barn, in agriculture, farm building for sheltering animals, their feed and other supplies, farm machinery, and farm products. Barns are named according to their purpose, as hog barns, dairy barns, tobacco barns, and tractor barns. The principal type in the United States is the general-purpose barn, used for housing horses and mules, cows, calves, and sheep and for storing hay and grain. Although the need for the general barn declined with the advent of tractors and electrical service, one or more barns are still found on the majority of North American and European farms. Many have been adapted to other uses.
Wood is the traditional barn material, but sheet steel and aluminum have been increasingly used since World War II, particularly on large farms. Barns usually consist of two stories, the first to shelter animals or machines and the second to store hay or grain, though one-story barns were gaining in popularity in the late 20th century.