Table of Contents
What plants make straw?
Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat.
Do straw and hay come from the same plant?
Hay is a crop that is grown and harvested as a feed crop for cattle, horses and other farm animals. Straw on the other hand is a byproduct of a grain crop; in our area it’s usually usually wheat straw that we see. Hay often is made up of a combination of different plants growing in a field or meadow.
What grass makes straw?
Straw is somewhat of a by-product. After cereal grain grasses, such as wheat, rye and barley have been harvested for the grain-bearing seed head, the hollow stems of these grass plants remain. These hollow stems or straw, are baled up much like the hay in rectangular-shape bales.
How can you tell the difference between hay and straw?
Straw is yellow, and it is made from grain crops (like wheat) by removing the grain and chaff. Straw has no seeds, and it is used for animal bedding, mulch, or compost. Hay is yellow or green, and it is made from dried grasses or legumes (like alfalfa). Hay has seeds, and it is used as animal feed.
What plant is hay?
What is Hay? Hay is a grass that has been cut, dried, and stored for animal feed. Many different kinds of plants can be used as hay, but in Iowa today, alfalfa and clover are the most common.
What plants are used to make hay?
Commonly used plants for hay include mixtures of grasses such as ryegrass (Lolium species), timothy, brome, fescue, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, and other species, depending on region. Hay may also include legumes, such as alfalfa (lucerne) and clovers (red, white and subterranean).
What plant is hay made from?
Hay is a grass that has been cut, dried, and stored for animal feed. Many different kinds of plants can be used as hay, but in Iowa today, alfalfa and clover are the most common.
Is straw a grass?
Straw is a stalk, usually a waste product of wheat, that’s used as bedding for barnyard animals. Hay—typically alfalfa or a grass—is used as animal feed. A. Straw and hay both begin life the same way—as a field crop.
Is straw hay?
What crop makes the best hay?
Legume hay is a popular choice for most livestock. It can be made from a wide variety of legumes including clover, vetch, sainfoin, birdsfoot trefoil and of course the “queen of the forages” – alfalfa. Legume hay is known for its high protein and calcium levels, as well being rich in vitamins and minerals.
What is legume hay?
In the United States, legume hays typically include alfalfa and clover. Grass hays include many varieties of grasses and can include the grain (oat) hays. One of the biggest differences between legume and grass hay is protein content. On average, legume hays contain much higher levels of protein.
What is the difference between Hay and straw?
Straw and hay typically don’t come from the same plant. Straw is typically the dried stem of a plant that had been grown for grain such as wheat or barley. Hay is usually made from the leaves of a plant mostly annual and perennial grass and can include the stem if the grass is fully mature at the time hay is made.
What is Hay made out of?
Hay can be made from legumes like clover (shown here) or alfalfa, or from grasses. Hay is mainly used as an animal feed. Since hay contains the leaves and seeds of plants, it is more nutritious than straw. As you can see from the table above, straw has some uses that hay is not suitable for.
What is straw straw made out of?
Straw Straw is somewhat of a by-product. After cereal grain grasses, such as wheat, rye and barley have been harvested for the grain-bearing seed head, the hollow stems of these grass plants remain. These hollow stems or straw, are baled up much like the hay in rectangular-shape bales.
What is a straw bale?
These hollow stems or straw, are baled up much like the hay in rectangular-shape bales. The hollow stems make for good insulating material, and for centuries straw has been used in farms and stables as warm bedding for animals.