The Science of Farming

Based in Celina, Ohio, Celina Industries, a division of Celina Tent Inc., fabricates products for several specialty fabrics markets including agriculture, supplying fabric curtains for barns for hogs, turkeys, dairy and other livestock.

“Each year our Agri-Barrier™ curtain business increases,” says Allan Bruns, Celina design engineer. “Farming has become such a science today. Paying attention to details like barn curtains that provide proper cross-ventilation and shade can make a big difference in the comfort, health and productivity of the livestock.”

Celina uses a variety of production techniques to ensure the durability of its fabric products. Customers can choose from triple stitching or a hot-air weld, which is often used on PVC. Today’s fabrics can offer additional benefits, such as antiwicking scrim traits to help control mold, and bacteria- and fungus-resistant properties. The company manufactures curtains from PVC or polyethylene fabrics.

Other Celina products for the agriculture market include custom ventilation tubes, which contribute to a healthier environment within livestock barns, and disinfecting mats. Farmers walk across these small mats, which are filled with a disinfectant solution, when entering a barn. This helps control disease organisms that might cling to the bottoms of farmers’ boots. Celina also stocks various sizes of hay tarps, which protect livestock feed from deteriorating during extended exposure to weather.

But there is one big thing Bruns would like to change in the agriculture market. “There’s currently no industry standard sizing for ag curtains,” he says. “Since every barn builder’s system is different, you end up with partial rolls of fabric, which is inefficient.”