Tips for adding agricultural sheds to your new farm
If you've just purchased a piece of farmland and are now looking to invest in some agricultural sheds, here are a couple of tips which may help you with this process.
Consider your farm's needs when choosing shed types, dimensions and materials
Before you seek out a construction firm for your project, think carefully about the kind of buildings you require for your particular farm. Rural sheds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes; it's important that the ones you select are designed to cater to both the type and quantity of produce and livestock you will have on your land. If you'll be running a crop farm, you will need sheds which are suitable for storing grain, fertiliser and machinery. If you intend to keep livestock, you will most likely need barns, milking and poultry sheds, as well as facilities for storing livestock feed. Make sure to draw up accurate estimates of the amount of goods or number of animals you intend to keep in these sheds before choosing the dimensions of the buildings.
It's crucial to take your location into account when selecting construction materials. If for example, your land is situated in an area with a harsh climate, where strong winds, rain and low temperatures are quite common, you'll need to use materials which will be robust enough to withstand exposure to this type of weather and which will protect the livestock, crops and equipment you'll be storing inside them from weather-related injury or damage. In such cases, a corrosion-resistant, durable alloy like galvanised steel would be an excellent choice. Additionally, you may want to ask your contractor to use an anti-condensation chemical coating on the roof to prevent mildew and mould from developing inside the building, as these could potentially contaminate livestock feed and spoil crop produce.
Select your construction site carefully
The areas of your farm in which you choose to build your sheds are just as important as your choice of construction materials. If for instance, you will be building sheds in which to keep livestock, you will need to choose a location which not only allows for easy access to grazing pastures but which will also enable you to safely transport the animals, their feed and their bedding to the sheds.
You should also think about how the aspect of the site will impact the health of your livestock or the quality of your produce. For example, if you reside in a very hot climate, building the shed on a site with a lot of sun exposure could result in your animals overheating or your produce rotting. Conversely, if the climate is very cold and you choose a shaded spot in which to position the shed, you run the risk of your livestock being exposed to dangerously low temperatures or your produce being ruined by frost damage.