CONNERSVILLE, Ind. (AP): Indiana trails other states in its efforts to save classic wooden barns, and preservation experts say the rural landmarks could soon become a thing of the past.

Age and changing farming practices have turned many of the structures into relics that are allowed to collapse or are being dismantled.

Republican Rep. Bob Cherry of Greenfield says some farmers are reluctant to fix their barns because that will increase their taxes.

He has tried twice to get a bill passed in the Indiana General Assembly that would exempt historic barns from the property tax rolls, but both efforts failed.

More than 664,000 barns built before 1960 were still in use on U.S. farms in 2007.