"Cattle Panel And Tarp" Hay Shelter

"Cattle Panel And Tarp" Hay Shelter BUILDINGS New Techniques 32-2-27 Using commonly available cattle panel fencing and a section of tarp, Terry Benoit of Orange, Texas, came up with an inexpensive shelter for a couple of round bales. The 10 by 16-ft. shelter measures 6 ft. high at the center, big enough to cover two bales. "It's an inexpensive way to keep the bales dry so they don't spoil," says Benoit. "We have 12 acres and just two cows." He started with three 4-ft. high by 16-ft. long cattle panels, which he bent into curves. Then he butted the two panels together and connected them with electrical wire ties to form an arch. The bottom sides of the arch are wedged between a pair of treated 2 by 6's that stand on top of a horizontal 2 by 4, which in turn is nailed to the top of three landscape posts set in the ground. Galvanized nails driven through the 2 by 6's hold the wire in place. He bought a 16-ft. sq. blue tarp at Harbor Freight for $10. Electrical wire ties, which go through grommets, are used to attach the tarp to the wire and boards. "It's a simple idea but it works," says Benoit. "The tarp doesn't sag at all so there are no pockets for rain to collect. Rain just flows right off." He says the shelter is strong, too. "We had a direct hit from Hurricane Rita in 2004, with winds of more than 110 mph. The wind blew the tarp away and we never saw it again, but it cost only $10 to replace. Once the tarp blows away there's nothing else for the wind to catch." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Terry and Debbie Benoit, 1077 Bobcat Circle, Orange, Texas 77632 (ph 409 745-3678; tdbenoit@sbcglobal.net).

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