06/17/08 Seed residue study, part 2

The University of Idaho's Don Thill has six years of data from field tests on four Kentucky bluegrass seed residue treatments, full burning, a bale burn method, mechanic treatment and a system treatment, a combination of all three. The full load burn was the benchmark, 100 percent seed production. The other three methods were compared on a percentage basis to the full load burn. THILL "And the bale and burn over that period of time was 95 percent of the full load burn, so very, very close. The next was the system which was 80 percent of the full load burn and then finally the mechanical was 71 percent of the full load burn." Working with Thill was ag economist Larry Van Tassel who looked at the yearly bottom lines. THILL "The most profitable treatment was actually the bale then burn treatment and the reason for that is today because of high feed costs for animals and livestock that baled residue has a reasonable value to it. It was followed by the full load burn and then by the mechanical and then the least profitable was actually the system one because it only had baled residue coming off occasionally." Thanks to a recent agreement the Department of Environmental Quality will oversee field burning when it is allowed to resume, some within a couple of months. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott