Straw is a crafting material from the Farmer’s Delight mod that you’ll get by cutting grass and harvesting crops with a Knife, as it won’t drop from anything without one. It’s one of the first things you’ll want to collect, since it goes into 
Rope, 
Canvas and 
Organic Compost.
Nine of them can be packed into a 
Straw Bale, which works a lot like a 
Hay Bale, as it cuts your fall damage when you land on it and sends 
Campfire smoke up higher. There isn’t a recipe for Straw on its own though, so a Knife is the only way you’ll be able to start collecting it.
Obtaining
To get Straw, you’ll need to be holding a Knife when you break the plant, and any Knife will work, from the 
Flint Knife all the way up to the Netherite one. Fully grown 
Wheat and 
Rice Panicles will always drop one, whereas grass and 
Sandy Shrubs only have a chance to, so a field of Wheat is the quickest way to get a lot of it.
| Break | Straw Chance |
|---|---|
| Wheat (fully grown) | 100% |
| Rice Panicles (fully grown) | 100% |
| Sandy Shrub | 30% |
 Short Grass | 20% |
 Tall Grass | 20% |
The Straw comes on top of the plant’s normal drops, so harvesting Wheat with a Knife still gives you the Wheat and the seeds as well. Make sure the crop is fully grown though, as Wheat or 
Rice that isn’t ready won’t give you any Straw at all.
Your first Straw will most likely come from grass, as you’ll be able to make a Flint Knife before you’ve planted anything. It only drops one Straw in five though, which is fairly slow, so once you’ve got some Wheat growing, it’s worth switching over to harvesting that with your Knife instead.
On a Cutting Board
You can get Straw from a 
Cutting Board as well. A Rice Panicle cut with a Knife gives you a Rice and a Straw, and 
Wild Rice gives a Rice with a 50% chance of a Straw, while using an Axe on a 
Block of Bamboo strips it and gives you one Straw.
If you break mature Rice Panicles with a Knife, you’ll get the same Rice and Straw straight away, so you’ll only need the Cutting Board for the Panicles you’ve already picked. A Block of Bamboo takes nine 
Bamboo to craft, so that one is only worth doing if you’ve got a big Bamboo farm running.
Uses
Most of your Straw will go into Rope and Canvas, as two Straw make four Rope and four Straw make one Canvas. Rope is used to climb up and down, to make 
Safety Nets and to grow 
Tomatoes on, while Canvas goes into 
Baskets, 
Canvas Signs and Rugs.
4
2
You’ll also need Straw for Organic Compost, which takes two of them along with some 
Dirt and 
Bone Meal, and that’s what turns into 
Rich Soil. On top of that, two Canvas and two Straw will make two 
Tatami Blocks, and you’ll find more about all of these on the Rope and Safety Net and Canvas pages.
There are a couple of vanilla recipes that you’re able to make with Straw as well. Five Straw will craft a 
Lead, which saves you from having to hunt Slimes for one, and one Straw with two 
Mud will make two 
Packed Mud without needing any Wheat.
| Makes | Straw Needed | Also Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Rope (4) | 2 | Nothing |
| Canvas | 4 | Nothing |
| Organic Compost | 2 | Dirt, Bone Meal, Tree Bark or Rotten Flesh |
| Tatami Block (2) | 2 | 2 Canvas |
| Lead | 5 | Nothing |
| Packed Mud (2) | 1 | 2 Mud |
| Straw Bale | 9 | Nothing |
Straw can be burned in a 
Furnace, though it only smelts half an item, and it has a 30% chance to add a layer in a 
Composter. Rope and Canvas will get a lot more out of it, so you’ll only want to do either of those with Straw you’ve got spare.
Straw Bale
Nine Straw will craft into a Straw Bale, and you’re able to craft it back into nine Straw whenever you need them. It’s placed the same way as a Log or a Hay Bale, so it lines up with the side you place it against, and it’s broken fastest with a Hoe.
Landing on a Straw Bale will cut your fall damage by 80%, the same as a Hay Bale, and placing one under a Campfire will make its smoke rise much higher, which is handy as a signal. It’s flammable though, so keep it away from lava and fire.
A Straw Bale will smelt five items in a Furnace, which is a lot better than burning the Straw on its own, as nine Straw only smelt four and a half. It’s worth packing spare Straw into bales if you’re going to burn it, and they make a nice building block for barns and farms as well.
FAQ
You’ll need to hold a Knife and break fully grown Wheat or Rice Panicles, which will always drop one Straw, or grass and Sandy Shrubs, which only have a chance to drop one. If you’re not holding a Knife, none of them will drop any Straw at all.
You can only craft it out of a Straw Bale, which turns back into nine Straw. There’s no recipe for making new Straw, so you’ll need a Knife, or a Cutting Board with Rice Panicles or Bamboo, to get it in the first place.
Straw is used for Rope, Canvas, Organic Compost, Tatami Blocks and Straw Bales, along with Leads and Packed Mud. Rope and Canvas are where most of it goes, as they lead on to Safety Nets, Baskets and Canvas Signs.
Fully grown Wheat drops one Straw every time you break it with a Knife, on top of the normal Wheat and seeds. It won’t drop any if it’s not fully grown, or if you break it with anything other than a Knife.
