# Seriously...Anybody harvest and sell Pine Straw?



## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

This ain't the "On Topic" forum, since I'm not allowed in there... for obvious reasons 

But I am curious about Pine Straw. I see it for sale at a lot of places, but how much do people really buy? I have a whole bunch of pine needles all over the place, that I'd really like to get rid of. If I could, I'd rather try to sell it than burn it. Any tips or tools to help me out? 
What pines make the best needles?
When is the best time to harvest?
How do you bale it?
How much stick and bark is acceptable?


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## gobbleinwoods (Dec 29, 2010)

They only rake to the top layers and use very big rakes.
It is baled by hand in a metal box with a metal flat plunger.
Long leaf pines are the most desired and the redder the better.
Usually harvested in the late Fall.
The fewer sticks the better.  Best has none.


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## biggsteve (Dec 29, 2010)

here ya go....on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pine-Straw-pre-...319?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb3ada89f


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

biggsteve said:


> here ya go....on ebay...
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Pine-Straw-pre-...319?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb3ada89f



So... how do you mail a bale of hay?


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

gobbleinwoods said:


> They only rake to the top layers and use very big rakes.
> It is baled by hand in a metal box with a metal flat plunger.
> Long leaf pines are the most desired and the redder the better.
> Usually harvested in the late Fall.
> The fewer sticks the better.  Best has none.



Really good info there! I'm looking at mostly Loblolly Pines, so I guess it is pretty low grade stuff.


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## gobbleinwoods (Dec 29, 2010)

Capt Quirk said:


> So... how do you mail a bale of hay?



Flat rate box ?


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## biggsteve (Dec 29, 2010)

laugh all you want.  i knew a guy in lake city, fla., that made a small fortune selling spanish moss on ebay.

  worldwide! 

 sent it in baggies, like pot.  it only grows here.  people use it in crafts.


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## elfiii (Dec 29, 2010)

biggsteve said:


> laugh all you want.  i knew a guy in lake city, fla., that made a small fortune selling spanish moss on ebay.
> 
> worldwide!
> 
> sent it in baggies, like pot.  it only grows here.  people use it in crafts.



Hey, what are you doing in here? Get back to the Political forum where you belong and leave these good people alone before I bring a criminal tresspass charge against you!


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

biggsteve said:


> laugh all you want.  i knew a guy in lake city, fla., that made a small fortune selling spanish moss on ebay.
> 
> worldwide!
> 
> sent it in baggies, like pot.  it only grows here.  people use it in crafts.



Sorry, but I just imagined the looks I'd get at the Post Office, trying to mail a bail of pine needles... and an unexpected visit from BATF and DEA agents...

As for the Moss, I remember seeing it all over back home, and in a few places around here. That is something else on my list of stuff to gather. Got plans for Halloween


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

elfiii said:


> Hey, what are you doing in here? Get back to the Political forum where you belong and leave these good people alone before I bring a criminal tresspass charge against you!



Can't even have fun in the Campfire section, without the Man coming down...


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## KDarsey (Dec 29, 2010)

Capt Quirk said:


> So... how do you mail a bale of hay?



If it fits, it ships!


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

KDarsey said:


> If it fits, it ships!



But... _will_ it fit?


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## KDarsey (Dec 29, 2010)

I actually thought ALL pine straw came from Mexico.....or was it Mexicans...?


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

No, it is drugs that come from Mexico... the Mexicans come with it, sort of like the toy in a box of cereal... or so I've heard


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## crackerdave (Dec 29, 2010)

From what I've seen,pine straw harvesting is very "labor intensive," when done by hand. It's a good mulch for any acid-loving plants [blueberries,azaleas,camellias,etc.] but for a cash crop on your property,my opinion is: You'd make more money pickin' up cans on the roads.


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

I'm making nothing at all burning it, and putting out labor to do it either way. Even if I could get $2 a bale, I could have a bunch of bales to sell.


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## BIGABOW (Dec 29, 2010)

crackerdave said:


> You'd m not at today scrap ake more money pickin' up cans on the roads.



Not at today's scrap prices! 
bail it up .


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## K80 (Dec 29, 2010)

Google it and you should be able to find most anything you want to know about it.  The pine straw industry was/is a multi-million dollar industry.  While in college I researched starting a business bailing and selling pine straw and was able to find anything I need online.  The only thing that stopped me was that pine trees around here aren't planted in nice neat rows like they are in middle and south ga.

I almost looked into leasing tracts in middle and south ga harvest the pine needles but thought better of it due to a flakey buddy/partner.

Looking back, this is one of the times that the lord led me down the right road and away from the making the decision to venture in to that business because of what has happened to the housing market since that time.


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## quackwacker (Dec 29, 2010)

they actually make rakes and bailers that you pull behind 4 wheelers.  Google is your friend!


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## bassboy1 (Dec 29, 2010)

BIGABOW said:


> Not at today's scrap prices!
> bail it up .



Scraps actually been going back up.  

However, so is the new aluminum I have to buy so much of.


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## biggsteve (Dec 29, 2010)

not just aluminum, my friend....

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=586619&highlight=silver


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## biggsteve (Dec 29, 2010)

ebay, again....a 'pine straw rake'  for yer lawn tractor....

http://cgi.ebay.com/5-NEW-Tractor-T...197?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad278130d


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## biggsteve (Dec 29, 2010)

and...a 'baggie' of spanish moss...for $6.73....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Spanish-Moss-1-...487?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415430055f


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 29, 2010)

K80 said:


> I almost looked into leasing tracts in middle and south ga harvest the pine needles but thought better of it due to a flakey buddy/partner.


If you were closer, and serious, I'd give you a heck of a deal


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## JohnBenoit09 (Dec 30, 2010)

I've been in the pine straw business for about 8 years. To answer your questions. LongLeaf pine and Slash pine are mostly the only type of pine straw you see on the market. Loblolly pine straw is pure junk, it fades quickly, rots faster, covers less of an area. For Longleaf, the market ranges anywhere from $3.50-$6.00 a bale depending on your location. Slash straw which is 95% what you see most of the time and is $2.25-$2.60 a bale. There is a market for loblolly and I have had people ask and I will never accept a job because it isnt a quality product. 

Harvesting pine straw can actually be done year round, but I mostly do it Spet-April for the sake of weather. 

Trash in straw is not acceptable to me. I prefer clean straw because Im a perfectionist, but the *rule of thumb* is if the stick isn't bigger in diameter than your pinkie, leave it. It depends on the business owner and consumer. Why sell a dirty, unpresentable product when you can spend a little more time to have a perfect one is how I see it. 

Watch on youtube fore bale pinestraw videos.

Most of all pine straw harvest companies bale their straw by hand. Mechanical methods are VERY new and are not perfect just yet. The tools that are being used are actually miniture hay equipment that is used in Japan and arent made for pine straw. If you do it only by hand baler, your overhead is way less expensive. 

Its a very very hard and labor intense job, words of wisdom are to not be the person who bales, but to be the one who signs the pay check. If managed properly you can make VERY good money. Most people get paid $0.25 a bale so for every 4 bales they bale, it cost you $1. 

If I harvest 100 acres at roughly 150 bales per acre and $2.50 per bale, I will have an income of $37,000 So just by this goes to show you the money that is offered in this industry. Imagine if I harvest longleaf at $4.00 per bale on 200 acres thats roughly $120,000 So yeah, money is good and jobs like this aren't hard. You also have expenses of fuel, labor,leases, and some before chemical spraying prep. 

If any questions, ask me and I will be glad to help you build a baler or watch one being worked in the woods. 



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## biggsteve (Dec 30, 2010)

excellent post.  excellent video.

  i got tired, just watchin' that old man work, being one, myself.  lol


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 30, 2010)

John, thank you, your info is excellent! A couple of specific questions for you- What is the average size/weight of a bale?  You said Loblolly is junk, but it will still sell? And finally, what is involved in cleaning the straw before baling? You mentioned a chemical, so just hand picking the trash out isn't enough?

Thanks again


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## crackerdave (Dec 30, 2010)

Awww,come on,Keith. Jes' lemme come down and _burn_ that mess fer ya!


Excellent post,JohnB!


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 30, 2010)

crackerdave said:


> Awww,come on,Keith. Jes' lemme come down and _burn_ that mess fer ya!
> 
> 
> Excellent post,JohnB!


Dude... I can't even afford your reasonable rates


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## FishingAddict (Dec 30, 2010)

When I lived in Cartersville, guys with a pick up full of unbailed pine straw would knock on doors and ask about $80 for putting the straw down in beds.


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## biggsteve (Dec 31, 2010)

about that video....

the trick is to get the wife or kids to do the raking.

then, put that press on wheels, like a big hand truck.

you could roll to each pile, and knock 'em out.  lol


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## crackerdave (Dec 31, 2010)

elfiii said:


> Hey, what are you doing in here? Get back to the Political forum where you belong and leave these good people alone before I bring a criminal tresspass charge against you!



I think he maybe got a little _bored_ over there! There are many pots to stir here at th' Fire!


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## crackerdave (Dec 31, 2010)

Capt Quirk said:


> Dude... I can't even afford your reasonable rates



I feel your pain,brother!  That creakin' sound you hear is the sound of many,many belts being tightened.


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## Jeff Raines (Dec 31, 2010)

Make sure you get it off free range pine trees,can't have none of that pine straw from behind a fence.Oh,and it has to be unfertilized too.


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## Capt Quirk (Dec 31, 2010)

Jeff Raines said:


> Make sure you get it off free range pine trees,can't have none of that pine straw from behind a fence.Oh,and it has to be unfertilized too.



Free range, Check.
Unfertilized...I'll speak to the dogs about that


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## Hankus (Dec 31, 2010)

The dog did it


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## merc123 (Dec 31, 2010)

It fits it ships!
http://www.pineneedles4sale.com/cgi...GTemplates/Header_Footer/SearchResultPNB.html


I didn't even know folks sold pine straw...


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## hayman50 (Jan 2, 2011)

*serious pine straw baling*

For some serious pine straw baling see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU9dUjQznhI

and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KVH7gbtL14


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## dirtroad (Jan 2, 2011)

We sell a couple thousand ROLLS a year.THe guy we buy from has round rolls(bales)They are long leaf and come from down around Louisville,Ga.


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## hayman50 (Jan 2, 2011)

dirtroad-

There's money in them thar hills!

hayman50


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## Capt Quirk (Jan 2, 2011)

merc123 said:


> It fits it ships!
> http://www.pineneedles4sale.com/cgi...GTemplates/Header_Footer/SearchResultPNB.html
> 
> 
> I didn't even know folks sold pine straw...



$25 for a 12x12x5 box? The bales I've seen are several times that size, for maybe $8! I think somebody is smoking the stuff...


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## hayman50 (Jan 2, 2011)

*C.q.*

Yep, there's a sucker born every minute.

I sell 40# round bales of long leaf for $12, when I can get it.........


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## JohnBenoit09 (Jan 3, 2011)

Pine straw is sold in round bales, square bales, and bags all weighing from 25 to 50 pounds and yields 3 to 6 cubic feet. Square bales measure 14 by 14 by 26 inches. Round bales measure 18 inches in diameter and 26 inches in length. Customers tend to prefer smaller, lighter bales. That is why I prefer to remain with hand balers only. Its werid, if I try to sell a round bale for $7.00, I will sell considerably less pine straw compared to a square $2.25 bale. Even though the $7 has equal amount of straw as square bales and you are spending the SAME money, it just doesn't sell. Why you might ask? Its almost like buying bulk dog food at the store. Buy in a huge bulk bag, or a small medium bag? When it comes to a flower bed, the customer wants the cheapest way that looks the best. Most of all machine baled straw contains over 60% more debri because you eliminate that extra 'eye" looking for that last stick. 

Seldom is a stand of pine, newly considered for straw harvesting, desirable for the production of straw. A great deal of effort and planning is required to prepare for the harvesting of pine straw bales that are free of cones, leaves, limbs, trash. In fact, at least two years of preparation is often required before quality, clean straw may be harvested with minimal effort. Steps required for successful management include:

Develop a management plan: Managing a successful forest resource enterprise, like any other business, involves planning and decision-making prior to its establishment and throughout the life of the enterprise. Some of the general steps that need to be followed to successfully begin and manage an alternative enterprise are: 
Define realistic, clear, and concise objectives and your level of involvement. 
Investigate the marketing potential of the pine straw in your area. 
Investigate the biological and management potential and/or concerns of harvesting pine straw on your land. 
Identify any major limiting factors such as financial or taxation constraints which may limit your success. 
Enlist the help of professionals. 
Competition control: understory vegetation interferes with raking and reduces the quality of the bale. Control unwanted shrubs, weeds and trees with herbicides or mowing. 
Prune: remove lower limbs of pines to facilitate harvesting. The lower limbs can interfere with the harvesting equipment and/or people. Live limbs not receiving partial light may also cause unwanted stress on the crop tree, and pruning may improve wood quality. 
Clean: the next step is to clear the area of all twigs, pine cones, and tree limbs. This can be done manually on a site that has an especially desirable quantity of straw. Otherwise an alternative is to mechanically rake all debris, including some straw out and not harvest straw that year. 
Fertilize: Tree growth may be improved with fertilization on many, but not all, sites. Fertilization may also increase straw production by increasing the amount of foliage on each tree. Studies have shown that two to five times more needle biomass may be produced after fertilization. Growth of herbaceous vegetation will be increased by fertilization and will need to be eliminated before raking. 

Sorry if I went in too much detail. Any more questions feel free to ask!
-John


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## JohnBenoit09 (Jan 3, 2011)

Just a few picture of my baler I took today


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## Capt Quirk (Jan 4, 2011)

Hey John, all that is great info. if there was ever a serious thought of doing this for a regular income, you really brought it home. Time again to give it a serious thought.

Like I said, I was just looking at another option to just burning them. We bought this property last year, and I'm working on cleaning up areas... clearing trees, burning stumps and deadwood, and cleaning up a couple years worth of pine needles. I would gladly load it into somebody's truck to be rid of it. I guess I'll start gathering some wood and build a bailer.


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## huntinglady74 (Jan 4, 2011)

BIGABOW said:


> Not at today's scrap prices!
> bail it up .



Wander where you get your info??? We sell can's all the time.. Heck everytime we go to a WMA or Core property we pick up cans ..My kids will tell ya cans mean more ammo for them...Gotta love cheap labor..Put em to work pickin up cans then give em a handful of 22 shells and watch em have a blast with the squirells and such..


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