The Farmer's Guide to Self-Storage in Southeast South Dakota

If you farm or ranch in Bon Homme, Hutchinson, or Yankton County, you know the space problem: too much equipment, too many supplies, and not enough room in the shop. Here’s how self-storage fills the gap between what you’ve got and what fits on your operation.

The Farm Storage Reality

Farming in southeast South Dakota means accumulating stuff at a pace that would make a hoarder nervous. And it’s all stuff you actually need — just not all at the same time.

Planting season requires one set of equipment and supplies. Harvest requires another. Winter maintenance requires a third. Spraying, fertilizing, fencing, livestock management — each has its own tools, chemicals, parts, and gear.

Your shop was full five years ago. The machine shed is spoken for. The quonset has equipment in it that hasn’t moved since last spring. And the yard is starting to look like an implement dealership.

Sound familiar? You’re not disorganized — you’re under-spaced. And in farm country around Tyndall, Springfield, and Freeman, that’s the norm, not the exception.

What Farmers Actually Store in Self-Storage Units

Seasonal Equipment and Attachments

The drill attachments you use in April don’t need to sit in the shop from June through March. The combine header you use for two weeks doesn’t need year-round shop space. Seasonal rotations mean a lot of iron sitting idle most of the year.

What fits in a storage unit: - Planter attachments and row units - Small implements (discs, cultivators, tillers that fit through a 10’ door) - Grain auger components and accessories - Sprayer booms and tanks (drained and cleaned) - Fencing supplies and tools - Livestock handling equipment (panels, chutes, headgates — disassembled)

A 10x20 or 10x30 unit handles a surprising amount of farm equipment. Measure your implements — you might be surprised what fits.

Parts and Supplies Inventory

Every farmer has a parts stash. Bolts, bearings, belts, hydraulic fittings, filters, chains, PTO shafts — the stuff you buy ahead because you know you’ll need it, or the leftover from a repair that’s too good to throw away.

When the parts shelf overflows into the workbench, and the workbench overflows onto the floor, a dedicated storage unit becomes your off-site parts room.

Organization tip: Metal shelving units in a 10x10 storage unit create an organized parts inventory that’s actually usable. Label shelves by equipment type or category. Keep a running inventory list on your phone. When something breaks at 7 PM and the dealer is closed, you’ll know exactly where to find that hydraulic fitting.

Seed and Feed (With Caveats)

Seed and feed storage in a self-storage unit works — with conditions:

• Temperature: Some seed varieties have specific temperature requirements. Check with your seed dealer. Most common crop seeds (corn, soybeans, wheat) store fine in a standard unit as long as it stays dry.
• Moisture: This is the big one. Sealed containers (plastic bins, sealed bags) are essential. Moisture ruins seed viability and causes feed to mold. Humidity in a storage unit can be managed with moisture absorbers and proper packaging.
• Pests: Mice love seed and feed. Sealed metal containers or heavy-duty plastic bins are mandatory. Standard bags won’t survive a mouse invasion.
• Chemicals: Do NOT store treated seed in the same unit as feed. Cross-contamination is a real and serious risk.

Agricultural Chemicals

Herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizer concentrates — farmers accumulate these, and they take up shop space.

Important restrictions: - Check the product label for storage requirements. Some chemicals have specific temperature, ventilation, and separation requirements. - Flammable chemicals and compressed gases are prohibited in self-storage units. Period. - Store chemicals in original, labeled containers. Never transfer to unmarked containers. - Keep chemicals separated from seed, feed, and personal items. - A dedicated storage unit for chemicals keeps them organized and isolated from your other stored items.

If you’re unsure whether a specific product is OK for self-storage, ask us. Some items need specialized storage that a standard unit can’t provide.

Records and Documents

Farm financial records, tax documents, lease agreements, insurance policies, equipment manuals, and the mountain of paperwork that comes with running an agricultural operation.

The IRS wants you to keep records for at least three years. Many farm financial advisors recommend seven. For land records and major equipment purchases, longer. That’s decades of paper that needs to live somewhere.

A climate-controlled unit keeps documents safe from moisture and temperature extremes. Sealed plastic file bins on shelving make retrieval easy during tax season. More on climate-controlled storage.

Off-Season Vehicles and Toys

The farm truck that only runs during harvest. The ATV that’s used for checking fences in summer. The snowmobile that sits idle eight months a year. The kids’ show animals’ equipment between county fair seasons.

Vehicles and recreational equipment that sit idle for months deserve better than a muddy corner of the yard. Proper storage extends their life and keeps your operation looking professional.

The Economics of Farm Storage

“I’m not paying rent to store my own stuff.” We hear it. And we get it — farmers watch every dollar, especially when commodity prices are down.

But run the numbers:

Cost of weather exposure: A $3,000 implement left outside for five years accumulates rust, UV damage, rodent damage, and weathering. The resale value drops 30-50%. That’s $900-1,500 in depreciation that a $100/month storage unit would have prevented.

Cost of shop space: If your shop is full of stored items, you can’t work in it efficiently. You’re wrenching on equipment outside in February because there’s no room inside. The productivity cost is real, even if it’s hard to quantify.

Cost of disorganization: Time spent looking for parts, tools, and supplies that are buried under other items is time not spent farming. A well-organized storage system saves hours per week during busy seasons.

A 10x20 unit at $125-175/month comes out to $1,500-2,100/year. If it saves one implement from weather damage, pays for itself. If it frees up your shop for productive work, pays for itself twice.

Seasonal Storage Rotation for Farmers

The ag calendar in southeast South Dakota drives a predictable storage cycle:

March-April (Pre-planting): - Retrieve planting equipment from storage - Store winter maintenance tools and equipment - Stock up on seed and inputs (store overflow in unit)

May-June (Growing season): - Store planting equipment - Retrieve spraying and scouting equipment - Minimal storage changes — focus is on the crop

July-August (Pre-harvest prep): - Retrieve harvest equipment - Store spraying equipment - Begin organizing for fall

September-November (Harvest and post-harvest): - Store harvest equipment as it’s finished for the year - Retrieve winter prep tools - Store anything that shouldn’t sit outside through winter

December-February (Winter): - Maintenance season — rotate equipment as you work on it - Parts inventory management - Tax document access for filing season

This cycle aligns with the broader seasonal storage calendar for South Dakota.

Choosing the Right Unit Size

Measure your largest item before committing. And remember: you can always upgrade to a larger unit if you need more space, but it’s harder to downsize when you’ve already filled a bigger one.

Lock N’ Leave It: Storage Built for Farm Country

Lock N’ Leave It Storage in Tyndall, Springfield, and Freeman sits in the middle of some of the best farmland in South Dakota. We know what our customers store because we see it every day — implements, parts, chemicals, documents, and all the gear that keeps an operation running.

Our facilities offer: - Units sized for farm equipment (up to 10x30) - Drive-up access for easy loading and unloading - Gated security with cameras - Month-to-month leases that flex with your season - Locations close to where you farm

Contact us to find the right unit for your operation. We’ll help you figure out what size makes sense for what you need to store — no commitment until you’re ready.