Flax straw

[foragefarmer]

I remember in the mid 70s we has a big wind storm and the flax swaths rolled all over the field. We had a 510 Massey my brother and I had to run ahead of the 510 and hand feed the swaths into it so it wouldn't plug for dad.

Scratched up hands and faces, and noses and eyes full of dust. What we had to do growing up on a mixed family farm just to make ends meet.

Still look back on those simpler days fondly for some reason.

[burnt]

I remember in the mid 70s we has a big wind storm and the flax swaths rolled all over the field. We had a 510 Massey my brother and I had to run ahead of the 510 and hand feed the swaths into it so it wouldn't plug for dad.

Scratched up hands and faces, and noses and eyes full of dust. What we had to do growing up on a mixed family farm just to make ends meet.

Still look back on those simpler days fondly for some reason.

Great story. When we think back at some of the things we did and never even questioned it, sure makes me wonder about not liking to suffer the smallest hardships today.

Many years ago, had a neighbor who was always short on feed for his cows. So he put about 50 acres of "free" flax straw up in SMALL SQUARE BALES.

For COW FEED.

Come springtime, somebody asked him if they ate it.

He said yup, they had to. Because when they took a mouthful it was so stemmy that they couldn't spit it back out.

Flax is very rare around here anymore.

[LEP]

Great story. When we think back at some of the things we did and never even questioned it, sure makes me wonder about not liking to suffer the smallest hardships today.

Many years ago, had a neighbor who was always short on feed for his cows. So he put about 50 acres of "free" flax straw up in SMALL SQUARE BALES.

For COW FEED.

Come springtime, somebody asked him if they ate it.

He said yup, they had to. Because when they took a mouthful it was so stemmy that they couldn't spit it back out.

Flax is very rare around here anymore.

You might be surprised. If you leave it sit in a stack for 4 or 5 years , the cows love it.

[burnt]

You might be surprised. If you leave it sit in a stack for 4 or 5 years , the cows love it.

Well that's sure interesting! Did not know that.

But I can tell you for darn sure - his cows couldn't wait that long, LOL!

[jamesb]

Cattle guy baled all of our flax straw for bedding, another neighbor dropped his straw for another guy that burns the straw for heat, they feed round bales into a furnace of some kind.

[woodland]

Cattle guy baled all of our flax straw for bedding, another neighbor dropped his straw for another guy that burns the straw for heat, they feed round bales into a furnace of some kind.

Works great to spread a thick layer of flax straw in muddy or low spots. Do that a time or two and it sets up like poor mans concrete. Love the stuff for that. Those bales keep forever. If the Egyptians had flax they could’ve built the pyramids much easier 😉