Considerations in farmstead planning

Sep 26, 2006 2:12 PM

By Bill Henning, Small Farms Specialist, Cornell University

Farmstead planning is a subject seldom written about because it is something seldom done. Most people simply take over an existing farmstead design and live with it. However, if you are starting new or considering the addition of a building there are numerous considerations. Overlooking just one consideration can result in an undesirable situation that can be bothersome for years to come.

Sight
The farmstead should be readily accessible to fields, pastures, and highways. Travel distances should be as short as possible. This not only reduces travel time but reduces maintenance as well. It is best when houses, barns, and pastures are all on the same side of the road. Today’s motorists have little or no tolerance for livestock and farm equipment on the road. More importantly, far too many farmers and family members have been injured or killed crossing roads that run through farmsteads.

An adequate water supply is essential for the house and the farm buildings. This water source must be a safe distance from the septic system. Building codes will dictate exactly what can and cannot be done. If water quality is in question your local health department can assist in determining water safety. Where only livestock needs are an issue water analysis for livestock suitability is available from many labs.

A gentle knoll that also provides enough level area for buildings is usually ideal. This should provide for good drainage with a minimum of excavation. Where there are drainage limitations, artificial drainage is money well spent. A real chore time nuisance develops when road ways, or worse yet barn floors, flood when quick thaws, or heavy downpours, occur.

Buildings should be situated so that the most used entranceways, all if possible, open away from the prevailing winds. Many books on this subject state that three sided sheds should be open to the south to take advantage of the low winter sun. However, in the northeast many people find it more beneficial to face the open side to the east for protection against our cold winter winds out of the west and southwest.

The view from the farmstead is often of minor importance to people with farming on their mind. However, a pleasant view can be one of those little perks that just makes each day a little better. The dollar bonus can come if you ever decide to sell the farm. Views are becoming more valuable in the real-estate market as time progresses.

Building Arrangement
If you are dealing with an existing farmstead, looking at things from differing points of view can be advantageous. Changing the use of existing buildings rather than adding buildings might be an option. Can fences, gates and/or lanes be moved to affect an improvement? Relocating small buildings might provide a lower cost solution.

Here are some rules of thumb for placing buildings:
1. When there is to be a lot of travel between buildings they should be as close together as is safe to minimize fire hazard.
2. Feed processing facilities should be conveniently located to the feeding area and to truck traffic.
3. Forage storage needs to be conveniently located to the feeding area, yet where drainage is not a problem. Provide for proper leaching buffer zones.
4. Allow for adequate barnyard drainage into buffer zones.
5. Be sure to make appropriate accommodations for heavy traffic in the mud season where round bales of silage tubes are stored.
6. Adequate space should be allotted for mechanical handling of feedstuffs and manure.
7. Outdoor feeding areas should be protected from excessive snow accumulation.
8. Provide ample room for large equipment traffic and turn-around.
9. Avoid blind corners at traffic intersections.

Fire Safety
The likelihood of fire spreading from one building to another is significantly reduced when the distance between the buildings is at least 150 feet. While this is not always practical it is worth keeping in mind.

Numerous outdoor faucets are not only beneficial on a routine basis but might come in handy in helping to control fires until help arrives.
Portable ponds are often used in fighting rural fires, as often water must be trucked to the sight. Providing adequate space in an appropriate place for the portable pond plus the truck traffic can prove invaluable should the need ever arise.

Your local fire department would probably welcome the opportunity to discuss their needs for adequate fire fighting at your farm. Why not give them a call them now and arrange a meeting?

The Home Sight
Where possible, it is advisable for farm traffic to enter and exit the farmstead in view of the house, yet far enough away from the house so it is not a nuisance. Houses are best located upwind from the farm buildings and animal confinement areas. Clotheslines should be placed away from dust. If an incinerator is to be used, it should be placed where the threat of sparks is eliminated as much as possible. The garden should be located handy to the house, yet accessible by the necessary equipment required for working it.

Over time most farmsteads change. It seems like farms are forever in evolution. Hopefully, much of your farmstead already meets many of these suggestions. However, if the future evolution of your farm calls for some more farmstead changes, you might want to keep this checklist handy.

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