Flax straw

[farmaholic]

Re Massey paddle feeder housing.

We even tried timing the paddles so they weren't running at 90° to each other. Synchronised to be in the same position or as close to the same as the chain links would let you get.

Some people even installed extra paddles on the square cast blocks of the top and bottom paddle assemblies. Then put some sort of slatted canvas-like thing on so none of the paddles weren't exposed but the flax would be "conveyed" up between the bottom of the feeder house and the canvas thingy. But there was always the front beater to contend with.

Best was not combine the flax when the straw was greenish or tough. Ya right.

[Tucker]

I always knew that MF didn't stand for Massey Fergusen. Thank God my dad raised me on a 7720. Was doing some custom harvesting helping an organic guy with a MF. Flax. Golden. $50/bu that year he said. Passed by him on a round and stopped to see why he was stopped. Feederhouse open and flax straw everywhere. Fock paddles.

[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 😉