It used to be a common sight for me this time of year (on the way to the maize experimental fields) to see straw and hay being raked into windrows by
hay rakes (video
1 2). Though most of us tend to use these words interchangeably,
hay is a crop grown specifically for animal feed and
straw is the leftover stems and leaves of a harvested grain that may be used for animal feed, bedding or construction. Common annual and perennial hay crops include legumes (
e.g. alfalfa and clover) and grasses (
e.g. timothy, brome, orchard grass and tall fescue). Straw usually comes from whatever grain is being grown in your area (
e.g. wheat or barley).
