This book is not about what might be done with straw one day. It is about what can be done with it right now on the farm. It is about today's technology, allowing decisions to be made about what to do with straw this year in order to minimize costs, minimize management problems and maximize yields and profits. It can be read cover to cover, chapter by chapter or dipped into as a reference book. Whichever way, this manual is aimed at helping the farmer to understand the technology and do the job that has to be done - profitably. Action Plans which summarize the relevant data and ease decision-making appear at the end of each chapter. The final part is a Decision Planner which will help with tackling the job in hand, on the day. Acknowledgments Grateful thanks are given to many individuals and organizations for their assistance, support and provision of information. Special acknowledgment is made to the fine work done by ADAS and their staff who made efforts to provide a great deal of up to date data for this publication. Thanks for assistance are also given to leI Plant Protection Division and to John Deere who, through their annual Award to agricultural writers, sparked this project off by giving the award to the author in 1982.
