Straw

Collect straw

During the harvest, one regulates the height of the Barre of cut of the combine harvester, according to whether one or not wishes to collect a maximum of straw. Then, it is necessary to pass with a Ramasseuse-presse, which makes it possible to condition the straw in bundles, boots or rollers, which will be then transported to be put at the shelter of the bad weather.

The height of the straw varies according to the cultivated species and varieties. Certain varieties of corn, for example, known as with short straw, were selected precisely to prevent the risk of Verse. There exist also treatments which make it possible to limit the growth of the stems, with a same aim.

Uses

When it is collected, the straw can have several types of uses:

Litter for pets (horses, Bovine S and Ovine S), and to form thus the base of the Manure,
Food of the cattle, quality poor however, for the Ruminant S, alone livestock able to digest the Cellulose, thanks to the microbial activity of the Paunch. To return it more appétente, and to improve its Food value, one can add various products to it (Urée, Mélasse…). It is a useful product in the event of shortage, in particular for the periods of Sécheresse which dry up the production of Fourrage in the zones of breeding but bovine nourished only of straw would lose quickly.
protection of the ground, in the form of Mulch, in particular in Horticulture. It is competed with in this employment by other materials, like the bark of pine, even the films in Plastic…
energy source, either directly like Combustible, or via processes of transformations giving of the fuels of better quality: Biogas by fermentation, Charcoal by Pyrolysis or (with the study) ethanol.
Construction material, in the techniques of the Cob, the adobe and the Wallow.
Heat insulator. Construction and the insulation are dependant during the construction of house in bundle of straw: technique load-bearing walls (known as Nebraska), framework Wood /remplissage straw (known as Austrian, of GREB…). One estimates at more than 4.000 the dwellings built in bales of straw, and oldest 100 years have.
the straw, rich in cellulose, can be used as raw material for the manufacture of Papier (in particular rice straw).
the rice straw is the raw material used to manufacture the Tatami S,
it can also have very diverse uses, in Vannerie (straw hat…), in art (Marquetterie of straw)…

It can also be hidden in the ground, which avoids the operations of harvest and transport, relatively expensive, especially in the cereal areas without breeding (like the Paris basin), and makes it possible to bring to the ground an significant amount of organic matter, and thus to enrich it in Humus. In this case, one generally proceeds in a surface way, often using stubble-plow or disk plow, to accelerate the decomposition of the straw, before the Labor of autumn.

In certain cases, one quite simply prefers to burn it on the spot (practical burn-beating), which is obviously an aberrant wasting.

Losque the straw is exported out of the farm, it is necessary to in one way or another take care to restore on the ground the corresponding Organic matter or elements: contributions of Manure, organic or mineral fertilizers.

Language

To be on the straw , it is to be without the penny.
Color straw
To have a straw in the eye
To look at the straw which is in the eye of its neighbor , expression referring to the biblical parabola of the straw and the beam (Gospel of Luc, chapter 6, verse 14) in which Jesus reproaches the hypocrites for wanting to remove the straw of the eye of their brother, whereas they do not see the beam in their own eye.

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