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Livestock producers in the United States who are looking for lower cost structures for raising sheep, dairy cattle, ostriches, and other ratites have shown a great deal of interest in hoop barns or hoop shelters as facilities for housing animals. Hoop barns can be used successfully for many such animals, though they have traditionally been used for swine. But in order to implement hoop designs successfully, producers need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this type of housing weighed against those of traditional facilities.
A number of manufacturers are offering these units for sale, and research-based information is available to help producers decide if a hoop barn is a good investment. To help producers and designers resolve some of the issues involved in using hoop barns, this site summarizes information about designing and using hoop barns. Most of this information is presented in the form of publications, which explore mutliple components of hoop implementation.
This project was conducted by Iowa State University.
Last updated 6-September-2006 at 1:00 pm CDT. Click here for details.