Let’s Talk Fencing!

No, no, not that sword play stuff. I’m talking the nitty gritty task that has to be done all the time especially if you own pesky, fence-crawling livestock.

Not the most favorite job for some. For me, however, I find it a really good time to think about how important it is, ask “how in the heck did the settlers survive without it?”, ponder its history and how it has shaped the  ag industry…all that.

On a more honest note, it is a canvas of history. Fencers of the good, bad, and ugly have seemed to all put their efforts in to fixing the same fence you are working on. It can be a great time to learn and study different techniques and even see how some have just thrown a twist in there to get things a bit tighter ( if you are one of these individuals, please stop. It makes my job harder!) I thoroughly enjoy seeing the years that each individual fence has. You can see the different years of rust of the wires. You may never know the age, but by golly you can tell that it has been around the H-brace a time or two! See what I did there?

The different barbed wire also excites me. There is some with four barbs, some with two, some with flat barbs. The wire also comes in different gauges, or sizes, and you can tell what ultimately holds up better.

And I have not even mentioned the T-Posts or wood posts. Those hold a whole history in themselves from the amount of times a staple has been replaced to the kind of bends and twists that find their way into the steel.

Fence plays a very vital role in the livestock industry. It’s what keeps our poop in a group, if you will. It allows us to save time and money so that we do not have to constantly look after livestock and instead get other tasks done. More importantly, it allows livestock to stay safe. When fence does it’s job, it keeps livestock off the roads, drivers safer, and perhaps keeps bystanders safe from the angry neighbor bull or horse, whatever the case may be.

While some may cuss it, wishing for the good days gone by, it keeps everyone honest and is a good indication of property. The saying “good fences makes good neighbors” holds its truths. When taking the time to fix fence, you never have to worry about the ornery neighbor bull getting in with yours cows or vice versa. Fences work good internally for operations as well especially when you have set a breeding plan in place. It’s especially useful when making sure that heifers get bred to calving ease bulls and not the others that you keep on hand. It can be essential in keeping livestock sorted, too.

Interesting fact: Colorado is a “fence out state”. You are probably curious as to what exactly that means. It is legislation and a protection for livestock owners. Basically, it states that if person A who owns livestock has livestock that end up where they shouldn’t be, Person B cannot hold any legal action against Person A for any damages or for the simplicity of pestering because they are just as much responsible for making sure their fences are in good condition. Just like anything, it has its pros and cons. Look it up if you are more interested in this topic!