Wind-Damaged Farm Structures

• What to Do With Damaged Livestock Structures
• Inspecting Farm Building Roofs for Damage
• Assessing Roof Damage
• Inspecting the Foundation, Silo, and Interior

What to Do With Damaged Livestock Structures

Livestock and poultry producers are facing major decisions about their partially or totally destroyed barns. Instead of simply fixing up the damaged facility or rebuilding a new unit, ask yourself several questions:

• Do I (and others in the operation) want to continue raising livestock on this farmstead?
• How much will it cost to repair the damage?
• If rebuilding, should the new unit be located where the old structure stood?
• What about manure handling? Is there room to construct a larger barn? Is this farmstead too small for more building?

Answers to these questions are difficult, but need to be made with as much information as possible.

Although the storm was tragic, try to look at it as an opportunity to improve your facilities. This may be a way to streamline a pig flow problem, consolidate your manure handling, expand a dairy operation, or relocate a facility to a more workable spot.

Decisions about staying in the livestock business may be the easiest to make. Deciding to build new or fix the old unit should be made after getting solid bids. It is probably better to start from scratch if the cost of repairs are more than 2/3 of the cost of a new barn.

A good source for answering the other questions is the MidWest Plan Service (MWPS). A catalog of MWPS publications can be obtained from MidWest Plan Service, http://www.mwps.org, 122 Davidson Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3080, mwps@iastate.edu, 800-562-3618.

Keep in mind that the general guidelines outlined in the publications are only that: guidelines. Don't be afraid to seek out opinions along with consultants' input. A $500 or $1,000 investment in planning services is preferable to the thousands of dollars it will cost if the building "system" is not put together properly.

Inspecting Farm Building Roofs for Damage

Damaged or missing shingles. Check asphalt shingles for cracks at the butt end, where they may have been weakened from flexing. Make sure individual shingles have not blown off. Thoroughly inspect shingles on the ridge, gable ends and eaves.

Loose nails on metal roofing. Inspect the entire roof, with particular attention to gable ends, eaves and ridge cap. If nails have worked loose, re-nail them as soon as possible. If the nails don't hold when hammered back in, use #12 or #14 metal screws to fill old nail holes. (Use aluminum screws on aluminum and steel screws on steel). Renail 3-4 inches away with ring or screw-type nails.

Potential leaks. On a sunny day, check the roof carefully from inside with the building doors closed. While looking for holes in the roof, inspect the ridge, gable ends, and eaves for possible structural separation.

Assessing Roof Damage

Working with your insurance company. The sooner you talk to your agent, the sooner your claim will be filed and your property inspected. Don't be in a hurry to settle your insurance claim. Instead, keep your insurance agent apprised of repair estimates and repair. Only settle your claim when you feel all repairs are known and/or made.

Temporary repairs. If temporary repairs are needed before the professionals arrive, be sure that only a physically able person is allowed on the roof. If the roof is sagging from structural damage, wait for a professional; a sagging roof may collapse. Cover holes in the roof, walls, or windows with boards, tarps, or plastic sheeting. If possible, place tarps or plastic around the ridge so rain rolls off. Nail down plastic sheets or trash bags with strips of wood and secure them with duct tape. If the holes are large, support the plastic in the center to keep it from ripping from the weight of the rain.

Inspecting the Foundation, Silo, and Interior

Foundation. The plate should not be separated from the studding where the foundation meets the walls. On block foundations, inspect mortar joints to make sure the block with the plate bolt in it hasn't separated from the wall. On stone or concrete foundations, check to see that the plate bolts have not worked loose.

Silo. Make sure the silo is still plumb. Look for loose hoops. Inspect the roof to be sure it remains fastened to the silo. Inspect the base of the metal silos inside and outside for hairline cracks. If there is rust around the base, remove it with a wire brush. Then check for cracks and apply a rust preventive paint. Look for new cracks in the plaster of empty concrete stave silos.

Interior. Inspect the interior of buildings for structural damage. Using a good light, check the framing. Look for ridge separation, loose knee braces and loose rafters where the rafters join the walls.

Reference

University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension

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• Being prepared and recovering from a natural disaster