(Continued from l>ago 1)3)
15 years,
•How is the area surrounding
ynvr farm likely to change in the
next 5-15 years? Will the area
remain agricultural or are nonagri
cultural users creeping into the
area?
For good planning, you need a
description (maps, photos, words)
of all possible sites and locations
along with an evaluation of any
existing facilities and their
expected use. A simple map of the
possible building sites is a mustl
This should indicate existing
buildings, roads, streams, property
lines, utility lirtes, drainage ways,
wells, neighbors, and any other
sensitive areas. With these resour
ces and a team approach, site eva
luation can be done very efficient
ly and effectively.
Resources for Site Evaluation
There are several resources
available for site evaluation. Con
servation maps, ASCS aerial
maps, topographical maps, and
soil survey maps not only provide
valuable information, but give a
different perspective of the site to
be evaluated. Many farms have
aerial display photographs that
provide a good view of die exist
ing farmstead and potential nearby
sites.
Various people with different
expertise can provide more ideas
and view points than one person
alone. Outsiders may see possibil
ities that you have missed. A team
approach to site evaluation is very
helpful. This team may consist of
yourself, a cooperative extension
agent, someone trom your local
Yes No
Water
quality
quantity (20-25 gai/day/cow plus
milking center and household)
Drainage
slope 2-6%
subsurface
high ground
critical areas (wells, fish streams,
public/private water supplies)
Required area
animal units
milking center
convenient access for milk
hauler with no backing
cow traffic to present and future
animal housing
wastewater disposal
feed center
manure storage
separation for ventilation and fire
vehicular traffic
parking for cars, trucks, and equipment
youngstock
Olf-farm (actors
building codes/regulations
zoning/set back requirements
highways, streams and property
lines
pollution requirements
isolation from surrounding
environment
public or private wate r supply
protection zones
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does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability 01 handicap, national origin, rav c,
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to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania Stale University, 201 Willard Building, University Paik, PA
16802-2801, tel (814) 863-0471,1 DD (814) 865-3175
Site Evaluation
Natural Resouio; Conservation
Service (NRCS) or Conservation
District office, a design engineer,
your veterinarian, and your lend
ing institution or financial advisor.
Site Characteristics
After identifying possible sites,
develop a list of their characteris
tics. These preliminary sites are
simply picked as possibilities and
should not be ranked in preference
until the last step of the evaluation
process. Evaluate each site against
a list of site factors. This list
should include: water, drainage,
required area, off-farm factors,
utilities and access, climate,
wastes, regulation/zoning, and
personal preferences. Once the list
of characteristics has been estab
lished, the selection of a site is
more logical and objective.
Essential Site Factors
Sites that cannot meet the fol
lowing four essential site factors
should be eliminated.
1) Water: Water needs to be
available at the site in the quality
and quantity needed. If this cannot
be met don’t even consider the
site. Twenty to twenty-five gal
lons per day per cow of drinking
water is needed in addition to that
used in the milking center and
household.
2) Drainage: An animal facility
needs to have proper surface and
subsurface drainage. The topogra
phy of the site needs to allow
clean water diversion away from
the animal facility. A slope of 2 to
6% will provide drainage without
erosion. Good subsurface drain
age will help prevent frost heaving
of foundations. Don’t build in a
Site Factors Checklist
bunker silos
commodity sheds
grain bins
hole!
3) Required area: This
includes more than the size of the
animal housing unit. The feed
area, machine storage, vehicular
traffic, water and electric upgrade,
youngstock housing, manure
handling, and adequate separation
from neighbors must also be con
sidered. Room will be needed to
collect and control contaminated
water from the animal units. Sepa
ration of the buildings is needed to
prevent fire spread and allow good
natural ventilation. How much
grading will be required to deve
lop an adequate building site?
4) Off-farm factors: These
factors include the surrounding
environment such as urban deve
lopments, building codes, and pol
lution requirements. The site
needs to meet building codes and
pollution requirements and should
provide isolation from the sur
rounding environment.
Several other site factors are
also important and may vary with
different building systems.
I) Access: How hard will it be
to construct drives and lanes to the
new facilities? Is there access to
crop fields for bringing in crops
and hauling our manure? Fire pre
vention and protection, safety, and
security are often related to
access.
2) Utilities: What are the dis
tances that electric, gas, and tele
phone lines need to be run?
3) Restrictions: Does the site
have any easements, power lines,
buried pipelines, or buried fuel
tanks that may cause problems?
Yes No
Utilities and Access
distance from electric, gas,
telephone, and main road
terrain that must be crossed to get to
the site
easements, power lines, or buried
pipelines
fire prevention and protection
safety
security
Climate
prevailing winds for ventilation
snow drifting, removal, and storage
excessive rainfall problems
orientation to the sun
Wastes
environmental regulations
topography for drainage of manure
area for storage
soils evaluation for type of storage
prevailing winds, air drainage, and
distance to dilute odors
Location
relation to existing buildings for
Incremental expansion
distance and terrain to be traveled
by cows
For Dairy Housing Systems
Other Site Factors
Summer Winds
Site *2
ase
-9.5 eeres
Neighboring
farmstead
Figure 1. Site map of existing facilities, possible sites, and
neighboring land.
Neighboring
farmstead
Commodity
Figure 3. Proposed layout of new facilities, with additional
expansion, in relation to the existing farmstead.
4) Climate; What are the pre
vailing wind directions in the
summer and winter? Is the site
prone to drifting snow problems?
Will excessive rainfall cause any
problems? Will buildings be
exposed to summer breezes for
optimum cow comfort? Can the
orientation of the building allow
the sun to warm and dry surfaces
in the winter, but provide shade in
the summer?
5) Manure and Liquid
Wastes: Can the site conform
with all environmental regula
tions? Is the topography satisfac
tory for control of runoff from out
side animal lots? Is there a satis
factory location for a manure
storage to be built now or in the
future? Can manure flow by gravi
ty to the storage or will pumping
be necessary? A soils evaluation
will help tell what type of manure
storage can be built on the site.
Are prevailing winds, air drain
age, and distance to sensitive areas
such that the odors are directed
any from sensitive areas?
6) Relation to Existing Facili
ties: Does the location of the site
in relation to existing buildings
allow incremental expansion?
How far will the cows need to be
moved and over what type of
terrain?
Steps for Evaluation
Use 5, 10 and IS year goals,
space required for building sys
tems, and site factors to work
through the following four steps.
1) Make a scale map, including
existing facilities if applicable,
and locate the possible sites for
construction. Include slopes, soil
types, and size. Also, identify
direction to fields, roads, off-farm
influences such as neighbors, and
critical environmental areas.
2) Use the four essential site
factors to evaluate possible sites.
This process may eliminate one or
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more of the possible sites
identified.
3) Use the remaining site fac
tors to finish the list of characteris
tics. See the check list on the back
page of this fact sheet.
4) From this list of site charac
teristics the selection of a pre
ferred site can be determined.
With the site selected, check the
layout of the desired facilities to
see if they will fit. This is an itera
tive process, and some changes
may need to be made in the facili
ties layout to fit them to the site.
The facilities and dimensional
sizes used in the site evaluation
were only to give a rough idea of
size requirements and may need
altered to conform to the site.
However, if compromises are
made to the point that the facilities
are no longer useful, then another
site needs to be considered. After
a layout is determined, stake out
the buildings on the site. This will
give a much better feeling for how
the facility will look. Do areas left
for drainage ways, turning trucks
and equipment look adequate?
Site evaluation is not a process
that will be done in an hour, but it
is a very important step in a farm
building project The site selected
will affect future decisions for
. years to come and should reflect
the long-term goals of your opera
tion. Site evaluation is best done
with a team approach to bring out
as many ideas and view points as
possible. Some extra time plan
ning now will save headaches and
money in the future. Make your
mistakes with pencil and paper,
not concrete and re-bar. Remem
ber, be sure to leave room for
future growtn cr changes. A
farmstead is always changing.
Plan this project to be the first step
in your future modem dairy pro
duction system, not just an addi
tion to the past!
WdA
Housa
□
Housing
dovctopr
4