raiheinä

Raiheinä is a Finnish term used in historical agriculture to refer to straw that remains after threshing cereals, particularly rye and other winter cereals. The concept emphasizes the by‑product nature of straw and its value in a farm economy as livestock fodder and bedding. In traditional Finnish farming, raiheinä was gathered following threshing and stored in barns or lofts. It was often distinguished from higher-value hay produced by mowing before threshing, as well as from more processed feeds.

Etymology and usage history are not entirely clear in modern sources, but the term appears in 18th- and 19th-century farm records and agricultural glossaries. Raiheinä reflects broader agrarian practices of maximizing material use from the harvest and illustrates how households managed feed and bedding with limited resources.

Cultural context and legacy: The term points to a time when farm waste products were routinely repurposed to sustain livestock during the winter, contributing to the resilience of rural economies. With changes in farming technology and feed supply in the 20th century, the explicit use of raiheinä declined and more precise terminology for hay and straw emerged.

Modern relevance: Today, raiheinä is rarely used in contemporary Finnish farming; discussions of hay and straw more commonly employ general terms such as heinä (hay) and olki (straw), or refer to specific stages of harvest and storage. The term persists in historical texts, dialect writings, and archival materials as a window into past agricultural practices.