Approximately 10,000 acres of wheat and oats are harvested in the Travis County region each year. Eight to ten acres can supply sufficient straw to build a small house. The best time to obtain straw is at harvest time, May through June in our area. More details are becoming available for working with straw bales. See the General Interest section of Resources.
Thorough research is recommended prior to using straw bales for construction.
The Hay Exchange is a free internet database of hay and straw for sale classifieds and more. See what's available in your area. A Strawbale Webring has been established. You may also want to read an article from The Last Straw newsletter explaining the ins and outs of Breathing Wall theory. The Strawbale listserv is an excellent resource for those interested in the down to earth details of designing and building strawbale buildings.