The short-lived dairy barn of the future.
Round barns are beautiful and interesting, but there’s a reason for their shape. Most round barns were built on dairy farms between 1890-1920.
Innovative and Efficient
Charles Leik, past president of the National Barn Alliance, said producers back then wanted to enlarge their cow herds and looked for efficiencies.
“And the idea was, look at a cow from up above. It’s a wedge-shaped animal, so you could array this cow around a central feeding trough,” Leik said. “And often within that feeding trough, or that round area, was a silo. Silos were just coming into vogue at that time. So, you had your cows with the heads toward the silo, and the business end was in the larger circumference of the round barn.”
Often less material was required for a round barn as opposed to rectangular. People also thought that wind would go around the barn, sparing it from a storm’s destructive forces.
Unfamiliar and Unpopular
A round barn certainly had its positives, but not everyone was crazy about it.
“Well, you had to be a little tough because your neighbors would probably give you a hard time,” Leik said. “They might mock you for building something so unusual and novel. And your local carpenter was not very excited because he was dealing with an awful lot of geometry that he was unfamiliar with. So, you’d probably get discouraged for several of those reasons.”
The round barn was built for dairying, and not as useful for other types of agriculture. The popularity of round barns ended in the 1920s. Their demise was accelerated by an agricultural depression after the end of World War I and the onset of prefabricated barns.
Editor’s Take:
Yes, round barns are unique and beautiful. Not many exist anymore, so if you have an opportunity to visit one, do so. Check out the distinct design features and how they were constructed. Unfortunately, time and different needs have given way to metal structures that are less expensive to build. They simply do not have the same nostalgic appeal as the wooden barn, especially a round one. Just a little fun history and education about an aspect of agriculture you may not have known about previously.
Perhaps you might consider displaying pictures of unique barns in your showroom? Something different that would attract people’s attention, especially farmers/ranchers. If you find someone looking at them, it will naturally lead to that all important question – “are you a farmer/rancher?” Then you’re off to the races talking about all the special programs and services you, as a CAD member, offer!
