INTRODUCTION

by

Engr. Alexis T. Belonio

Department of Agricultural Engineering and
Environmental Management
College of Agriculture
Central Philippine University
Iloilo City
atbelonio@yahoo.com
 Agricultural Building and
Infrastructure - It is a major field of
study that includes the design,
development, construction, and
maintenance of various farm buildings
for poultry and livestock, storage silos
and warehouses , processing plants,
machinery sheds, farm to market roads,
irrigation facility, soil and water
conservation structures and many
others.
 Definition of Farm Structure
– a group of generally familiar objects
scattered around a farm house.
– a production equipment that, for
convenience are group around a farm
house
– a house around which scattered an
uninteresting collection of out buildings.
– A closely knit, well-kept group of obviously
purposeful building.
– A nondescript collection of decaying
shacks.
 Types of Farm Structures
and Utilities
 Farm Houses
– Dwellings for operators, retired parents,
married relatives, workers with families
 Buildings for Livestock
– Barns
– Hog Houses
– Poultry buildings
– Small-animal shelters
– Exhibition buildings
 Buildings for Product Storage
– Hay barn
– Corn Crib
– Granaries, bins
– Farm grain elevators
– Silos
– Vegetable storage
– Fruit storages
– Frozen-product storages
– Ice houses
 Building for Crop Production
– Milk houses
– Pasteurizing and bottling plants
– Cheese factories
– Smoke houses
– Slaughter houses
– Tobacco barn
– Forage dryers
– Fruits and vegetables packing houses,
washing plants and dehydrating structures
 Miscellaneous Structures
– Fences, walls, and gates, corrals
– Waterer, Self feeders
– Dipping vats, Manure pits
– Roadside stands, Tourist cabin
 Buildings for Equipment and
Supplies
– Implement sheds
– Garage
– Farm shop
– Fuel storages
– Utility buildings
 Farmstead
 It is an area
where the farm
house and
various farm
buildings are
located and
considered as the
center of farm
enterprise
 Farm House
 It is a structure that
serves as a dwelling
place for people living
in a farm
 It is a farmers house
attached to the farm.
 Barn and Shed
 It is a structure
that serves as
storage facility
for farm
equipment and
supplies such as
feeds, hay, and
others
 Poultry Farm
 A collection of
buildings used
to raise chicken
purposely for
meat or eggs,
and other
poultry birds
such as ducks,
turkeys, quail,
and others
Swine Farm
 A collection
of buildings
purposely
used for
raising hogs
 Cattle Farm
 A collection of
buildings used for
raising cattle either for
meat or for milk.
Dairy Farm
 Goat Farm
 A facility
used for
raising goat.
 Greenhouse
 A structure that
provides a reliable
enclosure within
which an
environment
favorable to plant
growth can be
attained
 Storage Facility
 A structure
used to keep
the product for
a prolong
period of time
without
significant loss
in quality.
 Processing Plants
 A facility for
processing raw
materials into
suitable form
of product.
Irrigation Structure
 A facility used to
control and
distribute water
efficiently into
the farm.
 Factors Influencing the Kind of
Farm Structures
 Climate
 Crops
 Market
 Building Materials
 Local Tradition
 Social and economic pattern
Classifications of Farm Structure
 (1) Movable or Fixed
– movable buildings are small,
lightweight, and constructed
with skids so that it can be
moved around the farm
– Fixed buildings are anchored to
piers or foundations attached to
poles set in the ground
 (2) Pre-fabricated or on-
the-site construction
– pre-fabricated buildings are
built from units that are
constructed in a factory
 Factors in the Design or
Selection of Farm Buildings
 Location - It should have an
access to a public highway
without the expense of
maintaining an extensive private
roadway and there should be the
availability of water supply.
 Site Drainage - The soil should
be sufficiently well drained to
provide suitable foundation for
the construction. Slopes and
location of the buildings should
be such that the drainage from
barn yards, feed lots or septic
tank will not contaminate the
water supply.
 Distance Between Buildings - as
the distance between buildings is
increased, the travel required in the
performance of the chores is
increased and the amount of cropland
used for the farmstead becomes
greater. Distance between buildings
should not be too far yet not near
enough to allow some area between
buildings as a means of reducing fire
hazard. A distance of 75 ft or 29 m is
usually adequate.
 Windbreaks - natural features of
the topography should be used to
shelter the farmstead from heavier
winds. If such protection is not
available, trees or shrubs should be
planted.
 Factors to Consider in Planning
Farm Structures
 (1) Space Requirement - This refers to the
location of structures in relation to one another
as well as their internal arrangement.
 (2) Environment – This includes temperature,
light, ventilation, water and other factors dealing
with keeping animals comfortable or maintaining
satisfactory conditions for storage of farm
products, and
 (3) Structural Design - This involves the
selection of the size of structural parts, quantity
and specifications of materials and estimate of
cost.
 Reference
 Barre, H.J. and L.L. Sammet. 1950. Farm
Structure. John Wiley and sons. New
York. 650pp.