I just discovered this website. These guys are building some really nice barns in Vermont. They are post-and-beam but framed mostly with dimensional lumber. The coolest thing is their buttressed floor beams that allow them to have a clear span inside. They also use diagonal framing for racking strength. Check it out!
http://www.geobarns.com/index.htm
Beautiful buildings! However, framing with all those heavy beams and those diagonal studs (maybe they're called "zuds") would surely be an adventure. I would probably pull out what hair I have left by the time I was able to layout those bad boys.