Starting farm trucks in the bitter morning of a Saskatchewan winter can be a long, and sometimes costly, process. With harsh winds blowing the tarps off vehicles stored outside allowing snow to get in and brakes to freeze, Inno-Tech Farms owner Brent Sattler decided he needed a storage solution for his grain trucks and seeding equipment.
“It was just too difficult to move equipment that’s been kept outside in this environment. Equipment that’s stored inside is also worth more when you sell it,” said Sattler, who runs a family-owned grain farm. He and wife are former engineers who left their careers to return to running the farm. “I’d seen the Perma-Columns exhibit at the Canada’s Farm Progress and Canadian Western Agribition trade shows in Regina,” he added. “It appealed to me because I wanted construction that would last a long time.” Sattler’s machine shed is 70 feet wide by 90 feet long.
“The building was designed so that the bi-fold doors were offset, so we could drive equipment right through the building,” said Sattler. “We’re really happy with it—it’s far superior to buildings I’ve seen constructed by other companies.” The machine shed was built during an exceptionally rainy period. “Considering the weather they were working in, they did a great job. I would definitely recommend Integrity Post Structures to others.” Perma-Columns are five foot long precast concrete columns that keep wood out of the ground, ensuring a building’s foundation will last. During the planning stage for this type of building, farmers should consider the size of their current and future equipment. it’s essential to think about how high clearance they will need and the type of doors that will allow for easy movement of large farm equipment. Payback on this type of building can be made quickly through reduced wear and tear and increased resale value of expensive farm machinery.
