Just a thought....that top layer looks pretty dry. Would hosing it down help? As we have such a wet climate, that straw would rapidly become soaked and would rot down fast over here (may go mouldy, though).
We are in a drought mode right now, EVERYTHING is dry, our sandy soil is a fine powder, every footstep brings up a cloud of choking dust. The horse pasture is 2 1/2 acres, so not watering it, it would cost a fortune! We are on community water. Our normal yearly rainfall is 46 inches, so we usually get a lot of rain, just been a dry summer. We are waiting on rain to settle the dust, then we'll take the tractor to help push away the wood chip mulch in strips for planting clover and rye grass seed. At some point, we'll let the horses graze it, then plant bahia and giant Bermuda grass seed in the early spring. I am planning on 2 years to get pasture established there. Then we'll close the horses off the pipeline and repeat the process there. At the same time we are working on 3 other pastures for the sheep to graze, those pastures have a good start of Bermuda, will add bahia also. Eventually the plan is to have a good stand of mixed clovers, endophyte free tall fescue for fall/winter grass. Have to plant rye grass every year as even the perennial rye won't survive the summer heat. Then for summer, Bermuda and bahia. The sheep don't care for the Bermuda, but it is needed to provide a cover for the sand. Once bahia gets started, it will slowly take over the Bermuda, providing a good summer graze mix.
