While the inspiration for this posting came from an article written about a 4-H Barn at a Minnesota county fairgrounds, it could speak for hundreds, or even thousands of similar livestock barns scattered in fairgrounds across America.

“The century-old red wood barn stood bent with age, its rotted walls crumbling and its fractured roof ready to collapse.

Since it was built on the Anoka County Fairgrounds back in the early 1900s, the barn has sheltered hundreds of animals and thousands of people. But last year a building inspector, seeing its deterioration, said, “You can’t have animals or people in this one anymore.””

In this case the county 4-H secretary, treasurer and animal coordinator for the large livestock program, made it her mission to replace the old barn.

Youth and families who participate in 4-H livestock shows and competitions staffed a food booth during the fair, and every penny they made went towards a brand new pole building built to replace the old barn.

The old red wood 4-H barn was razed early this spring – while there was still snow on the ground. And, as soon as the ground thawed, the new barn went up.

While using the same layout as the old 4-H barn, the new one is larger (over twice the size of the old one), with a capacity of 52 cattle on one side and up to 50 sheep, goats and swine on the other. It also features more space for spectators, too.

In the case of this particular building, the fund raising has only covered a portion of the new pole barn’s costs. The old red barn’s wood windows and doors have been put aside for sale as a fund-raiser to help pay off the cost of the new barn.

For other groups, in similar circumstances, besides fund-raising and direct donations there are other ways to make projects like this more affordable.

First – consider building it yourself. A complete custom designed pole building kit package will allow the use needs to be satisfied, includes detailed plans down to the location of the last board, and step-by-step instructions on how to get it done right.

Many organizations have more than enough people power to pull off a barn raising, which can easily cut costs by half, compared to having to pay prevailing wage.

Second – a 501(c)(3) organization? Hansen Pole Buildings offers a 10% discount to any such recognized by the Internal Revenue Service organization.

Good Luck and let us help plan your new building!