Straws are by-products of agriculture consisting of stalks from cereal plants after the chaff and grains have been removed. For cereal crops like rye, wheat, oats, rice, and barley, straws make up more than half of the yield.
Before knowing where to buy straws, you have to understand why it is useful in the industry. There are quite a few uses of straws in a variety of industries. It can be used as fuel, fodder, or bedding for thatching and also basket making.
These straws are generally gathered and stored in a straw bale. A bale is a bundle of straws that are tightly stacked with a string, wire, or twine. These bales can come in a number of shapes and sizes. They can either be rectangular, square, or even round and can be quite large.
Uses of Buying Straw Bales
The size mainly depends on the kind of baler used. Further in this article, you will find some of the main uses of straws explained and why you should consider buying it.
- Animal Feed:
Straw is one of the main components of the diet of horses and cattle. It is fed as the roughage component and helps provide the required energy levels to these animals. Its low digestible quality and nutrient content make it a good fiber that allows proper bowel movement of the animals.
In addition to that, there is some heat generated in an herbivore’s gut. This can be very useful in cold temperatures as it allows the animal to maintain the right body temperature. However, you should keep in mind to restrict straws to a portion of the diet. This is mainly because of the low nutrient profile and risk of impaction.
- Construction Material:
In several parts of the world, straw is also used to bind concrete and clay. Cob, which is a mixture of straw and clay, is also sometimes used as a building material. When stacked together in a bale, straw gains some insulation characteristics.
This is when you can use it in post-and-beam construction and build straw bale houses. These straw bales, which are used to insulate or build buildings, it is usually finished with earthen plaster. These plastered walls can provide thermal mass, tensile and compressive structural strength, and moderate fire resistance and thermal resistance.
Where to Buy Straw?
You can fund retail stores as well as agricultural farms that sell straw bales. However, it is always better that you buy it from a farm that sustains some livestock. This way, you will know that the straws are of nice quality and are not tampered with. In addition to that, you will also get wholesale prices from them.
With the information mentioned in this article, you are a lot better off in purchasing straw bales. Now you know a couple of its most common uses and also understand how you should use them. Rest assured, with the right purchase and the right seller, you are sure to make the most of your investment.