Uses For Tarps on Farms
Farms aren't all about barns and silos.
In fact, these traditional farm buildings don't offer the most protection possible.
On a modern-day farm, tarps are a common sight across several aspects.
Portable buildings used for animals and equipment, for example, use a canopy made from heavy-duty polyethylene, while the material by itself is used to protect crops, such as hay, from spoilage.
Portable buildings have one advantage that barns don't - versatility.
The shelter can be placed in several locations and, if need be, taken apart and put in another.
As the shelters are relatively inexpensive, several can be purchased for protecting multiple investments on a farm.
The most common, in this case, is protecting equipment.
The shelters, made from a galvanized steel tube frame and polyethylene tarp, are fully enclosed and, if a tractor or similar piece of equipment is inside, shield and protect it from UV and moisture exposure.
As a similar use, some portable buildings with an open design are used to shade livestock.
These canopies have a polyethylene tarp spread from one side of the steel frame to the other, and animals can run in and out during the day.
This type of building, additionally, can be modified for use as a permanent animal shelter.
Tarps, however, are often used by themselves in various instances, and farm use is no different.
Use as a hay tarp is the most common, and depending upon the size of the hay bales, the tarp is often a long sheet.
Hay bales start at two feet in diameter and may be as large as five feet in diameter, and when they need protection from moisture and mold after a harvest, a stack of three or more is wrapped in a long tarp.
The size of the tarp depends upon the size of the bales and the formation in which they are stacked.
The smallest, in this case, consists of two bales on the bottom and one on top (a 2-1 formation), with the tarp fully wrapped around.
2-2-1 and 3-2-1 are also common formations.
When the bales are wrapped with a tarp, the material must go fully around the formation, with a small amount left over.
Because the polyethylene tarps essentially protect the hay from damage by water and mold, the bale formations must not be placed near water and, instead, should be near a drain or runoff point.
In fact, these traditional farm buildings don't offer the most protection possible.
On a modern-day farm, tarps are a common sight across several aspects.
Portable buildings used for animals and equipment, for example, use a canopy made from heavy-duty polyethylene, while the material by itself is used to protect crops, such as hay, from spoilage.
Portable buildings have one advantage that barns don't - versatility.
The shelter can be placed in several locations and, if need be, taken apart and put in another.
As the shelters are relatively inexpensive, several can be purchased for protecting multiple investments on a farm.
The most common, in this case, is protecting equipment.
The shelters, made from a galvanized steel tube frame and polyethylene tarp, are fully enclosed and, if a tractor or similar piece of equipment is inside, shield and protect it from UV and moisture exposure.
As a similar use, some portable buildings with an open design are used to shade livestock.
These canopies have a polyethylene tarp spread from one side of the steel frame to the other, and animals can run in and out during the day.
This type of building, additionally, can be modified for use as a permanent animal shelter.
Tarps, however, are often used by themselves in various instances, and farm use is no different.
Use as a hay tarp is the most common, and depending upon the size of the hay bales, the tarp is often a long sheet.
Hay bales start at two feet in diameter and may be as large as five feet in diameter, and when they need protection from moisture and mold after a harvest, a stack of three or more is wrapped in a long tarp.
The size of the tarp depends upon the size of the bales and the formation in which they are stacked.
The smallest, in this case, consists of two bales on the bottom and one on top (a 2-1 formation), with the tarp fully wrapped around.
2-2-1 and 3-2-1 are also common formations.
When the bales are wrapped with a tarp, the material must go fully around the formation, with a small amount left over.
Because the polyethylene tarps essentially protect the hay from damage by water and mold, the bale formations must not be placed near water and, instead, should be near a drain or runoff point.
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