Hoop Barns for our Holstein Feeder steers.

[Brooke Steiner]

I am currently trying to get small business grants to construct a hoop barn for our holstein feeder steers.  we currently have 400 head and would need to barns to accomplish this.  I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for grants (no loans) and also if anyone has any design ideas for the hoop barn.  We have a couple in mind, but looking for other considerations.  Want to build it right the first time.  We live in the Central Michigan area.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

brooke

[jeremy gerow]

i have built 4 coverall style hoop barns and we love em  where i live in ny they dont require building permits or even have a tax base i went to report mine when i built em and the tax assessor wouldnt even put them on the tax rolls. one barn is set up like a big pen pack with one end open for heifers to run in and out we feed outside. one barn has 100 freestalls in it wiht the far end open  same as first one. both have 5 ft pony walls made with railroad ties and planks one side has a curtian . the other barns are just hay and equipment stoage .  that being said i think it will be very hard to get grant money for such a thing farm credit wont even loan money for these because they are consider temporay structures.  only way i know is to pay cash for them or the company that makes em usually finances . 

[Steve Riddle]

Sorry Brooke,

 

But it's been my experience that most granting resources don't fund things like structures, (or other permanent improvements on your farm) even if it's something temporary like hoop houses. Your best bet would be to contact a grant resource directly and get the bottom line  from them. But you could approach it from the angle of attempting to resolve the high risk of pneumonia in utilizing hoop house structures for livestock containment structures. Just put yourself in their muck boots and ask the question: "Why would I give free money for someone's personal gain, when I could give money to help solve an industry problem?" (I mean, you may not be looking to gain personally from it, but their responsibility is to decide how best to invest their granting dollar.) Also try to attend a local hoop house workshop