The county and rural in the United States are largely known for their large farms and many livestock. With winter’s arrival, farms start to roll hay bales to prepare for their cattle, horses, and other farm animals’ feed. So, keeping them dry and secure is paramount. This also determines how much a farmer would be spending on their livestock’s food during winter. That’s why reliable and effective storage is necessary. One of the best buildings for hay storage is a steel barn.
Use Of Hay
Hay is a source of food for farmers’ and ranchers’ livestock. To make hay bales, one needs to cut, cure, conserve, and store the hay. In general, leafy crops are chosen for haymaking. A farmer would prefer thin stems as they are easy to dry.
Hay gives calories, fibers, & protein to various livestock, such as cows and goats. A farmer won’t need to spend much on feeding animals because hay is reliable, and some hay bales (especially those from alfalfa) positively impact dairy production.
What If…Hay Kept Unprotected?
Humidity and moisture from air, rain, and changing seasons can greatly impact hay quality. For instance, they might grow mold and other harmful bacteria. If over-dried, it may increase the risk of fire. All these make a wooden building unsuitable for hay storage. So, what’s next?
Way To Save Hay
Steel barns are an excellent option for keeping your hay safe from the external environment and keeping unwanted animals at bay. Let’s see how.
With Metal Barns, You Can
1. Keep Moisture At Bay
Grazing animals love to munch on grass, legumes, and grain. Some of these are staple food for a wide range of animals, from cattle, horses, goats, & sheep to pets such as tortoises, rabbits & guinea pigs. When cut, hay starts to lose its efficacy.
Metal is a dense material that does not absorb moisture and humidity. Hence, it can hold onto hay for a very long time. Whether snow, rain, or summer humidity, farmers can rest assured that their livestock feed is safe for use.
2. Say Bye To Pests
When left unprotected in the open, hay can quickly absorb moisture from air and rainwater. This will lead to the development of mold, mildew, and pathogens, which can be toxic when fed to animals. A metal barn with insulation will provide safety and longevity to hay bales.
In fact, animals like rats and mice like to eat hay, play around in it, and make their nests. That’s no good. But on the bright side, steel wall panels are hard to chew through to enter inside.
3. Get a Versatile Design
Metal barns can be designed according to a farmer’s needs. You can choose any length and width for your barns. Let’s have a look at them in detail.
Clear Span – You can opt for a steel barn up to 300 ft. wide without any internal support columns. This gives you obstruction-free interior space to create sub-sections according to your barn plans.
Length – A metal barn can be virtually as long as you want it to be. If you want to know how big metal buildings can be, have a look at the Boeing Everett Plant in Washington.
Height – Metal barns are usually 12 to 20 feet tall, but you can customize them to be up to 40 feet tall.
Some Metal Barns Designs & Dimensions
| Type | Width
(in ft.) |
Length
(in ft.) |
Height
(in ft.) |
| All vertical roof barn | 40 | 25 | 12 |
| Agricultural metal barn | 48 | 31 | 12 |
| Lean to barn | 52 | 40 | 12 |
| Carolina barn | 54 | 60 | 16 |
| Fully enclosed metal barn | 64 | 60 | 16 |
4. Weather Protection
When over-dry, hay can easily catch fire and spread throughout within a few minutes. Metal is a non-combustible material and does not aid in the spread of fire. A professional engineer can design a certified steel barn to withstand wind speeds up to 170 miles per hour and take up to 40 pounds of snow load per square foot.
Further, you can opt for a vertical corrugated metal panel for the roof and sidewalls. This will enable dirt, debris, and water falling on the roof to slide off quickly due to gravity, requiring less cleaning.
5. Multifunctional Unit
What can you possibly make out of a metal barn? That’s an interesting question. Let’s find out some possible applications of a steel barn in the agriculture sector.
| ● housing livestock | ● dairy processing factory | ● storing hay & feed |
| ● crop/ cold storage | ● parking farm vehicle | ● horse barn |
| ● riding arenas | ● loafing shed | ● crop dusters hangar |
| ● metal barndominium and much more. | ||
6. Value For Money
Metals are durable and last long without much attendance towards their upkeep. This is one of the best features of steel barns. It does not need staining, pests & termite inspection or control, and re-painting even now and then. This makes them a great piece of investment.
So, how much exactly do metal barns cost? The average cost per sq. ft. is around $10 to $25. The rest depends on how much you want to customize it, the location of installation, and how stringent your local building laws are. In general, steel buildings with five to ten thousand square feet or more cost less per sq. ft.
7. Appeal & Looks
Steel buildings aren’t just plain vanilla. You can match your metal barn with existing property to enhance the overall appeal and give a seamless appearance. From adding colors to facades, the options to make your barn look aesthetic are endless.
Features such as clerestory windows, ridge vents, skylights, and solar tubes are functional and enhance the overall look. You can design your steel hay barn the way you like.
Moreover,
- Steel barns are easy and fast to install.
- They require less labor to assemble, especially if you opt for a prefab metal barn.
- Steel is dense and inorganic, so it does not pose a threat to hay quality even when stored for longer periods.
- You can opt for any size, design, and custom features for your metal hay barns.
- Steel is non-combustible, so it won’t catch fire. In case of a wildfire, it can resist fire for up to four hours.
- You can create internal sections inside of a metal barn and use them for other purposes.
- And finally, they are easy to clean and maintain. In fact, you can clean it with a regular garden hose, mild detergent, and a soft bristle brush.
Steel Barns: A One-Stop Solution For Hay & Other Farm Storage Needs
You can make multiple use of a single metal barn. Now, there is no need to have four buildings for keeping hay, parking vehicles, sheltering animals, and keeping crops. You can design a large clear span steel barn, create a subsection within it, and use it to keep livestock, store hay, and have a small factory setting for dairy processing. Now, wouldn’t that be handy? – All functions under one roof.