Description: This is
a VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
See text below
Text:
American farmers traditionally keep their animals
and equipment in barns that are rectangular. But
there are hundreds of barns in the Midwest and other
parts of the country that are different. They are
not longer than they are wide. Or wider than they
are long. These buildings are round.
Round barns have a long history in America. George
Washington, the nation's first president, had a
round barn in the seventeen hundreds.
The Shaker religious community at Hancock,
Massachusetts, built one in the eighteen twenties.
But the idea did not become popular until years
later. Then, in the early nineteen hundreds, the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign built
three round barns that many farmers copied.
A farmer could save on wood or stone with a round
design that needed less material than traditional
barns. Experts also believed that farmers could save
footsteps, and time, in feeding their animals in a
round barn. And round barns stood a better chance
against strong winds.
Some round barns are not truly circular. They just
look that way, but really are many flat pieces put
together side by side.
Early versions were mainly designed with two levels.
Cows were kept on the first floor and the one above
was used to store hay. Later designs brought a large
area in the middle for the hay and feeding stations
all around for the cows.
By the nineteen thirties, however, fewer American
farmers were building round barns. Some people said
it took more time and skill. Others disagreed. In
any case, it was not a good time to argue -- it was
the Great Depression, and times were difficult.
Also, as electric power came to rural America, some
people believed that rectangular barns were easier
to wire for electricity.
Agricultural experts also reconsidered their ideas
about a round barn saving time in feeding animals.
Kathy and Bob Frydenlund own the Round Barn Llama
Farm in New Richmond, Wisconsin. The Frydenlunds
have a library of architectural plans and drawings
and have published books on the subject. Money from
their book sales helps them take care of their own
barn. It is nearly a century old, made of concrete
and wood. Bob Frydenlund says having a round barn
means keeping alive part of the history of American
farming.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture
Report. Transcripts and podcasts are at
voaspecialenglish.com, and captioned videos are on
YouTube at VOA Learning English.
Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
To post a comment:
• Click "Comment using..." in
the window below
• Click your favorite service: Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail
• Login to the service
• Click "Add a comment..."
• Post your comment in the window
Students: Please post a
comment stating what you found interesting about this video. You are
welcome to include links to your English study blogs and any
other materials you think might be useful for learning
English.
Teachers: Please post your
thoughts about this video. You are welcome to include links to
your sites, blogs, and any other materials you think might
be useful for learning English.
Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
