Agriculture Form 3 – Farm Structures

Introduction

• Farm structures are physical constructions on the farm used to increase efficiency in production.

Construction of Farm Structures

Involves:

Planning for farm structures

Consider;

• Farm activities.
• Size of the enterprise.
• Future of the enterprise.
• Accessibility.
• Soil type.

Siting farm structures;

Consider:

• The location of the homestead.
• Accessibility.
• Security.
• Drainage/topography.
• Wind direction.
• Relationship between the structures.
• Proximity to social amenities.
• Farmer’s taste and preference.

Materials for Construction

Structural Materials and Use

Factors which determine the type of materials to use are;

• durability,
• strength,
• labour,
• availability,
• workability,
• serviceability,
• cost
• sanitation.

Stones and Bricks

Advantages

• Stones and bricks are durable, easy to disinfect, resistant to weather and insects decay and are easily available.

Disadvantages

• They are bulky and require skilled labour to make them.

Plastic and Synthetic Materials

These include;

• glass,
• asbestos fibre
• polythene materials.

Advantages

• Light,
• cheep depending on quality,
• easy to disinfect,
• can be moulded into any shape,
• are durable,
• cannot be destroyed by insects and fungus
• are water-proof.

Disadvantages

• Are easily destroyed,
• fragile,
• very expensive
• require skilled labour.

Wood (Timber)

Advantages

• They are workable,
• cheap,
• can be re-used
• are fairly strong.

Disadvantages

• They can catch fire easily,
• decay if exposed to water
• are affected by fungus and insects.

Concrete

• Is a mixture of cement, sand, aggregate and water
• e.g. in making blocks the ratio is 1:2:3; one part cement, two parts sand and three parts aggregate.

Uses

• Making posts for fencing.
• Making walls and floor of buildings.
• Making gabions and water channels to prevent erosion.
• Making water troughs.

Advantages

These materials are;

• durable, workable,
• easy to disinfect,
• cheap to maintain,
• fire resistant

Disadvantages

• These materials are
• expensive,
• require skilled labour,
• bulky,
• cannot be reused

Animal handling structures

• The crush –used when doing following activities;
• Spraying livestock to control ticks,
• milking,
• examining sick animals,
• artificial insemination,
• treating animals, eg drenching, vaccination,
• dong routine jobs such as dehorning, identification marks,
• The spray race-used in the control of ticks by spraying livestock with acaricides
• The dip- machakos type, and the pludge dip. This is used in the control of ticks by dipping livestock

Farm Buildings

Factors to be considered in site selection;

• Security
• Nearness to a source of water
• Topography
• Direction of the prevailing wind
• Direction of the sun
• Personal whims/tastes and preference
• Nearness to means of communication.

Types of farm buildings

• Houses for farm animals.
• Stores for farm produce.
• Stores for equipment, tools and supplies.
• Buildings for growing crops e.g green house.
• Building for processing plant e.g milk plant.

Parts of a building

• The foundation,
• The walls,
• The roof

Include;

• kingpost,
• rafters,
• struts,
• tie beam,
• rafter batten

Include;

• concrete floor,
• foundation wall,
• PVC sheet (damp–proof course)
• the compacted fill (hard core).

Fences

• Importance of Fence in a Farm
• Keep out intruders to the farm,
• Define the boundary lines of the farm.
• Paddocking of fields to make rotational grazing possible.
• Live fences serve as windbreaks.
• Fences are used in mixed farming to protect crops from. damage by livestock.
• Fences add aesthetic values to the farm.
• It is easy to control breeding.
• It is easy to isolate sick animals from the rest of the herd.

Types of Fences

• Dead fences.
• Barbed wire fences.
• Electric fence.
• Concrete fence.
• Chicken wire fence (mesh wire fence).
• Woven wire fence (chain link).
• Wooden fence.

Fencing Practice

• Materials include;
• wires,
• staples,
• nails,
• posts,
• droppers
• concrete materials.
• Size of posts:
• General purpose 2.5m by 25cm in diameter
• Strainer units and corner posts 3m by 30cm in diameter:
• Distance between the posts:
• 3m between posts, 10m if droppers are to be used.
• 200m between strainer units.
• Depth of holes – 60cm.

Gate Posts, Gates and Strainer Units

• Gates should be hung on posts separate from the fence.
• Mechanical implements for example tractors require 4.0–4.5m width of gate.
• Entrance gates for pedestrians can be accommodated within the fence.

Steps in Fencing

• Locate the corners
• Clear the fencing area.
• Mark gates, strainers, pass places and standards by pegging.
• Dig holes to proper depths.
• Fix the standard posts.
• Firm around posts or apply concrete.
• Fix wires on posts.
• Fix the droppers.