SB: Re: Strawbale bale storage buildings

["John Swearingen" <john@skillful-means.com>]

Dear Director,

My first question is, why isn't it adequate to store the bales in a big
block with a tarp over?

John


----- Original Message -----
From: "Raquel & Greg" <eatrice@princetonca.net>
To: "strawbale" <strawbale@crest.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 10:52 PM
Subject: SB: Strawbale bale storage buildings


> Hi all (those of you left after recent discussions):
>
> I'm a Director of the Glenn County, California, Resource Conservation
District.
> One of our projects has been, and will continue to be, getting rid of the
> enormous problem of rice straw left over after harvest.  After 10 years of
not
> burning the stuff, we (farmers) were supposed to be selling at least half
our
> straw for a profit.  Last year, farmers sold 3% of their straw, and most
of them
> paid someone to take it away.  Our costs for incorporating the straw back
into
> the soil are estimated at over $70 per acre, when impacts on yield and
quality
> of the following year's crop are considered.  With rice prices currently
at
> record lows, these costs cannot be absorbed much longer.
>
> Many solutions to the problem have been considered, and most of them have
> failed.  Strawbale housing is consuming a very small portion of our straw,
but I
> think it can be expanded, and I'm looking into starting a project similar
to the
> one done by the Spokane Conservation District, described in the current
edition
> of The Last Straw (or at www.sccd.org ).  However, one problem facing
growers is
> a shortage of places to store the straw over the winter.  Most of us don't
have
> a spare 60'x100' shed.  So, I'd like to design a storage facility made
from
> bales.  I was thinking of unplastered, loadbearing, jumbo bales (4'x4'x8')
> supporting a roof of some sort.  It has to be cheap, it has to last more
than
> one season (preferably at least 5), and the roof needs to withstand
strong,
> gusty winds (the highest this winter was around 60mph).
>
> Any ideas on how to get this sort of span on a three sided building?  Even
this
> size shed is too small to hold much straw, but we have to start somewhere.
>
> Any and all ideas encouraged!
>
> Thanks,
> Greg
>
>
>
>
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