As of January 2004, there was a change in the chemical preservatives used for pressure-treated lumber available for residential use in the United States. Up until that time, almost all pressure-treated Southern pine lumber was preserved with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA), which contains arsenic, a known carcinogen.

You've made it. You’re finally ready to start calling pole barn builders for quotes. Before you move forward any further in your planning, you want to know a ball-park range cost of the building you have in mind. Are you already beyond your budget or do you have room to expand on what you know you want?

Farming for a living is anything but easy. It requires hard work, sacrifice, blood, sweat, tears, and dirt...lots of it. At the same time, it’s a beautiful and rewarding lifestyle.

For many, figuring out how to finish the interior of your farm shop is often harder than deciding on what to do with the exterior. For some, picking out colors and building details - like wainscot, cupolas, and choosing sliding doors or overhead doors - is easier than trying to decide how you want your shop set up. If I had to guess, your wife (or husband) has a lot of opinions on how they want the exterior to look. I can’t say that I blame them. The shop is more than likely going to sit next to your house, so it only makes sense that they want everything to match. Trust me, I would be the same way. But when it comes to creating the perfect interior, that’s all on you. You’re going to be the one working in the shop night and day. Your farmhands are going to be helping you get the equipment ready. This is going to be your livelihood.

Renovations were on farmers’ minds at the Farm Progress Show and there were a lot of questions about what could and should be done to improve existing buildings. Most of these fell into one of three buckets: roofing, re-finishing interiors, and replacing doors.

Rot is a fungus that flourishes with moisture, oxygen and darkness. Most of the microbial action takes place within 6” of the surface, and when it does, it can damage your building’s structural integrity—and your savings.