Field of Straw Bales

Life in Christian County, Kentucky... The Rural Life...

Straw bales

These straw bales got a lot of rain on them this weekend. Each one will weigh a ton if the farmer tries to pick them up tomorrow. Well, maybe not a ton, but they'll be heavy with water.

For those who are not familiar with the process here, this is a wheatfield that has been harvested. First, the heads of the wheat plants were cut off and the grain was sifted out with a big machine called a combine. After the seeds were collected, then the stems of the wheat are cut and baled as straw to be used for animal bedding, mulch, and so on.

That's one reason why straw is a great mulch for the garden. Nearly all seeds have been removed from it! It's essentially sterile, and it biodegrades.

This field will probably be planted to soybeans in the next week or so. It will be planted "no-till"-- that is, it will be planted without plowing up the ground. The seeds will simply be inserted into the ground through the wheat stubble.