December 2, 2004

Horse Facility and Hoop Barn Publications and Information Available
By Ken Hellevang, Post Harvest and Structures Engineering Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

MidWest Plan Service (MWPS), an outreach activity of 12 North Central Region universities with headquarters at Iowa State University, is offering a Horse Facilities Handbook and six bulletins on the use of hoop barns for raising livestock, according to Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension Service engineer and professor.

Topics in the Horse Facilities Handbook include site planning, stables, paddocks, outdoor facilities, arenas, training facilities, breeding facilities, environmental control, manure management, bulk feed and bedding storage, fencing, utilities, fire protection and emergency response planning.

Also included is a quick-reference overview, as well as appendixes on common fly species, general construction and wood preservatives.

On orders received through Dec. 15, the Horse Facilities Handbook is available from MWPS for $25, plus shipping and handling. After Dec. 15, the regular $35 price applies. The book, as well as free MWPS catalogs and other MWPS materials, may be ordered online at http://www.mwpshq.org/ or by calling (800) 562-3618.

The six bulletins on hoop barns also can be obtained from the above contacts. They are available for $5 each, plus shipping and handling, or $24 for the entire six-part series. Each bulletin addresses hoop barns as a low-cost, efficient solution for raising a specific type of animal – swine (grow-finish, gestating, farrowing), cattle (dairy, beef), horses and sheep. In addition, one bulletin explains the use of hoop barns for storage of machinery, bedding and feed.

All bulletins cover management techniques for hoops barns, economic considerations useful for design and layout, and cost comparisons of hoop barns with traditional buildings.

Presentation visuals and some abstracts for about 50 presentations from a conference on hoop structures hosted by Iowa State University are on the Web site: http://www.abe.iastate.edu/abls/.

MWPS is a university-based publishing cooperative dedicated to publishing and disseminating research-based, peer-reviewed, practical and affordable publications that support the outreach missions of the 12 North Central Region land-grant universities plus the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For more information about MWPS or available publications, contact Ken Hellevang at (701) 231-7243 or kjh-eng@ndsuext.nodak.edu.