This big bale burner caught our eye at the recent Ag Days Show in Brandon, Man.

The Vidir Greenhouse Heating System is available in a variety of sizes but it's their biggest system -- which can be fitted with a conveyor to feed in a row of big bales -- that gets the most attention.

"If your annual heating costs are expensive and you have access to a supply of straw or other biomass, this system will be cost efficient," says the company. It can be used to heat your barn, shop, greenhouse, home -- wherever you can pump hot water. Some small communities have bought systems, purchasing straw from area farmers.

Straw bales are automatically fed into the heating system and shredded in a "disintegration machine". The shredded material is conveyed into a primary combustion chamber with controlled combustion and automatic ash removal. Other components include a secondary combustion chamber, hot water heat exchanger, and sophisticated air flow controls.

Models range in a variety of sizes from 3,000,000 btu's and up. Operating at full capacity, the smallest model requires about 500 lbs. of straw per hour with moisture content from 10 to 15 percent.