Colony Construction designs, fabricates, and erects agricultural steel buildings across Canada – grain storage, dairy and livestock barns, equipment storage, workshops, and processing facilities. Our pre-engineered and conventional steel structures deliver the clear spans, ventilation, and heavy snow-load performance that Canadian farms and agri-businesses demand.
Agriculture Construction Expertise
Since 1985, Colony Construction has delivered more than 700 projects across Canada, and agricultural steel buildings have been a consistent thread through that work. We have built grain storage, dairy barns, hog barns, equipment storage facilities, and processing buildings for farms, co-ops, and agri-business clients across the Prairies, the BC Interior, and Ontario.
Our pre-engineered steel buildings deliver the open, column-free spans that modern agriculture needs – whether that means a 100-foot clear-span machine shed, a temperature-controlled dairy parlor, or a grain terminal building with heavy conveyor loads. Our cladding and roofing systems are engineered for the high snow loads of the Prairie provinces and the corrosive environments inside animal housing.
Colony works to CSA S16 for structural steel, CSA W59 for welding, and current National Building Code snow, wind, and seismic loads with provincial amendments. For farm buildings under Part 9 or agricultural-specific provincial guidelines, our engineering team tailors the design to suit. Where provinces apply reduced snow or importance factors to low-human-occupancy farm buildings, our engineering captures those reductions to keep cost competitive without compromising structural reliability.
Our agricultural work also extends to agri-business processing and packaging – food processing plants, seed-cleaning facilities, feed mills, and greenhouse support structures. These projects blend agricultural economics with the cleanliness, thermal envelope, and equipment coordination of light industrial construction, and they suit the same pre-engineered and open-web joist systems that serve primary agriculture well.
Our Services for Agriculture
- Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings – Cost-effective machine sheds, livestock barns, grain storage, and equipment storage engineered for heavy snow loads and long service life.
- Open Web Steel Joists – Economical long-span roof framing for large agricultural buildings where column-free interiors matter.
- Cladding and Roofing Systems – Durable insulated and non-insulated panels, including corrosion-resistant systems for animal housing and wash-down environments.
- Doors, Glazing, and Hangar Doors – Large sliding and bifold doors for equipment access, plus smaller service doors, windows, and ventilation openings.
Challenges We Solve for Agriculture Clients
Large Clear-Span Requirements
Modern farm operations need column-free interiors for equipment maneuvering, feed handling, and livestock movement. Our pre-engineered frames and open web steel joists deliver clear spans of 60, 80, 100 feet and beyond without interior columns.
Ventilation
Livestock and crop storage buildings demand specific airflow patterns to manage humidity, ammonia, and temperature. Our structures integrate ridge vents, sidewall louvers, fan openings, and curtain-wall systems so that the ventilation strategy is built into the frame from day one.
Grain Storage
Grain terminals and on-farm storage impose heavy static and dynamic loads from product and conveyors. Our engineering team coordinates with grain-handling equipment suppliers and designs framing to carry conveyors, drag chains, bucket elevators, and filling and unloading forces.
Cost-Effectiveness
Agricultural margins are tight and building budgets follow. Pre-engineered frames, open web joists, and standardized cladding systems deliver the lowest cost per square foot while still meeting Canadian code and long service life.
Heavy Snow Loads
Prairie and Interior BC farm sites routinely see ground snow loads of 2-4 kPa or more, with drifting patterns around taller silos and adjacent buildings. Our engineering applies current NBCC provisions for unbalanced and drifted loads so the roof performs through every winter of its service life.
Agriculture Projects
Grain Storage, Dairy, and Equipment Facilities
Colony has built grain storage, dairy barns, and equipment storage facilities for farms across the Prairies and BC. Our pre-engineered frames and insulated cladding systems are a regular fixture on Canadian farms where owners need reliable, economical, long-life buildings.
Agri-Business Processing Buildings
Our work for agri-business clients includes processing, packaging, and distribution buildings – structures that blend agricultural building economics with the cleanliness and thermal envelope of light industrial work.
Machine and Equipment Sheds
Clear-span machine sheds with bifold and sliding doors are one of the workhorse products of our agricultural portfolio. Farms across Western Canada rely on these buildings to keep combines, seeders, and sprayers protected through winter.
Where We Build for Agriculture
Colony delivers agricultural steel buildings across the major Canadian farming regions, from the Prairie grain belt to the BC Interior, Ontario, and PEI.
Frequently Asked Questions – Agriculture Construction
What types of agricultural buildings does Colony build?
Colony builds grain storage, dairy and hog barns, machine and equipment sheds, agri-business processing and packaging buildings, and farm workshops. Our pre-engineered steel and open web joist systems are well-suited to the clear-span, heavy-snow-load demands of Canadian agriculture.
How large a clear span can Colony provide?
Our pre-engineered frames and open web joist systems routinely deliver 60-100 foot clear spans, with larger custom spans available in conventional steel when needed.
Does Colony design for Prairie snow loads?
Yes. Our engineering applies current National Building Code snow-load provisions with provincial amendments, including drift, sliding, and unbalanced patterns for Prairie and Interior BC sites.
Can Colony provide cladding suited to animal housing?
Yes. Our cladding and roofing systems include corrosion-resistant options for ammonia and wash-down environments common in dairy, hog, and poultry facilities.
Can Colony supply large sliding or bifold doors for equipment access?
Absolutely. Our doors service includes sliding, bifold, and overhead doors sized for combines, sprayers, and oversized equipment.
Will Colony work with my grain handling equipment supplier?
Yes. We coordinate directly with equipment suppliers so that conveyor supports, bucket elevator framing, and anchor patterns match the machinery being installed.
Can Colony deliver food processing or feed mill facilities?
Yes. Our agricultural work extends into agri-business processing – food plants, feed mills, seed-cleaning facilities, and packaging buildings – combining agricultural economics with light industrial envelope and equipment coordination.
What is a typical schedule for a pre-engineered farm building?
Lead times vary with size and season, but a typical 60-by-120 machine shed or barn can be detailed, fabricated, and delivered within several weeks of the order-release milestone, with erection following once foundations are ready.
Start Your Agricultural Steel Building Project
Send us your scope, schedule, and site details. A Colony estimator will review your project and reply within one business day.