The following question was posed to animal architectural firm Animal Arts regarding erosion around a hay barn. With the extremely wet weather in some parts of the country, horse farm owners and managers should check the foundations of their barns, hay sheds, and run-in sheds to ensure there is no damage before winter arrives.
Question: The weather we have had in Kentucky has been strange. At one time it was really wet and one of the foundations around my hay shed had water running around it. There is some erosion around the foundation on one corner, but the post is set in concrete. Should I worry or have someone check this out?
Answer from Animal Arts: It seems like the weather has been odd in several locations. It is hard to say definitively whether this could be a problem or not, as it depends on how deep the foundations are set for the hay shed. Most foundations are set to go below the frost line, which in Kentucky would be 30 inches in depth in many locations.
However, agricultural buildings such as hay barns might not follow the frost depth for foundations as they might be built without permits. So, we think the erosion is more likely to be a problem for the hay shed than it would be for other buildings.
We would recommend placing some new compacted road base around this foundation to bring the soil up to where it was and then re-directing the path of the water to prevent further erosion.
