Why fabric buildings are perfect for farmers

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Farmers have a lot of responsibilities. They need to ensure that their crops are healthy and that the animals they raise are well taken care of. One of the challenges that farmers face is finding the right shelter for their animals and crops. Traditional farm equipment storage buildings can be expensive and difficult to construct, especially if you are working with limited space. Fabric buildings offer an affordable and practical solution for farmers who need a quick and easy way to create shelter for their animals or crops. 

Cattle Handling Barn
  Cattle Barn

Fabric buildings are made of fabric panels attached to a frame. This design makes them lightweight and easy to assemble, which is why they can be customized to meet the farmer’s needs. The fabric is also water and windproof, making it ideal for outdoor use. Farmers can use fabric buildings to create temporary shelters for their animals or crops or use them as permanent structures. Fabric farm storage buildings are a cost-effective alternative to traditional building materials, such as wood or metal, and they can be customized to meet the specific needs of each farm. 

Agri Business Warehouse Building
Agri Business Warehouse Building

Fabric buildings can also be an excellent option for hay and grain storage. The fabric material is durable and can withstand harsh weather conditions, making it ideal for storing hay and grain outdoors. Fabric buildings are also easy to assemble and can be relocated if needed. They provide natural light and ventilation, which is important for keeping hay and grain fresh.

If you are a farmer looking for an affordable and practical way to create shelter for your animals or crops, fabric buildings may be the perfect solution. Contact us today to learn more about our fabric-building options!

 

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Extra Farm Storage Building Space in a Weekend

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It’s like a high tech version of a good ol fashioned barn raising.  Drive past the farm yard on a Friday afternoon and you can see a front end loader off-loading the trusses and crates from a flat bed trailer.  Drive past again on the following Monday morning and that pile of steel and crates has turned into a 38 foot x 80 foot FastCover fabric covered storage building ready for use.  This is a common sight happening all across North America.  The FastCover Portable Engineered Truss Structures are becoming a popular choice for farmers and ranchers who need more covered storage space but don’t have the time to spare to fuss with weeks of building a traditional material structure.  These fully engineered portable buildings provide the strength and portability that is required to meet the varied storage needs, from equipment storage to hay and feed storage.  

See Agricultural Buildings

A Weekend is All You Need

FastCover buildings are manufactured and shipped in modular components.

Hay Storage Building - Preserve Your Hay
Hay Storage Fabric Structures

A full truss span will consist of 4 to 6 truss pieces which are then bolted on site and stood in place.  Repeat the process and connect each truss with the cross member support purlins and continue until your steel superstructure is in place.  The fabric cover is then secured to the base on one side of the building.  Using guide ropes slung over the building’s frame work, the fabric cover is pulled into place and secured on the opposite side and ends.  While the building installation instructions are quite a bit more detailed than this high level overview, this installation process is intended to take several days, as compared to several weeks, stretching in to a month long project, for traditional building materials.

Flexible Foundation Options

With FastCover’s ingenious Base Rail system, the options are nearly endless regarding building location and foundation choices.  Some farm/ranch owners choose to build their storage building mounted on wood or concrete posts, some are built mounted to the ground, others on a temporary concrete block wall.  one of the common storage building installation techniques is use engineered ground screw anchors which are located to match the connection points for the building.  This results in both a building and a foundation that is portable and can be re-used at another location.

Flexible Storage Space

 

A FastCover fabric covered storage building is well suited to a wide variety of storage uses.  Many times the Farm Storage Building will serve dual purposes.  One end of the building is utilized as an equipment / machinery storage and maintenance building.

Farm Equipment Storage Building
Farm Equipment Storage

The clear-span space with no internal columns to restrict movement is ideal for a weather protected storage area and the fabric covers bright allow a tremendous amount of natural daylight to pass to the interior of the building.  This makes for an excellent location to perform repairs and scheduled maintenance to your equipment.  While one end of the building is utilized by machinery, the other end is used for hay storage, feed storage, fertilizer storage, or crop storage.  The weather-proof covers keep materials dry and with properly designed ventilation the buildings are ideal for crop / feed storage.

Got your weekend plans ready?  Take advantage of the FastCover QuickShip program to get an available building on it’s way to you right away.

Quick Ship Buildings
Contact Fast Cover

How to Save Money on Your Next Building Purchase

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When making your next building purchase, there are many financial considerations.  There are many ways a fabric building from FastCover Buildings can help you save money as described below.

Cost of Land and Taxes

Land is expensive and location factors often dictate the price.  When making the decision on where to locate your building, sometimes you have the option of several locations.  No matter what, there is a value to the land where your building will be placed.  Because of the unique characteristics of a FastCover building, it will often qualify as a temporary structure, even though it is built to meet the local building code requirements for factors such as wind and snow load.  When classified as a temporary structure, it will most often incur a lower property tax as it is not considered a permanent improvement to the property.

As will be described below, due to foundation options, a FastCover building can be erected on a wider range of terrain that may not be suitable for other building types.  This means less suitable land, possibly less expensive land, can be selected.

Foundation

Related to the above, one of the features of FastCover fabric buildings is the ability to be erected on a wide array of foundation types.  From permanent foundations to concrete block foundations to large engineered screw anchors.  The continuous outer base rail frame included in the FastCover building design allows the structure to be built almost anywhere.

Assembly Construction Time

Would you rather be using your building, or waiting on construction to be completed?  A FastCover fabric building can save you weeks to months on labour and equipment expenses.  A typical FastCover building installation is often measured in days.  Because the buildings are shipped in large component pieces, including truss sections, purlins, cross bracing, winches, and cover sections, the assembly of a building occurs rapidly.  Truss sections are bolted into completed trusses then raised into place and secured with bracing.  When all trusses are standing and braced, the fabric cover is pulled into place.

The time frame for expensive lift equipment rental is minimized along with the overall construction time.

Shipping and Logistics

Logistically speaking, the component pieces, from trusses, to covers, to hardware, are all sourced from the FastCover manufacturing facility.  When the building shipment arrives, it is ready to be built.  As compared to other building styles, the component pieces may be sourced from multiple suppliers, often causing construction delays when materials do not arrive in the correct sequence or on schedule.

Interior Finishing – Lighting

As buildings have their outer shell completed, attention turns to the all-important inside of the building where actual business activity is planned.  Most buildings require interior lighting so that people, equipment, and goods can move around inside the building.  For a FastCover building, the fabric offers a tremendous advantage of transmitting a high amount of the outside daytime lighting to the building’s interior, usually eliminating the need for daytime artificial lighting.  For a conventional building to achieve the same result, a very large number of windows would be required, increasing construction time and construction costs.  For early morning or nighttime lighting, the bright white underside of the fabric cover helps to disperse artificial lighting further and more evenly requiring fewer light fixtures and lower on-going electricity consumption.

Summary of Building Purchase Savings

When making your next building purchase, we encourage you to go beyond just the invoice cost of the building itself.  Consider the value of the land required, the foundation requirements and preparation, the expense of construction time, the cost of potential delays, and on-going costs such as electricity to light the buildings interior.  We believe the choice of a FastCover fabric building becomes more obvious.

Fabric Buildings Save Maintenance and Utility Costs for Storage Buildings

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Reducing maintenance and utility costs associated with your storage buildings is a smart way to improve the operational efficiency of your business operations.  Making a smart purchase decision includes not only taking into account the upfront capital cost of the building but also the on-going operational costs of the building.

Save on Construction Costs/Time

Setting aside the capital outlay for the building, there are a number savings that a FastCover fabric building will provide which may not be immediately obvious.  The first is the time and expense saved to erect the building.  Because the building is shipped in modular components, on-site construction time is drastically reduced where buildings can be completed sometimes in days as compared to weeks or months with buildings which must be completely constructed on-site.  This also means your building is finished and ready for use in your business sooner.

Save on Your Lighting Bill

Now consider the post-construction state of your building, as this is expected to last for many years.  You will have recurring monthly expenses for utilities and maintenance on any style of building.  A FastCover fabric building can help to reduce a number of monthly expenses due to the nature of the materials used to manufacture the building.  The most obvious difference between a fabric building and steel or wood construction building is the use of a fabric cover.  This fabric cover offers numerous advantages.  The first is that it allows a tremendous amount of natural daylight to pass through the cover to the building’s interior, virtually eliminating the need for daytime artificial lighting.  Even on cloudy days, there is often ample light to perform most activities inside the building without flicking on the light switch and having the power meter spinning.  In early morning hours and nighttime when we no longer have the free benefit of the suns light, artificial lights can be used more efficiently as the bright white underside of the cover reflects and disperses light so that typically fewer light fixtures are needed.

Less Heat/Cold Exchange

Unlike a metal roofed building often used for storage buildings, a fabric building cover will not radiate the heat and cold of the extreme weather conditions we experience.  Combine this with a cover that is effectively a one-piece sealed membrane and there will be substantially less air through cracks and perforations traditional buildings tend to have.

Maintenance Costs on Your Roof

Some building styles require that the roofing and siding materials such as roof tar or shingles and exterior wall paint must be frequently maintained or replaced on a periodic basis.  With a FastCover fabric building chosen for your storage building, there is no need to paint or shingle the roof and walls.  The covers should be checked for tension periodically but are otherwise virtually self maintaining.  Dirt and dust have a difficult time adhering to the polyethylene fabric and normally wind and rain are enough to blow off or wash off any that does manage to sit on the covers.

The building’s steel superstructure is post-weld powder-coat painted in our own paint booth.  The extremely smooth finish helps to prevent cover wear and protects the steel framework from rust and corrosion.

Value You Can Re-Use

One cost saving factor that few other storage buildings can match is the ability to take your investment with you if your business circumstance result in a move of locations.  A FastCover building is designed with an exclusive continuous base rail frame system which affords it a tremendous range of options in regards to foundations.  So flexible are these options that the foundation itself may be temporary and if the need arises, a FastCover storage building can be disassembled, building and foundation moved, and re-erected at the new site.

Note: link to this article from commercial equipment storage

Fabric Buildings Offer More Comfort for Animals

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Whether you are raising beef cattle, exotic livestock, goats or sheep, or running a dairy farm, the comfort and health of your herd is of critical importance to your farming operation.  A healthy herd leads to a more efficient farming operation which can contribute to the bottom line of your business.  When it is time to invest in your next livestock barns consider all the ways a Fast Cover fabric building can help keep your animals in greater comfort.

Better Light Day and Night

The semi-translucent covers on a Fast Cover building allow for a tremendous amount of natural light to pass through to the interior of the building, while blocking much of the UV rays of natural sunlight.  Daytime lighting fills every inch of

Cattle Handling Barn
Cattle Barn

the building and eliminates shadowy areas.  At night, the bright white underside of the covers helps to spread artificial light throughout the building, often with a lower energy requirement and few light fixtures than a non-fabric building.  This means in the short days of our winter months it is less expensive to extend the lighting period within the building.

Ventilation & Air Volume

Properly designed livestock barns should promote good fresh air exchange.  A Fast Cover fabric building is designed with a ceiling height resulting in a large air volume inside the building.  With properly placed exhaust vents, the warm moist air common in animal housing buildings will rise upwards and be exhausted out the vents.  Cooler, fresher air is drawn in from below in what is known as the venturi effect and helps to reduce the air borne pathogens in the building air.

 

Quiet, Hushed Atmosphere

A building with walls constructed of metal brick or wood can often be noisy inside with all sounds of machinery operations or other noises echoing off the walls.  In a Fast Cover building, sounds do not echo and are dampened

Riding Arena Instruction
Riding Arena Instruction

by the fabric walls and roof cover.  This quiet, hushed atmosphere is also easier on people working within the building making it easier to communicate over distances within the building.  Buildings with metal roofs can also be quite noisy during rain storms with a metallic “ping” sound from every rain drop and a deafening sound during a hail storm which can be quite upsetting to many animals.  Rain makes a quiet hushed sound and hail bounces off without a clang.

Temperature Moderation

Many building materials will quickly radiate heat and cold from the outside of a building to the interior making it quite uncomfortable inside especially during extreme hit and cold.  The fabric covers on a Fast Cover buildings have thermally non-conductive properties which help to moderate the temperature inside.

 

More Comfort, Better Herd

A more content, low-stressed herd will feed on a regular basis which promotes weight gain.

For dairy cattle or any animals raising young, natural light and ventilation can contribute to higher milk production helping the off-spring gain weight and strength early in life.

Contact Fast Cover Buildings to learn more about the many advantages for your farm.

Manitoba Ag Days a Huge Success!

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A big Thank You to all those attendees who stopped by the FastCover booth

Manitoba Ag Days held in Brandon, MB is an annual event showcasing new and innovative products and services specifically designed for the Agricultural Sector. It is always well attended, as a no cost entry fee enables the show to draw from a very large surrounding area including other Provinces and States. It was an exceptional show for FastCover with new and existing customers looking at and making commitments to purchase new FastCovers. It is always satisfying to have existing owners of FastCovers bring acquaintances to our booth to talk about their positive experiences with their structures. There is nobody better than FastCover building owners to “sell” the benefits of FastCover ownership to new customers! Our booth was a 20′ wide x 15′ long FastCover fabric building complete with three styles of steel truss arches and the same fabric we use on agricultural and commercial buildings. We can demonstrate the real-life components of our fabric buildings and you can fell the sturdiness of the powder-coated, welded, truss building super-structure.

We are excited as to how the new year is starting with the opportunity to serve the Canadian and upper United States market. FastCover is currently serving clients in the Agricultural, Mining, Commercial/industrial, Oil/Gas, and Commercial Fishing sectors. In the event you or your business require a reasonably priced, long-lasting, Portable or Permanent Fabric Structure, we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with you on a solution that meets your needs.

Contact us at fastcoverbuildings.com, info@fastcoverbuildings.com or toll free 1-866-657-7172.

fabric buildings agribition

See us at Agribition, November 19-24, Evraz Place, Regina, Saskatchewan

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FastCover Fabric Buildings is again excited to exhibit at the Canadian Western Agribition next week. Stop by and visit the full-size FastCover display structure located in AffinityPlex, booth #800. We encourage you to come by and have the opportunity to touch, feel and see a real FastCover Fabric Structure. Don’t just order from a brochure, we have designed this display structure to assist you in your decision making process. It’s a real structure, showing our fully portable baserail, hi-tension feature and powdercoat painted components.

See More Information on Fabric Buildings for the Agriculture Industry.  These portable fabric buildings can be used as a livestock shelter, equipment storage, riding arenas, and so much more.

 

Canadian Western Agribition Details

Canadian Western Agribition, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, is the best beef show on the continent and the largest livestock show in Canada. The show is anchored by beef cattle and features horses, bison, sheep, goats, and an extensive agribusiness trade show. Canadian Western Agribition is a blend of agriculture, Indigenous culture, and festive entertainment, featuring live music, shopping, and food. The event also hosts evening pro rodeo performances for action-packed entertainment! The event is an international hub of agriculture excellence, hosting over 1,200 international guests from over 75 countries. CWA is where the world meets.

At FastCover we have and continue to be extremely busy supplying and installing FastCover Fabric Buildings. Being the manufacturer with full in-house installation services, and with the advantage of full portability of many of our structures, we have the ability to erect structures throughout the winter months. So don’t be afraid to make a good buying decision today and purchase your FastCover, Factory Direct… because it looks like it’s going to be another long Winter!

 

Sales & Show Specials

Ask about our special Winter booking Sales starting on November 19th that will save you BIG MONEY when you order any complete FastCover before December 15, 2018 for immediate or Spring delivery and installation. Call 1-866-657-7172. Please refer to “Winter Booking Sale” when calling in.

Check out our Show Specials during the show. These can be 1 only New or Display buildings that have been drastically reduced to sell and are only available in person at the show or by calling this number only: 1-204-224-3269. Please refer to the “Agribition Show Special” when calling in. We’ll see you at AffinityPlex, booth #800 at the 2018 Canadian Western Agribition.

FastCover Exhibits at Manitoba Ag Days Brandon January 16-18, 2018

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FastCover Fabric Structures will be exhibiting once again at the upcoming Manitoba Ag Days event at the Brandon Keystone Centre, January 16-18, 2018. These 3 action-packed days at Canada’s largest Indoor Farm show are an exposition of agricultural production expertise, technology and equipment that attracts exhibitors and visitors from across Canada and the United States of America. The line up of featured speakers is excellent and the Trade Exhibition alone is worth attending.

That’s where FastCover comes in! FastCover is located in City Square Exhibition Hall in the Keystone Centre and you won’t be able to miss us because we have a full size working model of a FastCover Structure in our booth. Just look for the Red/White/Red FastCover. We have some “Crazy” 1 only show specials that always sell quickly and can only be accessed at the show, plus our “Buy Now & Install in Spring” Promotion will be launched at the show.

See More Information on Buildings for the Agriculture Industry

Come and ask how the cover on FastCover Fabric Structures can keep the inside of your building warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. A more pleasant environment for both humans and livestock.

Stop by our booth and speak with our fabric building specialists about your next FastCover project, and enter your name to win one of 4 FastCover Freezer Jackets… (we think they’re cool!) See you there!  Check out the video for your invitation to Ag Days:

Agribition

See us at Agribition, November 20-25, Evraz Place, Regina, Saskatchewan

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FastCover FABRIC BUILDINGS is again excited to exhibit at the Canadian Western Agribition next week. Stop by and visit the full size FastCover display structure located in Cooperators Arena 4, Booth #1603. We encourage you to come by and have the opportunity to touch, feel and see a real FastCover structure. We have designed this structure to assist you in your decision making process. It’s a real structure, showing our fully portable baserail, hi-tension feature and powdercoat painted components.

See More Information on Buildings for the Agriculture Industry

Canadian Western Agribition, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, is the best beef show on the continent and the largest livestock show in Canada. The show is anchored by beef cattle and features horses, bison, sheep, goats, and an extensive agribusiness trade show. Canadian Western Agribition is a blend of agriculture, Indigenous culture, and festive entertainment, featuring live music, shopping, and food. The event also hosts evening pro rodeo performances for action-packed entertainment! The event is an international hub of agriculture excellence, hosting over 1,200 international guests from over 75 countries. CWA is where the world meets.

We are still extremely busy supplying and installing FastCovers and with the portability of many of our structures, we have the ability to erect structures throughout the winter months. So don’t be afraid to make a good buying decision today… because it looks like it’s going to be a long Winter!

Ask about our special Winter booking Sale starting on November 20th that will save you BIG MONEY when you order any complete FastCover before December 15, 2017 for immediate or Spring delivery. Call 1-866-657-7172. Please refer to “Winter Booking Sale” when calling in.

Check out our Show Specials during the show. These can be 1 only New or Display buildings that have been drastically reduced to sell and are only available in person at the show or by calling this number only: 1-204-224-3269. Please refer to “Agribition Show Special” when calling in.

Storage Building

See Us at Ag in Motion, July 18-20, 2017

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FastCover Fabric Structures has been exhibiting at the Ag in Motion, Western Canada’s only outdoor farm show since it’s inception 3 years ago. We are excited to be back at this great outdoor event featuring a new interactive way to get up close and personal with today’s agricultural technology. It’s one thing to buy new products for your farm after reading about them, it’s another to see them working side-by-side in the field. Outdoor Exhibits, Field Equipment Demos, and Crop Plots are all there for progressive farmers to see and feel agricultural technology in one place. Just 15 minutes northwest of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on Hwy 16, you will be amazed with the over 300 exhibits, demos and crop plots.

FastCover is an integral part of the success and longevity of your new or existing farm technology. We know you work hard to make your farm or ranch successful and re-investing in technology requires you to also protect that technology. That’s where FastCover comes in. Ag technology does not come cheap and maintaining it requires protection from the elements. Sun, snow, rain, hail, etc. can wreak havoc on your equipment. Tires crack, hoses fail, paint deteriorates and parts get damaged due to exposure from the elements all year round. Our fabric buildings are designed to protect your equipment from the elements so that they can retain their value and give you a better ROI.

The portability of many of our fabric buildings allow you to place your new FastCover in the location needed today, with the peace of mind that when you need to re-locate your structure, you can easily do so. At FastCover we pride ourselves in supplying and installing good quality fabric structures that give our customers years of satisfaction.

At FastCover, you can be assured of a quality long lasting product.  We have decades of history and experience in designing and building  Fabric covered buildings structures for a variety of industries including Farm, Ranch & Equine, Heavy Equipment, Construction, Oil & Gas. We trust you will have the opportunity to stop by our booth at Ag in Motion north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and chat with us. Ask us about our show specials and how easy it is for you to get your New FastCover.

#aginmotion #FastCoverbuildings #storageshed #farming #farmingequipment

FutureFarm Canada Expo

Visit FastCover at FutureFarm Canada Expo, Olds, Alberta

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FutureFarm Canada Expo

FastCover Fabric Structures Ltd. with their partner MBCI Engineered Fabric Structures will be exhibiting at the FutureFarm Canada Expo at Olds College in Olds, Alberta from July 6th to 8th, 2017 where you will see the latest equipment innovations available to farmers. FutureFarm Canada Expo will be the show to learn about emerging technologies, see live equipment demonstrations, gain access to educational seminars, network and celebrate agriculture throughout the day and enjoy bustling evening events. All for the price of your ticket!

FastCover Fabric Structures has been designing and manufacturing fabric structures for decades. Our designs are tried and true workhorses that continue to serve the farm and ranch community. These fabric buildings are great for farm equipment storage, livestock handling, hay storage, light industrial use, riding arenas, equipment maintenance and more. Our agricultural customers are pretty innovative people and what works today may not work tomorrow and they certainly have the ability to change directions quickly to capture any advantages that it may bring.

See More Information on Buildings for the Agriculture Industry

FastCover Portable Fabric Buildings will have a fully-functioning outdoor display structure allowing attendees to see and touch a full-size FastCover. You will be able to see the FastCover baserail system allowing full portability of our structures. The hi-tension kit on the FastCover display will show you why it is used on all our buildings for longevity. The display is fully powdercoated, like all FastCovers, to inhibit rust and provide a superior smooth finish where steel meets fabric allowing for greater longevity of fabric. The fabric shown is high density woven polyethylene that will give you decades of service.

Stop by the FastCover Booth #1101 and ask for Bob Ketcheson, our resident Alberta Fabric Building Expert. Bob will be more than happy to assist. We can be reached at 1-866-657-7172 or request more information from our website.

See you in Olds Alberta!

#fabricbuildings
#farmequipmentstorage
#futurefarmcanadaexpo

Visit FastCover at Canada’s Farm Progress Show, June 21-23, 2017

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FastCover is once again proud to be exhibiting at Canada`s Farm Progress Show June 21 – 23, 2017 at Evras Place in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The Farm Progress Show, the largest trade show in Canada covering 1.9 million sq. ft., is celebrating 40 years of success and FastCover is a proud supporter of this exciting event. Attendees give the show high ratings for the opportunity it provides to see the latest innovations and new products unveiled each year. The Farm Progress Show connects local producers and international customers with the latest in dryland farming equipment, technology, and innovation.

FastCover Fabric Structures has been designing and manufacturing fabric structures for decades. Our designs are tried and true workhorses that continue to serve the farm and ranch community. These fabric structures are great for farm equipment storage, livestock handling, hay storage, light industrial use, riding arenas, equipment maintenance and more. Our agricultural customers are pretty innovative people and what works today may not work tomorrow and they certainly have the ability to change directions quickly to capture any advantages that it may bring.

See More Information on Buildings for the Agriculture Industry

The portability of many of our fabric structures allow them to place their new FastCover in the location they need it at today, with the peace of mind that when they need to re-locate their structure, they can easily do so. At FastCover we pride ourselves in supplying and installing good quality fabric structures that give our customers years of satisfaction.
We trust you will have the opportunity to stop by our booth at Canada`s Farm Progress Show in Regina and chat with us. Ask us about our show specials and how easy it is for you to get your New FastCover.