Jay Vogt, South Dakota's historic preservation officer and director of the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre, describes barns in the region as "an iconic symbol of rural life."

But there's been a problem in the state, as these structures are disappearing, he said to The Argus Leader.

Often, "if you don't use the barn, it falls into disrepair faster," Vogt said.

What to do? In place of aging traditional barns, massive utilitarian rectangles are being erected on concrete slabs, with their resistive metal building sides and roofs shielding feed, haybales, hulking machinery, workbenches and more for less money and maintenance.

The decision to build a modern metal building with a typical gable roof often is based on practicality.

"You get more square footage for less money compared to the older style," Jon Gustad, construction center manager for Morton Buildings in Sioux Falls, said of these units and today's steel building prices.

However, to Dick Wire of Madison, the older barns are irreplaceable. The tax accountant bought an acreage just outside of town 20 years ago that contains twin dairy barns apparently built in the 1920s, and he considers their upkeep part of his mission in life.

Wire, 59, grew up on a farm at Fedora. He wanted to find a home that reflected his roots, and when five acres came up for auction containing two identical-looking barns, "I was just kind of intrigued by it," he said.

Wire mostly uses the barns for parking and storage, but they're also a teaching tool to help a future generation understand why they were ever built.

His four-year-old grandson, Sam Olson of Madison, loves spending time at Grandpa's place, and Wire loves telling Sam stories about barns and how farm life used to be.

To Wire, "the barn symbolizes a family working together," with kids involved in the work and learning responsibility.