HAY SHEDS

Safe, secure and effective storage of hay is critical to preserving its quality. The degradation that occurs from exposure to weather elements such as high winds, rain and extreme sunlight causes hay to lose its nutrition value and quality. Poor quality hay doesn’t provide the necessary nutrition required for productive livestock health and growth. The amount of market value that can be lost due to poor storage is truly staggering, particularly if the hay grown, baled, and processed is of export quality.

Whilst lower cost option alternatives to quality steel hay sheds are available, they are a short term and unreliable option. AUSPAN’s proven steel hay sheds provide a long-lasting solution to protect and maintain the quality of your hay all year round, no matter the severity of the weather elements.

There are a number of different configuration options you may consider for a hay storage shed when designing - with some designs only requiring a roof and 1 or 2 walls on the strongest prevailing weather (wind, rain etc) sides. If you are needing to store high-quality hay, where total protection is required, then you might opt for an ‘open front’ style shed - where 3 sides of the shed are walled off, with just one open front side that faces the most naturally protected direction - allowing access for loaders, trucks, and telehandlers to load and unload the shed with the hay being stored.

The other factor to consider is a fire risk, considering that hay is combustible and this process needs to be monitored and managed to ensure the risk of serious fire break out is mitigated and controlled. Extra-wide openings on the ‘access’ side of a hay shed are also often favoured - with the introduction of ‘clear span’ beam portals to reduce the number of vertical columns required to support the roof of the shed, meaning fewer obstructions. 

Our team of hay shed experts at AUSPAN first seek to understand your unique situation, future plans and requirements. Then we will help you design and build the perfect hay shed, offering the best value for your investment.

GRAIN & FERTILISER SHEDS

More farmers in today's growing industry are electing to store their grain produce and sell it when the market conditions are more favourable, rather than delivering it all as it is harvested directly to the Co-operative Bulk Handling (CBH) facilities. This allows the farmer to sell the products at better prices. Another reason for on-farm storage is mixed farming operations, where livestock is part of the programme. Keeping your grain in the best condition possible is the single most important thing to prioritise. Proper storage not only helps your grain stay free from mould, mildew and disease, but also protects it from external factors such as rain and extreme heat. Loss and spoilage of grain can directly affect your bottom line and ultimately your profit.

Although liquid fertiliser is being more widely used in farming today, the agricultural industry continues to see a wide range of granule fertiliser used throughout cropping programmes. The window of time that these products are used is generally the sowing season, but it is still very important that it is stored correctly and in a way that it is protected from weather elements. Granule fertiliser needs to be stored in a cool and dry environment. If not stored correctly, the performance can be heavily affected by environmental factors such as light, heat, and rain. A proper storage solution is critical to maintain the product’s performance and maximise the results that the fertiliser contributes to the crop growing process.

There are different ways and options that grain and fertiliser storage sheds can be designed and built, and it all depends on what the farmers’ goals are. Often these types of sheds will mostly be built with concrete walls around the perimeter (to a height of 1-2mtr), which allows the filling of the shed to hold a lot more capacity than standard tin cladding to the ground. The concrete walls act as ‘bunkers’ and can be essentially filled up to the height of the wall.

There are usually a couple of different ways the height of the grain/fertiliser storage shed is considered in the shed’s design. One is a ‘sliding roof’ concept which allows the whole storage shed roof to slide backwards - covering the concrete bunkers so that a semi end tipper driver can tip to unload the product in the bunkers, without the overhead roof preventing it doing so. Another option is that the height of the shed is built to accommodate the height of a tipping semi-trailer, so that it is unobstructed to unload. Other options are to load grain and fertiliser storage sheds with a low angle auger or conveyor belt elevator - which is able to reach far enough into the shed to fill it to the capacity, and the truck is able to unload into the auger or conveyor from outside the shed.

AUSPAN can provide grain and fertiliser storage sheds in a wide range of sizes and designs to address your storage needs. We understand the critical role that successful storage of produce and fertiliser plays in the profitability and efficiency of a farming business, and we strive to deliver a solution that brings you the benefit, value, and productivity to your operations for years to come.

MACHINERY SHEDS

Agricultural machinery and implements such as tractors, air seeding equipment, harvesters and sprayers usually make up a big proportion of investment capital in most farming operations, and they need to be kept in good condition to ensure they perform as they are designed. The cycle of growing involves time-driven programmes of planting and harvesting .

A major factor in well maintaining equipment is the adequate storage of machinery to provide protection from the harsh conditions. When the seeding or harvest season is over, successful farmers then put their machinery through a process of cleaning, servicing, greasing, replacing any worn parts, refuelling and then storing away securely until required again. Although it may seem a hard task to steal a large harvester or tractor, theft and vandalism on farms are a significant problem, so a safe and secure machinery shed also gives you peace of mind that your gear is protected.

AUSPAN understands the larger machinery used on today's farms and how it can most effectively be stored in a well-designed and planned build for your own operation.

WORKSHOP SHEDS

Healthy cattle can survive regular weather conditions if provided with adequate feed and water. A shelter, however, helps your cattle better cope with climatic extremes in weather and temperature conditions that occur throughout the year, contributing to an increase in their productivity and reducing production losses. Cattle shelters provide clean, dry, and comfortable environments for cattle while also protecting them from the extreme summer heat, severe storms and disease.

Well designed cattle shelters are effective in facilitating various cattle processing tasks such as vaccinating, dehorning, and weighing that need to be done as part of a livestock growing programme when receiving new cattle onto the property or before sending them to market. The shelter can also be a big advantage in dealing with sick or infected animals when needing to treat and/or isolate them from the main herd. Renowned global studies show that cattle that have access to good shelter have improved growth rate, productivity, and lower mortality rates.

Having worked with many of Australia’s leading cattle operation enterprises including pastoralists, stations, and feedlots - along with experience in the construction of buildings designed for improving the welfare and health of animals, AUSPAN is well aware of the best designs and materials that create a premium cattle shelter and help run your daily operations effectively.

SHEARING SHEDS

Apart from efficiently managing the whole shearing process, shearing sheds play a vital role in housing the necessary shearing equipment as well as making sure that shearers are able to work with shearing clean and dry sheep even when weather conditions are unfavorable.

The design of shearing sheds can highly influence the efficiency of sheep-work and the health and safety of both the sheep and people involved in the shearing programme. Well-planned quality shearing sheds can ensure improved efficiencies, reduction in costs of wool harvesting, and improved operator safety. It also ensures that animal welfare standards are met.

Partially because of the insulation properties of wool, sheep can better adapt to ambient conditions than other domestic animals. Shearing, as an annual activity, is considered as a necessary practice, not only for wool production but also for hygienic reasons. Sheep that haven't been shorn before or haven't had prior interaction with humans often find the shearing process to be an unsettling experience. So smart design and management of the overall shearing shed infrastructure, beginning from shed entry ramp to sheep penning area, shearing area, wool processing and storage area can make a big difference in the successful operation of the whole process.

Shearing can be a chaotic process, and if it isn't managed well, animals will become stressed and shearing teams will be frustrated which will lead to declining productivity. It's very important to build a shearing shed that can help keep things in order and manage the workflow efficiently. A well designed and built shearing shed is the investment of a lifetime. AUSPAN has the expertise and experience of decades to deliver you a shearing shed which not only helps better manage your shearing process, but also lasts for generations to come. We consult, advise, and customize your shearing shed and supporting infrastructure to what you need and will guarantee on-time delivery within the agreed budget.

MULTIPURPOSE SHEDS

Building different sheds for each particular storage purpose on your farm is expensive and unnecessary. For example: investing in a fertilizer shed to store fertilizer that only remains on your farm for a couple of months for the seeding period will mean your shed isn't being utilized for the rest of the season. AUSPAN introduces the concept of multipurpose sheds to solve these issues.

By designing your new shed to be multipurpose, it can be built with different areas of the layout, serving multiple purposes. A fully enclosed machinery storage shed could also have a workshop section at one end so that maintenance and servicing of machinery can also be done in the same shed. A fully enclosed machinery shed may also include a cantilevered roof on the access side to provide shade and shelter when machinery is maintained outside. Multipurpose sheds can reduce the time spent on logistics and handling processes with everything being located in the same shed building location for better access.

As multipurpose sheds are able to handle a wider variety of your different farming needs, they can be fully utilized more efficiently throughout the entire season rather than being dedicated to a single specific use. AUSPAN has been able to effectively work with farmers to identify these specific needs of their own operation to help design and construct multi-purpose sheds, that have and will continue to serve them for years to come. Having everything under one roof can have functional advantages and can be - most importantly - more efficient and cost-effective.

AUSPAN’s multipurpose sheds are essentially the bringing together of all the great benefits of each type of shed used in the farming industry into a single premium steel shed building and the concept has proven very popular in today’s farming community. From hay sheds, shearing sheds, lean-to sheds, grain & fertilizer sheds to machinery and workshop sheds whatever your operation requires to run effectively, the experts at AUSPAN can assist with a piece of advice and recommendations on how these shed types can all be bought together into a single package that suits your own farm’s needs if a multipurpose shed is the right thing for you.

RIDGEBACK™ FEEDLOT SHEDS

AUSPAN has proudly partnered with ENTEGRA SIGNATURE STRUCTURES to become the exclusive distributors in Western Australia for the unique “Ridgeback™” feedlot sheds. The patented concave curved roof design of the Ridgeback™ is self-ventilating and increases air exchanges compared to traditional barns.

We understand that your operational Yield and Return-on-investment (ROI) is a key consideration for you. The Ridgeback™ feedlot shed design is the best available and is backed up with a comprehensive suit of local support services. All design, engineering, manufacturing, site installation and project management is provided in house to ensure streamlined project completion.

As a specialist distributor of Ridgeback™ feedlot & dairy sheds, we are truly committed to delivering you the best value on your project with our innovative approach to construction and guaranteed quality. We take the time to listen to what you need, and then design a practical building to suit your needs.

More About Ridgeback™ Feedlot & Dairy Sheds