbs, the fourth generation to manage this central Kansas operation.

At current prices, ammoniated straw is worth about $55 a ton, a bit more than good-quality grass hay. However, in drought conditions, hay prices tend to fetch more money. Thus, the ammoniated wheat straw is a good alternative for beef produces who already have a ready supply of wheat straw.

How it works
Right out of the field, plain wheat straw is a low-quality feed. It has poor digestibility qualities and contains only about 2% crude protein. Ammoniating (adding anhydrous ammonia to the straw) doubles crude protein content and increases digestibility 25%. Ammoniated wheat straw is about the same feed quality as prairie hay, says Justin Waggoner, beef systems specialist at Kansas State University.

The anhydrous ammonia combines with moisture in the hay to form ammonium hydroxide, an alkaline compound that breaks down cellulose in the straw and allows cellulose (an enzyme that allows cellulose digestion) better access to fiber for digestion.

During wheat harvest, Hobbs drops the straw spreaders from the combine. Shortly after harvest concludes, he puts up straw in 1,000-pound round bales. He hauls the bales to a central location, where they are stacked 17 bales long, four rows on the bottom and three rows on the top.

He covers each stack with 6-mil black plastic (Hobbs uses oilfield pit liner) and seals them at the edge with dirt using a skid loader. It takes about an hour to cover each stack.

Hobbs puts 119 bales (about 60 tons of hay) per stack. Assuming there is 10% moisture in the hay, each stack contains about 53 tons of dry matter. Hobbs aims to apply 3% anhydrous ammonia per ton of dry matter, or about 60 pounds of anhydrous ammonia per ton of straw. Waggoner says the anhydrous ammonia should be applied at a 30-pound-per-minute rate or less.

“We put an oilfield pipe in the middle of the bales, turn the anhydrous hose on, and leave it until it’s empty,” Hobbs explains.

The treatment takes about two weeks in 80°F. temperatures, or about one week in 100°F. temperatures. Ammoniated wheat straw takes on moisture more readily and is more susceptible to spoilage than untreated wheat straw. That’s because the straw fibers have been partially broken down by the nitrogen, he notes. The treated wheat straw takes on a brown, almost tobacco-like color.

Although the 6-mil black plastic is durable, it can rip, so patch small holes before they get bigger. “Black duct tape works wonders,” Hobbs says.

Feeding ammoniated wheat straw is relatively inexpensive. Anhydrous costs $720 per ton, with 3 tons needed for each stack. Black plastic costs about $240 per stack. Therefore, each stack costs about $2,400 to treat, not counting the cost of baling and hauling wheat straw.

Open the stack a few days before feeding to let the ammonia dissipate, Waggoner says. It may take cows time to adapt to the ammoniated hay, but the product can be fed to cattle just like any other hay. Hobbs mixes ground ammoniated wheat straw with ground alfalfa in a feed ration.

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