farmyards

A farmyard is the central outdoor and built area of a farm, surrounding or adjacent to its main buildings, where housing for animals, storage for feed and equipment, and spaces for handling, loading, and movement are located. It functions as the operational hub of a farm.

Common elements include barns or sheds for livestock and storage, milking parlors or handling facilities for dairy operations, pens and stalls, feed stores, silos or granaries, manure handling systems, wash-down areas, loading ramps, and sometimes a yard for crop handling or machinery. The yard surface may be gravel, concrete, or soil, and is often organized with lanes to separate animal areas from vehicle traffic.

Operations depend on the farm type but generally include feeding, watering, cleaning and mucking out, breeding and calving or farrowing as needed, and routine vehicle and equipment maintenance. Good design supports animal welfare, worker safety, and efficient workflow, with considerations for biosecurity, drainage, dust control, and temperature.

Environmental and regulatory concerns address waste management, runoff, and pollution prevention; nitrate and manure regulations, and farm infrastructure standards vary by region. Yard layout reflects regional climates and farming systems, such as open exercise yards for livestock in temperate climates or enclosed housing with outdoor runs in poultry or swine operations. Historically, farmyards evolved from open courtyards to organized, purpose-built facilities with mechanization.