Time To Mow Cereal Rye For Straw

May 11, 2017

By Andrew Frankenfield

Above average temperatures this spring has advanced the maturity of the rye as well as other forages. Depending on the planting date and your geographic location it is time to cut rye for straw.

This week will likely be a good opportunity to get the rye cut and dried down before more rain comes by the end of the week to bleach it. Next week the weather looks like there should be opportunities to get it baled. The concern would be how much rain will fall this weekend and how soon the weather clears. Extended periods of clouds and wet weather will cause the rye straw to go from a nice yellow color to dark and dusty.

Just don’t wait too long to mow because the rye will soon be flowering and that gets messy with pollen and anthers blowing everywhere. Also depending on the next crop you intend to plant, waiting to mow can delay timely planting of your cash crop.

I created a short 5 minute video describing the process of making rye straw, its advantages and challenges and economics.

Source: psu.edu

Video: EP 73 Diversity is Resiliency – Stories of Regeneration Part 6

During the growing season of 2023 as summer turned into fall, the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast and Regeneration Canada were on the final leg of the Stories of Regeneration tour. After covering most of the Prairies and most of central and eastern Canada in the summer, our months-long journey came to an end in Canada’s two most western provinces around harvest time.

This next phase of our journey brought us to Cawston, British Columbia, acclaimed as the Organic Farming Capital of Canada. At Snowy Mountain Farms, managed by Aaron Goddard and his family, you will find a 12-acre farm that boasts over 70 varieties of fruits such as cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears, apples, and quince. Aaron employs regenerative agriculture practices to cultivate and sustain living soils, which are essential for producing fruit that is not only delicious but also rich in nutrients.