Straw doesn’t typically take its place at the center of agriculture-commodity conversations, but conditions this year could bring more attention to the wheat field by-product. Commonly used as bedding for livestock or as ground cover to maintain moisture in soil, thousands of tons of straw have been used recently to cover mountain slopes where the Hewlett Gulch fire raged this summer and left loose ash that now poses a threat to the drinking water of many northern Colorado cities. Without the straw to keep the parched ground in place, that debris, if heavy rains come to the area, could flow into the reservoirs and rivers and affect both the quality of the water and also clog up water-delivery systems. And much more straw will be needed as fire-mitigation efforts continue this summer. Reclamation crews haven’t even started to take such measures on areas burned by the High Park fire, which