When planning to build a farm shop many things are on the wish list, but being sure the building is practical and useful is what was at the top of the list at the Crees Farm near Clutier, Iowa.

“We wanted a place to be able to work on equipment and store it, and also a place to park the feed wagon in the winter so everything would work more easily,” says Michael Ahrendsen. “The feed wagon unloads a lot easier when it’s warm, thanks to the heat in the shop.”

WARM AND DRY SHOP: The farm shop was built in 2013 to provide a heated, dry place to work and store equipment.

Michael farms with his parents, Jan and Cory, and Jan’s family. His brother, Adam, is a student-athlete at nearby University of Northern Iowa and helps on the farm nearly every weekend and during the summer, especially with the meat goat portion of the operation. The family also has a commercial cow-calf herd and raises corn, soybeans and hay.

EQUIPMENT’S GETTING LARGER: As the equipment keeps getting bigger, there is less room for the implements in the shop, but strategic parking can help get more inside.

While the farm was started many years before by Jan’s father, Willis Crees, the 46-foot-wide-by-72-foot-long shop was built in 2013 and, at the time, seemed to be the right size. In the past 10 years, equipment has continued to get bigger, and the family wishes their shop was bigger. Some of the equipment barely fits through the 25-by-16-foot door.

“After you build a shed, it’s never big enough. We now have bigger equipment and hope to build a new building at Michael’s house,” Jan says. “If a new shop would be built, we are hoping to put an area for cattle and goats on one end.”

Adding new buildings takes planning ahead due to the increased input costs.

Shop features

The built-in cabinets and drawers made by McTavish Steelworks house many tools used on the farm, while the many batteries and power tools can be found on the counter.

VERSATILE CABINETS: The built-in cabinets are durable, providing a place to put away tools or set them aside.

Having heat in the shop not only provides a place for the feed wagon in the winter but is also useful to work on equipment on the cold or wet days. Being able to get in from the weather elements is an important benefit of having the building.

MORE COMFORTABLE REPAIRS: Having a heated shop helps when needing to work on equipment during cold weather. The shop is also a place to park the feed wagon during the winter months so it works better.

As the weather starts to warm up and planting season begins, the Crees shop will house the planter nearly every night to prevent moisture causing any issues. Michael says it’s nice to have a place to tuck everything away at night and know it will be clean and ready to go the next day.

Practical and useful can go a long way for a family farm, and it provides this operation with just what the family needs.