Itzan Alpaca Ranch
Challenge – Shelter for livestock
Solution – Hercules Truss Arch Building
Size – 72′ wide x 120′ long
Application – Alpaca barn
When Jay and Mary Ann Treese opened Itzan Alpaca Ranch in 2005, they started with only five alpacas, two llamas and a hundred year old barn and corral building. Today, the ranch is home to twenty-five alpacas, five llamas, more than thirty chickens, eight guinea fowl, four turkeys and they expect goats in the spring. Visitors like to come to the ranch to feed the animals and see alpacas up close. The alpacas also make trips to local events, schools and nursing homes. In July 2009, the ranch’s original barn was destroyed by a fire and Jay realized he had to find a new shelter
for the animals before winter arrived.
Jay began searching for a solution when he came upon ClearSpan Fabric Structures. He says, “We checked with a couple of other companies, but they were not willing to alter their structures to meet our needs. The alpacas needed doorways on the sides of the building. We visited the manufacturing facility in Dyersville, IA and were impressedwith the design of the Hercules Truss Arch Building and ClearSpan’s willingness to construct the building to meet
our unique design requests.” He notes, “The price of the fabric structures was much lower than steel or wood buildings of the same size.”
The Treeses are very happy with their decision to purchase a ClearSpan building. “We like the translucent cover that lets in natural light during the day, eliminating the need for inside lighting. It also keeps out much of the wind and cold, which is great because alpacas dislike cold wind,” says Jay. He continues, “We also like the pivoting truss bases. We often have high winds that damage other structures in the area, but our new barn is always fine.” Besides the benefits of keeping out the harsh weather, the building has proven to have minimal upkeep. Jay explains, “The maintenance-free materials mean no painting is necessary, and snow slides right off so we don’t
have to worry about accumulation on the roof.”
There are many benefits of the building that the Treeses did not expect. For example, “We were surprised by how much cooler it felt inside the barn during the summer,” says Jay. He also noted, “We are extremely pleased that we decided to go with large garage doors. A couple of times we had big loads of hay that could easily fit through the doorway without worrying about hitting the sides or top of the building.”
Itzan Alpaca Ranch has grown in size and popularity since they added their Truss Arch Building. Jay states, “With the new barn’s extra space, we have added a small tractor, a skid loader and several equipment attachments and we have doubled our livestock while reducing our manual labor.” He also discloses, “We have received several compliments on our barn, especially at night when the interior lights make the barn glow. Overall, we are very satisfied with our decision to work with ClearSpan.”
For more on Itzan Alpaca Ranch and their ClearSpan structure, contact Jay and Mary Ann at jaytreese@gmail.com.
