[Cob] Straw bales vs ?

[PJ Benet-Davis]

I recently contacted a rancher located close to my place in Northern California as he was advertising bales of his first cut alfalfa and other grasses for sale.  When I told him that I wanted to use the bales as a building medium, he said that if that were the case, if I could wait until next year, he would bale up his field clearing (weeds and grasses) and would charge me only for the bailing.  As it is, he is only charging $1.00 a bale, provided you go get the bales, which are in the field.  

My question is this:  given the fact that temperatures range from a very occasional
 -20 (winter) to 110 F (summer) and once a year at most, is there any reason why I should hold out for real straw bales?  The first thing I want to build is a storage shed.  Can I use these bales for something like this?

While I realize that the R-factor for straw is better than for weeds (hollow stems versus solid/pithy stems), if I can get bales for a great deal less, and plan to cob over them (and possibly field stone over that) for a dwelling,  and have a reliable heat source, should I not take advantage of the weed bales for that project as well?  I do not believe that the weeds themselves would present any problem as to reseeding themselves as, for the most part, they would not yet have gone to seed.  Also, my motto is, "Used and Recycled, Cheap and Free".  Please be so kind as to give my your thoughts.  Thank you.



PJ Benet-Davis
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges
213.443.3290
pjbenetdavis at quinnemanuel.com