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Developments and Trends in Dairy Farm Building Design and Construction

Agricultural Research Service, USDA, University of Illinois, Urbana

ABSTRACT

Early dairy structures, many of which were crude and skimpy, had some good points. These structures, which served as windbreaks and shelters from storms, were made with local materials such as stones and poles and had a brush or straw roof. Such shelters were small because only a few cows were kept by most farm families. But the cattle didn't necessarily suffer from lack of adequate shelter. If they got skinny and produced little or no milk during the winter months it was most likely due to a lack of good feed.

This was the type of structure many of our grandfathers had. After a few years they built pole frame structures of durable native materials similar to those of today. Then they piled straw around the east, north, and west sides and over the top because straw was more plentiful and cheaper than boards. They built a small enclosed shelter large enough to hold from four to six cows, where they were tied with a rope and fed grain while they were hand milked.