Barn Improvements

Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.

- Amy Grisak

Rather than banging your head on the side of the barn, the best resolution is to spend the effort to set up an organizational system to streamline your barn. These farm and stable owners offer a few tips to make your barn more organized to minimize stress and enjoy your vocation even more.

MINIMIZE CLUTTER

“We are perpetually trying to keep our barn organized,” says Jennifer LittleBear of Jacobs Heritage Farm in Copley, Ohio. “My big thing is fighting clutter. We make an effort not to keep things that we won’t need. You see a lot of farms with piles of junk laying around, and you know they’ll never use it. We’re fighting against that.”

Jennifer and her husband Jason are ruthless when it comes to purging the extra items. They burn scrap wood instead of keeping it in piles. They sell useful items on online markets, which also provides funds for more of their projects, and even set goods on the curb for people to take for free.

Sue Miller of Victory Gallop Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Bath, Ohio, also needs to keep the barn free of clutter to minimize confusion and keep the operation running smoothly. “Everything has a place,” she says. “I don’t like a lot of excess in the barn.” She’s pragmatic when it comes to removing items she no longer uses.

COORDINATE TACK & TOOLS