Binding and Threshing still in use?

vincenzolorenzo

I was up in donegal a few weeks ago and saw a corn field cut with a binder with the stooks left in little stacks around the field awaiting collection. Initially i thought they might have been gathering stooks for a threshing display at a vintage show but I was told that the farmer did that to get feed for the cattle for the winter.

My question is, if thats the case why not just get a combine in rather than go the binding and threshing route?? Another suggestion I heard was that he was gathering straw for a thatch and that a combine would damage the straw too much, although i'm not sure about this theory.

Is there anyone in the country still harvesting this way?

Incidentally the field was large enough, about 4-5 acres i would say, definitely big enough for a combine, with good access from the road.

tedandbetty

i did it for a neighbour once who wanted to harvest oats that way for feeding to hares for coursing.

he used to hand it upside down so the hares would eat the oats.

altough it will be a thing of the past if the greens het their way soon.