# Farmers Preserving Aged Barns



## Vol

Good Read.

Regards, Mike

http://www.agweb.com/article/farmers_preserve_their_aging_barns_NAA_Associated_Press/


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## Chessiedog

I put a new metal roof on mine last year before I built my new hay barn . Loft will hold about 1500 to 1800 bales .

There is a 3 story round one, not far from me . Really cool barn .

Not sure how long it is going to make it . I know they priced a roof for it ,was 50 thousand .


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## Teslan

My aunt has a nice 3 1/2 story barn that is still in very good condition. Stands straight and everything. . But the timbers inside are just massive. I don't think you even could build a barn like that if you wanted to today. I keep telling my cousin he should make it into a house.


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## ARD Farm

I'd love to sell my hip roof century barn to someone. All massive beams and no nails, everything is pegged together. Upkeep os terrible and it's not forage friendly really. Second floor loft accessable with a hay elevator only and the doors aren't tall enough to get a loaded hay rack inside.

Since I put up a Clearspan, the only thing inside is my wife's draft mares, a few cats and machinery in the winter.

If I could loose it, I'd put up another Clearspan in a minute. Besides, under Michigan law, a Clearspan isn't considered a permanent building and thus is tax exempt.


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## Tim/South

I have an old barn that has become a favorite of the community. It had gone to my uncle when we divided my grandparents property. I bought it a few years ago along with a few acres that border me. It is an old block barn. We painted it and repaired the roof. Still need to replace the wooden doors.

I never knew people of the community paid any attention to it until recently. It has been there as long as anyone can remember. Lately it seems I get a nice compliment on the barn from people I meet in passing.

I have been trying to find out how old the barn is. I do know my grandfather made the blocks from an old machine that was common back then.


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## barnrope

Ive posted pictures of this one before, but here is one of my barns. I bought the place in 2010 and put the new steel roof on the barn as soon as I could afford it. It had the original cedar shakes which were starting to let in water. Time was running out for this one without a roof.


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## Vol

barnrope said:


> Ive posted pictures of this one before, but here is one of my barns. I bought the place in 2010 and put the new steel roof on the barn as soon as I could afford it. It had the original cedar shakes which were starting to let in water. Time was running out for this one without a roof.


Magnificent. Roof looks great Tom.

Regards, Mike


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## IH 1586

Here are a few pics of my barns. The front section of the main barn was built in 190? The middle section was built with a dismantled horse barn that was located at the local court house. The lower section was built in the 70's. All of them are in need of roofs and as you can see paint and some wood work.


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## Shetland Sheepdog

If you haven't already, check out "Brother's Barn Restoration" thread in Chit Chat.


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## jturbo10

I love these old barns. Brings back a lot of memories from my childhood. The Paltz manure setup was a great labor saver and eliminated some of the manure hauling in the spring. As soon as I saw the inside milking setup and the Paltz system my brain inserted a series of smells and sounds associated with dairy operations. I loved everything about row crop, forage, hay, swine, chickens, etc but dairying was not one of my favorite operations. You are lucky to have this wonderful barn but we need to have a raffle or fund raiser to help you with the paint. LOL.


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## IH 1586

Thanks for the comments. I still haven't posted the really rough one I got. I hope by the end of this year I will have some improvement pics on here.


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## Bgriffin856

IH 1586 said:


> Here are a few pics of my barns. The front section of the main barn was built in 190? The middle section was built with a dismantled horse barn that was located at the local court house. The lower section was built in the 70's. All of them are in need of roofs and as you can see paint and some wood work.


Look better full of cows 

Always liked that setup you have


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## IH 1586

Bgriffin856 said:


> Look better full of cows
> 
> Always liked that setup you have


I have pictures of that too but not digital. The downstairs is all swept and now working on the pens that have been trashed. Fixing broken ball bats and other wood work. Not sure why, not getting animals just can't stand not having it look nice. I have to be careful though, I could go broke getting it up to my standards. Seems to be some interest in the barns so I think today will take a walk around with camera and get inside pics.


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## IH 1586

Here are the pics. This first set are two of the sheds that use to be heifer pens now equipment sheds. Hoping I can get a roof on one of them if not both. Like to be able to put loads of hay in when its raining


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## IH 1586

This is the upstairs of the old part of the main barn. The one picture is of the scaffold for hay. Will take picture of other hay mow when the hay is gone. Barn has hand hewn beams and wooden nails. Pictures 4, 5, 6, are of the upstairs and downstairs of the small barn off to the side. Picture 7 is of the burn pile I have been making cleaning up around the place. That is the second one. The first one was twice as big. The last pictures are some more of the downstairs of the main barn and the upstairs of the new part of main barn


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## PaMike

IH 1586- Do you make a living crop farming now that you don't have cows? I was thinking the market for hay isn't that great out in western pa...


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## IH 1586

That's what I'm hoping for. 2/3 of my business is custom and the rest is hay. Spent 8 years working in factory building up the equipment and the custom and it got to the point where I wasn't getting any sleep so making one last effort at farming full time. Something was going to give and at worst lose the job and business. I was working 3rd shift up to 12 hour days so I had all day to work. Last year made only 6000 small square and sold all but 1000 out of the field. Made about 100 round bales of dry hay and they were gone by Sept. The baleage is not selling like I thought it would. I have gotten calls from hay buyers from the south looking for semi loads but with what I have left won't fill one up. There is not really anybody doing it to the scale that I am. So to answer your question, yes I am. The next couple of years will decide if it works.


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## PaMike

You might have a good niche market if you are making good feed. It might be tough though with milk prices coming down... Baleage is odd. I sell some and if its a dry year there is ok demand from Amish dairies but if its a good year and the amish can produce enough feed then no demand.

Down here there are so many custom guys the price for work is low and I don't know how some of these guys make money.

How do you like the Anderson wrapper you have? I have a wrapper but neighbor and I are thinking of going together to buy a better one. We would really like one that does rounds and squares but I don't think that's in the budget...


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## IH 1586

I am the only one doing this in my area full time. The competition have their own animals (dairy, beef, horses)and they do it because they have the equipment and if they sell hay it would be extra or lower quality. The baleage is mostly backup if the weather is bad and I have to get it off.

I do a lot of work with the tillage and round baling in New York. There doesn't seem to be to much of demand locally, but that's okay gives me more time on my own hay.

The wrapper is nice. 182 bales on it so far and no complaints.


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## Bgriffin856

Just pick away at it as you can afford it. That's the thing with old barns, you always have to be doing some kind of maintenance all the time

I know our barns have been improved greatly since my parents bought the place twenty some years ago. Previous owners let them go and they were in pretty rough shape. Let the roofs leak on our heifer barn and the bank barn of our main barn. Ended up tearing down our heifer barn, huge bank barn 42x96 it had 8ft cement block walls, twenty feet to the eves and from the roof peak to the floor was forty feet. Shame they previous owners let it go. Started from the block walls built 6ft walls on top of that and put trusses up. Been a work in progress for over ten years.....still have a water line to bury deeper and reconfigure the pen on the one side for the bigger heifers and dry cows and im sure we'll find something else needing Iimproving.

The main barn is a bank barn added on in the 70's then again the 80's. Bank barn has three rows holds 19 and third row is used as calf and young heifer pens or can be used as tie ups for dry cows has the milk house on it and they built the quanoset addition around it, it has 26 stalls and the single story addition which I believe was first built to get the barn cleaner and spreader inside then box stall and 6 stalls were added later. The east side is buried into the side of the hill helps some to insulate it some. 
Still living with the effects from the previous owners neglect. Roof leaked on the back side of the bank barn and rotted out the floor so the whole roof and floor has been replaced but now all the old handhewned beams are all rotted out. One day we'll tear it down and rebuild it better. Stack round bales up just in case we get a heavy snow load...



Finished evening milking looking from the end of the bank barn



Starting milking




Single story addition. Yes having the door half walkway and half gutter really is a PITA...


Here jturbo one for you an in-action shot


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## Bgriffin856

Another


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## IH 1586

This is the other barn that needs some work before it is lost forever. Needs a new roof, floor, siding, and jacked up. Other than that she's good.


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## IH 1586

Time to get the holes fixed in floor so I can get a tractor upstairs. The hole closes to me is where the front end of the loader fell through the floor. This is my first woodworking project I have ever done. Looks pretty easy. We will see.


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## IH 1586

Replaced 2 roofs and put a new front on the small barn. The roof on the shed was aluminum so we reused it on the outside of the shed that was rusting out. Will never have to paint it. Did some grading allowing longer trailers the ability to turn around.

The small barn we have been storing round bales in it putting them where the roof didn't leak. Now it will be used for small squares.

Had a good wind storm that finished off the door on small barn and spread roofing around.


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## Uphayman

This barn won't be getting preserved. Saturday afternoon winds at 20-30. Old barn on a modern operation, not being used. Only lost a couple calves. Lots of "fuel" for this fire.


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## swmnhay

These guys are about 20 miles from me.

https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=27990


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## swmnhay

A friend of mine redid this barn


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## Palmettokat

Not sure on this but think you may find some value in getting these old barns on your state register. Might help with taxes or rules regarding it. Then it may be like the Century Farm do in our state, you get a sign you pay for to tell your family farm is over 100 years old.

In some areas these old barns are used for restaurants and other types of businesses. Remember near Dayton Ohio there was a restaurant called the Old Apply Barn, in NC there was a BBQ restaurant that was an old barn, still had the stable walls in it. Here an old warehouse is high price to rent for weddings and other social events. No heat or cooling system in it and outside walls (no sides on inside of the studs) only with holes in that wall.


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## IH 1586

Felt bad about the modification cutting a hole in the wall but will make it more useable. Installed a new floor and moved steel plates to the next section of the barn. No used lumber was wasted. Everything tore up was put back down on edges to strengthen the original floor


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