CRANSTON FARMS

Cattle Get Comfortable in a

Fabric Covered Steel Truss Barn

Doug Cranston is no stranger to fabric buildings. After experiencing success with two previous fabric buildings, Cranston decided to purchase another for use as a pack barn. Currently, there are between 85-100 cows housed in the pack barn at one time. "We tried to design a barn that was going to be simple and needed only a minimum amount of people to work in it," Cranston explains, "And the new fabric building was very labor-efficient. Cranston's 270 acre farm has been in his family since the 1950s and he took over the operation from his father in 1979. Since then, Cranston's dairy operation has flourished domestically and internationally, with shipments across the globe.

Building upon his current operations, Cranston has begun to use his fabric pack barn for manure/compost storage. Proper ventilation is crucial when working around manure, which is one reason why he likes his fabric building. "Fabric buildings work so well because of the air movement. You have so much freedom of air in these fabric buildings and you have a lot of options with how you want to set up the barn. We went for an open ridge down the middle just to get as much air through as we can," says Cranston. Air movement is necessary to keep the pack dry and remove condensation. It also improves air quality for cows and workers, creating a more comfortable and productive environment.

"The open clearspan area allows cows to wander uninhibited.

The unrestricted cow movement means fewer wear points

on the cows and you see much better heats."
- Doug Cranston

The natural light and natural environment created by the fabric cover has lead to improvements in milk production and reproduction. "We have 6 lights right now and we'll put two more in, one on each side. It does a beautiful job cascading the light back down into the bedding. It's a great environment to work in. Even on cloudy days, its still bright in here. We've only been in here two months and have noticed the difference. We had to put our lights on a timer because when morning comes and you're working out there, you don't even know the lights are on. We only ever turn one side of lights on at night, so it's pretty efficient.  Cranston has also found that the abundance of light makes it easier to observe his cattle, especially for heat detection. "In the old barn, you couldn't tell. There's no doubt now when a cow is in heat.

The tension fabric structure's clearspan interior has provided Cranston with an abundance of space for his operation. With high clearance doors and a pole-free, clearspan interior, there is more space for trucks to back in and unload bedding. The spacious environment has also maximized cow comfort. "The open area allows cows to wander uninhibited. Unrestricted cow movement means fewer wear points on the cows and you see much better heats.

  Hood Dairy Farms

Fabric Buildings Ideal for Dairy Expansion

Hood Dairy Farms is a four-generation family farm that expanded its dairy operation from 50 cows to 400 cows in 2000. For many generations, dairy and cash crops were the main business, but consistently low grain prices drove the need to change. After years of planning and research to grow the herd and use the land efficiently, Hood Farms chose a fabric structure for their dairy operation.

Before we made our decision, we visited another large fabric building dairy facility in Wisconsin and we were totally impressed," says Tim Hood. "When I walked into their barn I thought to myself, If I were a cow, this is the barn I would want to be in.  The long-term goal is to expand the dairy operation to 800 cows and have the facilities and cow management systems to accommodate this growth strategy.

Superior air ventilation and clearspan design of the fabric covered buildings were also important features to Hood Farms. "Because the roof is so much higher than a conventional barn, we have a large volume of air over the cattle. We were able to design the barn to get all the natural ventilation we need. The air always smells good in our barns.

"We are a family dairy operation, so we need the fabric buildings to last generations. The materials that fabric buildings are constructed with are far superior to

anything else"
Tim Hood

The Hood family has four fabric covered steel truss buildings. All four fabric buildings are connected to guarantee maximum cow comfort. The 100' wide x 460' long main free stall is attached to a 30' wide x 96' long cross-walk which leads to a 90' wide x 120' long barn for close up cows. The close-up cow area is connected to a 50' wide x 80' long fabric building holding area and milking parlor.

"We are a family dairy operation, so we need the buildings to last generations, says Hood. "The materials that fabric buildings are constructed with are far superior to anything else. Metal buildings are prone to rust and the treated posts in wood barns can rot. Fabric buildings utilize galvanized steel with a triple-coated corrosion barrier for the interior frame system. The fabric cover is resistant to rust and virtually maintenance free. The four fabric buildings were installed in just three weeks, preventing any rain delays for contractors to finish pouring the cement floor.

All these benefits add up to a more productive environment for cows and dairy operators. "When you purchase animals from a number of different sources, health issues can be a concern, says Hood. "We are confident that the combination of fresh air, natural light and good cow management are the reasons for excellent herd health. I'm pleased to say that we have maintained exceptional health of our herd during the transition period.

Fabric buildings have proven to be the ideal dairy barn solution for the business and provisions for another 100' wide x 460' long fabric building are already in the plans for the next phase of expansion.

Hood Dairy Farms 100' W x 460' L free-stall barn

attached to a 30' W x 96' L crosswalk.

"We are confident that the combination of fresh air,

natural light and good cow management are the

reasons for excellent herd health," says Tim Hood.

The 90' W x 120' L barn for close-up cows is

connected to the 50' W x 80' L holding area.

"We were able to design the barn to get all the natural ventilation we need," says Tim Hood.

Huls Dairy Incorporated 

Milk in the Valley - Tension Fabric Structures

Huls Dairy Incorporated of Montana is an excellent example of a family dairy operation creating the future. Presently, Huls Dairy Incorporated is operating the most current state-of the- art dairy facility in the State of Montana.

"About 10 years ago we became an incorporated company and started planning to update our facilities for future expansions," says Dan Huls. "Our goal was to be as efficient as possible within a clean environment and to get maximum milk production. We designed the barn to create a natural ventilation system which helps to eliminate farm operating costs," says Huls. Down the center of the 360 foot long fabric building is a two foot wide ridge vent. "The center ridge vent combined with ten foot side walls, roll up curtains and large end wall entrance-way allows the tension fabric structure to self ventilate. We don't require fans or misters to keep our cows comfortable, says Huls. "We get really warm days and then very cool nights, which at times created moisture problems in our conventional barns. This fabric structure ventilates very well so excessive moisture is not a problem. The fabric buildings free-stall barn provides a huge natural shade effect, it's like being under a tree on a hot day, says Huls.

Cow comfort is provided by the green and white 120' wide x 360' long fabric covered steel truss building. "After eight years of research we decided on a fabric structure," says Huls. "There is no comparison in natural light and air quality between a fabric free-stall barn and a conventional free-stall barn. The environment in the fabric building is much more natural. The six row free-stall barn has a feed alley down the center and contains Artex Y2K stall dividers over Pasture mat mattresses. A Dairy Master alley scraper system and gravity flow manure channel keep the alleys clean with minimal effort. Inside the milking center you will find white silicone covered walls, a Westfalia Surge 24 stall rotary milking system with computer cow ID, metatron milk meters and stimopulse pulsation. Vacuum is provided by a variable speed vacuum pump. An automatic sort gate in the exit alley segregates cows that need special attention.

"There is no comparison in natural light and air quality between a fabric covered free-stall barn and a

conventional free-stall barn."
Dan Huls

"People were amazed at the speed which the barn went up. It took a crew of four men only ten days to completely install the 43,200 square foot free-stall barn! We were doing the inspection on the eleventh day, that's impressive," says Huls.

"We are extremely pleased with the results we are now getting. We are now milking 350 cows as quickly as we were milking 175 cows a year ago, with less production costs. The natural light transmission we have in the fabric covered free-stall barn provides a pleasant year-round environment. The cows are not fidgety and they are spending more time in the stalls. Everyone who walks into this facility is impressed, it's completely state-of-the-art," says Huls.

The natural light and air quality of the fabric building provides maximum year-round cow comfort.

Installation of the 43,200 sq. ft. free-stall dairy

required only 10 days.

Huls Dairy is the most state-of-the-art dairy facility

in the state of Montana.

Huls Dairy is now milking 350 cows as quickly

as 175 cows a year ago.