To plan and construct agricultural structures.

Buildings are an important business asset In agricultural business we use buildings to – Protect machinery – Store crops – Keep animals and animal products – Milking cows – Selling commodities – Processing crops and animal products – Manufacturing commodities

Saves time and money Requires careful consideration Building size, type, design and placement are also important Inadequate buildings result in LOSS

Place in a well drained area 1 Plant a windbreak on the side of the prevailing winds Typically the Northwest side 2 Place the electrical meter pole so that it is as close to possible to all buildings requiring a lot of electrical power 3

Place livestock downwind from the house 4 Face buildings to the south or east for maximum heat and light in the winter and shade in the summer 5 Position buildings so they can be enlarged or expanded 6

Provide a circle to all traffic to get in and out easily 7 Hand-surface or gravel the main traffic areas 8 Provide proper drainage away from each building to avoid polluting wells and other water sources. 9

Some are large, specialized and expensive Also require professional planning Others can be adequately planned by the business owner or manager

Type and shape determine ease of building and cost Each type has its place and use

Past buildings were limited in width without interior post due to the limited strength of rafters and girders Rafter- a single timber that supports a section of roof Girder-a timber that carries the weight of floors and interior walls Truss-a rigid framework capable of spanning over 100 ft without posts – See fig p. 564

How buildings are classified Pole Building Post-frame Building Rigid-frame building

Steel Aluminum Wood

Comes in standard sizes from 1” to 6” thick and from 2” to 12” wide Lengths typically run from 6’ to 16’ and longer It is important to remember that thickness and width are nominal dimensions and that when lumber is dressed or planed the actual thickness is ¼” less than nominal thickness and the width is ½” less than nominal width

Made of veneer Used for subflooring, wall sheathing, roof sheathing Graded according to the quality of the exterior layers as well as the glues ability to withstand moisture

A- Smooth, paintable, not more than 18 neatly made repairs B- Solid surface, shims, circular repair plugs and tight knots 1” across grain permitted. Some minor splits allowed. C plugged- Improved C veneer with splits limited to 1/8” and knot holes and borer holes limited to ¼” x ½” in width C- Tight knots to 1 ½ “ Knotholes to 1” across grain and some to 1 ½” if total width of knots and knotholes is within specified limits. D-Knots and knotholes to 2 ½” width across grain and ½” larger within specified limits. Limited splits allowed. Limited to interior exposure 1 and exposure 2 panels.

Done to keep wood from rotting due to exposure to Earth and weather & also to prevent insect damage. Chemicals are driven into the wood under pressure General chemicals used are – Creosote – Pentachlorophenol – Acid copper chromate (ACC) – Ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA) – Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)

Roofing and Siding Steel & aluminum used extensively Steel – Stronger – Subject to rust – Galvanized or coated with zinc Aluminum – Won’t rust – Expensive – Thin – Easily damaged

Draw a “block sketch” of a farmstead – See example.