Manufacturer disclosure and scope statement: XES Netting makes bale net wrap. We are not an agronomy, animal-nutrition, veterinary, chemical-safety, or regulatory authority, and net wrap plays no role in ammoniating straw — this page exists only because farmers search the term. Because we sell an unrelated product to the same audience, treat this as a disclosed-conflict summary of what public land-grant, veterinary, and occupational-safety sources say, not as instructions. This article cannot make ammoniation procedure safe for you; only the professionals named below can.
Ammoniating straw with anhydrous ammonia is a real technique that some Extension programs describe for upgrading mature, low-quality crop residue. It is also a technique that involves a hazardous pressurized chemical and a documented animal-health risk that is easy to describe incorrectly. This page explains what the treatment can and can't do, who is actually allowed to plan and execute it, and where the real hazards are — it does not give a rate, a stack design, a sequence, or any other step a person could follow to do it themselves.
Quick answer: Ammoniating straw means treating a sealed stack of mature, low-quality crop residue with anhydrous ammonia gas so it carries more usable nitrogen and digests better in cattle. It is not a DIY project: anhydrous ammonia is a pressurized, corrosive gas that causes serious inhalation, eye, skin, and cold-contact injuries, and the decision to treat, at what rate, on what forage, and for how long belongs to trained, legally authorized people working with an ammonia supplier, a current Extension forage specialist, a site emergency plan, the product SDS, state/local storage and application rules, an insurer, and a veterinarian or nutritionist. Treating the wrong forage — anything higher in sugar or moisture than mature straw — is linked to a toxicosis that can affect cows and nurse through their milk to calves. This page does not include an application rate, equipment list, stack design, or timeline, and net wrap has no role in any of it.
What ammoniation changes — and what it doesn't
Mature straw and other very low-quality crop residue are mostly gut fill: high fiber, low crude protein, low digestibility. Extension programs that cover ammoniation describe the same basic mechanism — anhydrous ammonia gas reacts with the fiber in a sealed stack, loosening lignin-fiber bonds and adding non-protein nitrogen (NPN) that rumen microbes can use. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln's beef program describes the effect on wheat straw specifically: treated straw can become almost as digestible as average-quality prairie hay, which raises intake because cattle aren't limited by dislike, they're limited by how slowly low-digestibility fiber passes through the rumen.
That is a bounded benefit, not a universal one. A measured crude-protein increase on a lab report reflects added NPN, not balanced amino-acid protein — it is not a substitute for a formulated ration, and it does not turn straw into hay. Whether it "works" for a given lot depends on the forage species and maturity, its dry-matter/moisture content at treatment, the ammonia dose applied by the person doing the work, how well the stack stayed sealed, ambient temperature, and treatment duration. None of those variables are choices this article makes for you, and no single number generalizes across lots. There is no universal gain figure and no ROI number that applies to your operation without your own inputs and a professional's sign-off.
The decision gate: who actually decides and executes this
This is the hard stop. Ammoniating a stack of straw is not something to plan from an article, a forum thread, or a YouTube video. It requires the combined judgment of several specific people, each responsible for a piece the others aren't qualified to cover:
| Who | What they own |
|---|---|
| Ammonia supplier / custom applicator | Sourcing and delivering anhydrous ammonia, metering equipment, and the trained handling that keeps a pressurized, corrosive gas contained |
| Current Extension forage specialist | Whether your specific forage, moisture, and conditions are appropriate for treatment at all, using the current guidance for your region and season |
| Site emergency-planning lead / SDS owner | Owns the site's written emergency plan and the product SDS: evacuation routes, wind-direction and site-access control, and who gets notified if the stack leaks or the seal fails — documented before treatment starts. Trained and, where your state requires licensure or certification for handling or storing anhydrous ammonia, legally authorized to hold that role |
| State/local storage & application authority | Permits, storage limits, and any local rules governing anhydrous ammonia on your property |
| Insurer | Whether your liability and property coverage extends to storing and applying a hazardous compressed gas on-site |
| Veterinarian / nutritionist | Whether the resulting feed is appropriate for your specific herd, classes of animals, and ration — before and after treatment |
No single one of those people can clear a stack alone, and this article is not one of them. It cannot make the procedure safe for your operation because it doesn't know your forage, your equipment, your site, your local rules, or your herd.
The chemical hazard: anhydrous ammonia itself
Set the animal-feed question aside for a moment — anhydrous ammonia is dangerous on its own terms. It is shipped and stored as a pressurized liquefied gas that expands roughly 850-to-1 when released, and NIOSH's Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards lists it as immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) at 300 ppm, with a NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 25 ppm and an OSHA permissible exposure limit of 50 ppm. OSHA's chemical database and the NIOSH/CDC emergency response card for ammonia describe it as corrosive to tissue on contact and potentially fatal at sufficiently high concentration.
The realistic hazard picture on a farm includes: inhalation injury to airways and lungs, severe eye injury including chemical burns, skin burns from contact with the liquid or concentrated vapor, cold-contact ("cold burn") injury from the gas's rapid expansion and cooling, and the physical hazard of the sealed stack itself: it is not a pressure vessel, but wind, a failed seal, or a fitting problem during the pressurized transfer into it can still release a concentrated cloud of ammonia vapor with little warning near bystanders, water sources, or areas without ready emergency access. A short list of personal protective equipment is not, by itself, sufficient protection against those hazards; NIOSH's guidance (originally published as "Working Safely with Anhydrous Ammonia," NIOSH Publication No. 79-120) treats safe handling as a full system: trained personnel, ammonia-rated equipment, a site emergency plan, and an SDS on hand — not a checklist a first-time user can complete from a blog post. This is precisely why the ammonia supplier and a documented site emergency plan are non-negotiable parts of the decision gate above, and why this page gives no valve, hose, fitting, or metering instruction of any kind.
Eligible forage vs. ineligible forage
Extension guidance on this practice draws a hard line on which forage is even a candidate, and it's a line this article will not narrow further with a specific rate or moisture target — that call belongs to a current Extension specialist evaluating your actual lot. UNL's beef program states plainly that ammoniation is intended for mature, low-quality residues such as wheat and oat straw and baled cornstalks, and explicitly not recommended for grass hay, summer annuals, or alfalfa. Kansas State University's and Oklahoma State University's Extension forage programs cover the same treatment under similar boundaries (Kansas State, "Ammonia Treatment of Low Quality Forages," FORA12; Oklahoma State, "Ammoniation of Low Quality Roughages," AFS-3037).
The reason the boundary matters is chemical, not arbitrary. Higher-quality, higher-sugar, or higher-moisture forage gives the ammonia more reducing sugars to react with, and that reaction is what produces the toxic compounds discussed below. Treating only genuinely mature, low-quality, low-sugar residue is the entire basis for keeping that reaction from happening in the first place — it is not a suggestion to relax if convenient, it's the boundary that separates a workable Extension-described practice from a documented animal-health hazard. Whether any specific lot of straw on your operation qualifies as "low-quality enough" is a judgment for the Extension specialist and applicator involved, evaluated against current guidance for your region, season, and forage — not a threshold this page can set in general terms.
The toxicosis risk: mechanism, signs, and milk transfer
Get the mechanism right, because a lot of casual writing on this topic gets it backwards. Anhydrous ammonia reacting with sugars in higher-quality or high-moisture forage can form 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) and related alkylimidazole compounds — it is not that "ammonia itself" passes into milk. A study published in Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica identified 4-MI plus five additional di-alkyl-substituted imidazole compounds in ammoniated forage and in the milk, plasma, and urine of experimentally fed sheep and a dairy cow (Müller et al., "Ammoniated Forage Poisoning: Concentrations of Alkylimidazoles"), and multiple researchers have concluded 4-MI alone doesn't fully explain the toxicity seen in the field — several related imidazole compounds appear to be involved together.
Cattle, nursing calves, and other animals fed the wrong forage under this reaction can develop what's often called ammoniated-forage toxicosis or "bovine bonkers" / "circling disease": hyperexcitability, aimless running or circling, tremors, incoordination, bellowing, and disorientation. A documented herd outbreak in nursing calves, published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal, described the syndrome appearing in calves whose dams had access to ammoniated forage, consistent with transfer of the toxic compounds through milk ("Ammoniated forage toxicosis in nursing calves: a herd outbreak"). UNL's own program notes that, to their knowledge, this circling-disease pattern has not been documented from properly restricted straw and crop-residue treatment specifically — which is exactly why the eligible-forage boundary above is the real safeguard, not a footnote.
Do not read any of this as "avoid high-quality or sugary forage" being the only rule, and do not reduce it to a blanket "don't feed it to nursing cows" either — both oversimplify a mechanism that depends on forage type, dose, seal integrity, temperature, and time, all of which are supposed to be controlled by the professionals in the decision gate, not guessed at from a table on this page. The forage that is eligible for treatment at all is determined by your Extension specialist and applicator, current for your conditions — not by this article.
Suspected toxicosis is a veterinary emergency
If an animal shows sudden hyperexcitability, aimless circling, tremors, incoordination, or disorientation after access to any ammoniated forage, treat it as a veterinary emergency, not something to manage from an article:
- Stop the animal's access to the suspect forage immediately.
- Minimize handling, stimulation, and movement of the affected animal — documented outbreak reports specifically caution against working or moving animals showing these signs.
- Contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary service right away and describe the forage source and exposure.
This page does not provide, and cannot substitute for, on-site veterinary treatment.
After a professional release: testing and ration decisions
Once the professionals in the decision gate have determined a stack is appropriately treated and authorized for release and aeration, feeding decisions still don't belong to this article — they belong to a representative lab test and a nutritionist or veterinarian, not to appearance or smell alone. A representative sample means a logical lot: sampled and handled per your receiving lab's protocol, analyzed by an NFTA-certified laboratory or an equivalent proficiency-tested lab using recognized methods with documented quality control. Give the lab, and your nutritionist or veterinarian, the crop and field history — herbicide/pesticide use, weather stress, and harvest conditions — as context alongside the sample; it isn't a panel analyte itself, but it's part of how they judge which risk-selected tests are warranted for this lot.
| What the test panel should cover | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| Dry matter | Baseline for every other value on the report |
| Crude protein, with NPN context | Ammoniation raises measured CP largely via added non-protein nitrogen — the report needs to say so, not just show one number |
| Fiber and energy values | Digestibility and intake potential, not just the protein figure |
| Minerals | Needed for ration balancing by a nutritionist |
| Nitrate and mycotoxin screening (risk-selected) | Independent risks tied to the crop's growing and harvest history — your lab or nutritionist adds these based on that history, not as a routine line on every panel |
A test report in hand is a composite result for the sampled lot, not a safety clearance for the whole stack — it's the start of a feeding decision, not the end of one. Your nutritionist or veterinarian determines the ration, the inclusion rate, how animals transition onto it, and any supplementation needed to balance a feed that is still, at best, an upgraded low-quality roughage. This page does not provide a ration recipe or inclusion rate.
Pesticide labels, sale disclosure, and documentation
Straw carries its growing field's history with it. If the field was treated with any pesticide or herbicide, the physical product label is the controlling legal document — the EPA states plainly that the label is the law, and that includes any state-specific rules and any restrictions on feeding, grazing, or manure use tied to that product. Confirm the field's pesticide history and label restrictions before treating or feeding straw from it — this is a documentation step, not something ammoniation itself changes or clears.
If treated straw changes hands, sale disclosure should include, at minimum: the crop, field, and lot identity; harvest date; pre-treatment dry-matter/moisture and how it was measured; who performed the treatment and under what professional protocol or source of guidance (this article records no rate — that is the treating operator's documentation to keep); the ammonia amount applied and its basis, as documented by the operator who applied it; treatment temperature and duration; any seal breaches during treatment; who authorized release and aeration and on what basis; the lab report and lab used; any feeding restrictions (including the nursing-animal caution above); and the bale width × diameter and a measured weight. None of that is a suitability guarantee — a buyer still needs their own nutritionist or veterinarian's sign-off for their herd.
Economics: what this is not a shortcut for
Any cost comparison here has to be figured on a dry-matter basis and has to include more than the ammonia line item: the value of the untreated straw itself, the cost of a custom or licensed treatment service (equipment and trained labor aren't free), the ammonia itself, plastic and its disposal, labor, equipment, safety measures and insurance, any losses from a failed seal or a rejected lot, lab testing, and how the resulting feed compares — on a nutrient-per-dollar basis — to a purchased supplement or alternative forage. This page does not publish prices or a universal ROI figure, because none would be honest across regions, ammonia markets, or operations. Whether it pencils out for you is a calculation for you and your accountant or nutritionist to run with current, local numbers — not a generic promise this article can make.
What this page cannot tell you
This article does not, and will not, provide: an ammonia application rate, a stack design or dimensions, equipment or valve instructions, an application sequence, an aeration duration, or any calculator for any of the above. It does not recommend a specific forage as "safe enough" for your operation — that is the Extension specialist's call on your actual lot. It is not a substitute for your ammonia supplier, your site emergency plan, your SDS, your state or local regulator, your insurer, or your veterinarian and nutritionist. Net wrap has no role in this process and is not discussed further on this page.
The bottom line
Ammoniating straw is a real Extension-described technique for upgrading mature, low-quality crop residue, and it is also a procedure involving a hazardous pressurized chemical and a documented, milk-transferable animal-toxicity risk when the wrong forage is treated. Whether, how, and when to do it is a decision that belongs to trained, legally authorized people working with a licensed ammonia supplier, a current Extension forage specialist, a documented site emergency plan and SDS, your state or local authority, your insurer, and your veterinarian or nutritionist — together, not any one of them alone, and not an article. If you suspect toxicosis in an animal, that's a call to your veterinarian, immediately, not a wait-and-see situation.
Frequently asked questions
What does ammoniating straw actually change?
It can add usable non-protein nitrogen and loosen fiber bonds in mature, low-quality crop residue, which may raise measured crude protein and improve intake and digestibility versus untreated straw. It does not turn straw into balanced hay, and the outcome depends on the specific forage, its dry matter and moisture, the dose applied, how well the stack stayed sealed, temperature, and time — there's no universal number.
Why is ammoniating straw dangerous?
Anhydrous ammonia is a pressurized, corrosive gas that can cause serious inhalation injury, eye and skin burns, and cold-contact injury, and a sealed stack under plastic can still leak concentrated ammonia vapor if the seal fails, carrying its own site-safety risks around weather, wind, water, and bystanders. A short PPE list is not sufficient protection on its own — safe handling is a full system involving trained people and proper equipment.
Who is qualified to decide on and perform ammoniation?
Trained, legally authorized people working together: a licensed ammonia supplier or custom applicator, a current Extension forage specialist, whoever holds your site emergency plan and SDS, your state or local storage/application authority, your insurer, and your veterinarian or nutritionist. This article cannot make the procedure safe for your operation.
Which forage can be ammoniated?
Extension guidance limits this to mature, low-quality residue such as wheat or oat straw and baled cornstalks — not grass hay, summer annuals, or alfalfa. Higher-quality or higher-sugar, higher-moisture forage reacts differently with ammonia and is linked to a documented toxicity risk. Whether a specific lot qualifies is a call for a current Extension specialist, not this page.
Does ammoniated forage cause toxicity, and can it affect nursing calves?
Ammonia reacting with sugars in higher-quality or high-moisture forage can form 4-methylimidazole and related compounds, which are linked to a hyperexcitability/circling toxicosis in cattle; documented outbreaks show it can affect nursing calves through milk from an affected dam. This is not a "most cattle are fine" situation — it's a reason the eligible-forage boundary and professional oversight exist. Suspected signs are a veterinary emergency.
How is treated straw tested and priced before it's fed or sold?
After a professional release, a representative sample from the logical lot should go to an NFTA-certified or equivalent proficiency-tested lab for dry matter, crude protein with NPN context, fiber and energy, and minerals, plus risk-selected nitrate/mycotoxin screening if crop and field history warrant it. That report is a composite result for the sampled lot, not a safety clearance for the whole stack; a nutritionist or veterinarian sets the ration and inclusion rate from it. Economics should be figured on a dry-matter basis including treatment, materials, labor, safety, insurance, and testing costs — there's no universal price or ROI figure.
This guide is maintained by the XES Netting team — a bale net-wrap manufacturer, not an agronomy, nutrition, veterinary, chemical-safety, or regulatory authority. It summarizes public land-grant Extension, veterinary-literature, and occupational-safety sources for general awareness. It is not instructions, not a substitute for your ammonia supplier, Extension specialist, veterinarian, nutritionist, regulator, or insurer, and no seller can guarantee a given lot or practice is suitable or safe for your operation.
Sources
All sources below are land-grant Extension, occupational-safety agency, veterinary-literature, or forage-testing-standards publishers. This page carries no forum citations and no internal links.
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln Beef: "Ammoniating Crop Residues as a Feed Resource"
- Kansas State University Extension: "Ammonia Treatment of Low Quality Forages" (FORA12)
- Oklahoma State University Extension: "Ammoniation of Low Quality Roughages" (AFS-3037)
- Iowa State University Extension: "Safety First with Anhydrous Ammonia"
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Ammonia
- NIOSH/CDC Emergency Response Card: Ammonia
- OSHA Chemical Database: Ammonia
- OSHA eTools reference to NIOSH Publication No. 79-120, "Working Safely with Anhydrous Ammonia"
- U.S. EPA: Pesticide Labels ("the label is the law")
- Canadian Veterinary Journal: "Ammoniated forage toxicosis in nursing calves: a herd outbreak"
- Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica: "Ammoniated Forage Poisoning: Concentrations of Alkylimidazoles in Milk, Plasma, and Urine"
- National Forage Testing Association (NFTA): Laboratory Certification
Featured photo: A lone roll of straw among the stubble of the Great Wheat Field by Chris Reynolds, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. This photo shows an untreated straw bale in a field — it does not depict an ammoniation setup or any DIY chemical-handling process, and none of the guides on this site do.
