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(NewsDakota.com/NAFB) – A new sow complex is now under construction featuring the first prefabricated steel swine barns in the United States.

Compared to traditional wood structures, the steel buildings are designed to offer a more biosecure, flame-retardant and energy-efficient environment for pigs, while also being more durable and faster to build. The 12,000-head sow facility is scheduled for completion this summer in South Dakota. The steel building package, designed by C-Lines, is being provided by AP, AGCO’s swine equipment brand. AP dealer Ag Property Solutions is constructing the barns, which will be managed by Pipestone Management.

The all-steel buildings offer increased construction speed and efficiency, increased building strength, energy efficiency, better biosecurity, along with being easily transported as a prefabricated structure. The new facility is the largest sow complex ever constructed by Ag Property Solutions, with a footprint of up to 55 acres. It includes a 187,500-square-foot farrowing barn and gilt developer unit and a 225,000-square-foot gestation barn that incorporate the steel panels.