Great wall of straw

When they first moved to New Mexico and the calf pens blew away, the owners of HAW Farms in Belen, N.M., realized they needed to create a windbreak. They decided to utilize bales of straw. Each year, straw bales are stacked three bales high in a wall surrounding the entire calf hutch area. Make sure to stack the bales so they are structurally sound and won’t fall over, notes Luke Woelber, owner of HAW Farms.

 As the year goes on, the dairy uses the straw for bedding. Each winter, the wall is rebuilt just in time to protect the calves from high winds.

In addition to the wall of straw, the dairy ties down all of its calf hutches to ensure that none of them blow away.