What You Need to Know Before You Fix Fence
Fixing fences in the spring can be quite a task. This is especially true for cattle producers who have been hit repeatedly with heavy snow and ice over the winter months. Neil Mentzer shares his favorite fencing tips and tools with cattle producers to help make their spring fencing tasks easier and ensure cattle stay where they belong this spring and summer.
Basic Electric Fence Setup
Getting the basics right is essential when it comes to building electric fences that work. Cattle producers need to not only do a basic fence run to make sure all wires are up, untangled and don’t have any tree limbs on them; but also make sure they have a proper ground system, good insulators and a working energizer.
When it comes to grounding and your whole pasture. It's the most important and serves as the heart of the system. So we can say that's kind of like our, you know, those are our arteries pumping the blood back to our heart. Well, it's pumping all that energy for that charger. So it's a very important aspect of the charger. - Neil Mentzer
If it is a pasture you use each year, you most likely aren’t going to be putting in a new ground rod. But, you still need to check and make sure your ground rod is far enough in the ground and connected to the energizer with a 12 1/2 gauge wire. If you are using solar-powered energizers, be sure to let them charge for 4-5 days before turning the fence on and turning out cattle.
Tools to Make the Job Easier
Cross-fences and offsets are an important part of fencing and grazing systems. Mentzer shares that he is excited about a few tools to help make putting in cross-fences easier. One of these tools is reel to help roll and unroll electric wire. You can use this to build your cross-fences as it easily allows you to string the wire and clips onto the post at the end of the fence when you are done. Mentzer also shares that the Smart Fence and Tumblewheels are other options for cross-fencing. The Smart Fence is a pre-made 4-strand fence that folds and unfolds for you to transport it and move it to new locations in your pastures. The Tumble Wheels allow you to roll your fence where you want it to go.
For producers putting in offsets, remember to have your electric wire about 34 inches off the ground if you are running mixed species or a little higher if you running only cattle in the pastures. Make sure your wire is also 4-6 inches away from the perimeter fence and always use high tensile wire to reduce tangling too.
May your spring fencing go smoothly this year and your cattle stay in! Happy Ranching!
