Hay / straw

Though they are often mentioned together, hay and straw are two very different products. Hay is cut while grasses or legumes are still green and nutritious, then carefully dried to preserve its value as livestock feed. Straw, by contrast, is the golden stalk left behind after grain crops such as wheat, oats, or barley have been harvested. Both have served farms for thousands of years, each earning an indispensable place in rural life.

Good hay provides essential forage for horses, cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, and other animals, with varieties such as timothy, orchardgrass, and alfalfa offering different nutritional qualities. Straw is valued less as food than as a practical material—ideal for animal bedding, mulching gardens, protecting newly seeded lawns, insulating tender plants, and even building straw-bale homes. Its hollow stems are naturally lightweight, absorbent, and surprisingly durable.

Whether you're caring for livestock, tending a garden, or tackling a building project, locally produced hay and straw are often fresher and better suited to regional conditions than products shipped long distances. LocalHarvest makes it easy to find nearby farms offering quality bales harvested with care, helping support the farmers who grow them while putting a timeless agricultural staple to good use.