I've explained the difference in a previous post, so for some of you who are new, hay is dry alph-alpha and straw is leftover stems from grains, such as wheat.
So today, I thought I would show you some pictures. :)
This, would be hay. You raise hay on purpose, to feed your animals.
And this, would be straw. You don't really raise straw. This is a wheat field. Planted and raised for wheat. Now, that our neighbor has harvested his wheat, the straw is left over.
And what do they do with the straw? Well, my husband said that they bale it. They bale it so that they can give it to the cows. He says they eat a little bit of it during the winter - it helps them to keep warm. Mostly, they just make beds out of it. It's got to be pretty good bedding, I mean, didn't we as humans used to make our bed matresses out of straw? I remember going to a museum and lying on a straw bed and thinking it was horrible. Too funny.
Our wheat is not quite ready to be harvested yet. Which I guess is okay, since they had to get our combine (the big machine that harvests the wheat) ready. You know, there was a dead cat in it, and some other parts they had to replace. I'd have to ask my husband, but I think it's almost ready to go.
And just for your viewing pleasure, he is another bit of scenery for you.
Gorgeous huh? This is on the drive from our little town to the next town. I believe that is a field of Safflower. They make cooking oil out of it. I had never heard of it before I moved here. I'm sure most other people have heard of it. It makes for beautiful fields too!
I also recently found out that potato fields and beautiful. Potato plants have flowers! Who knew? I didn't. I have yet to take a picture for you, but here is one off of the internet.
See what I mean.
Farming makes for some gorgeous scenery.
That Safflower field IS beautiful. I had no idea that potato plants had flowers. I'm learning a lot from your blog!
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