Professional straw merchants, sourcing straw for the energy, food and farming sectors

AF Biomass are offering straw suppliers who are AF members the opportunity to build straw barns, financed over a three-year period through AF Finance Limited at 0% interest rate, subject to eligibility criteria.

Why should I get involved?

The straw barn scheme is purpose-designed to minimise the losses of straw caused by wet weather.

Straw bales and sugar beet are traditionally the only crops stored outside with very little protection from the elements. Large, square straw bales start to deteriorate very quickly. The top bales of the stack are the most vulnerable.

For example, barley baled in August would not be suitable for power generation beyond mid-October.

Losses are typically around 20% of the tonnage in a normal year on unrpotected outdoor stacks, a percentage loss which would not be acceptable in any other sector of agriculture.

The straw barn

The high-quality straw barns are sourced through the AF Buildings team. As an example, a 464m squared barn does not need planning permission. Capacity of these barns are circa 450 tonnes although other barn sizes are available.

What is required to get involved?

Suppliers are asked to sign a three-year supply deal with AF Biomass on their straw. The loan, repayable within two or three years, will be deducted from the grower's straw pool payments.