Of Field Fencing and Cattle Panels

So, I built this great wattle fence, but before too long the wood became weak and was no longer suitable to hold our goats securely. Our next fencing endeavor was to install field fencing. This fencing was fairly sturdy, and to stretch the wire as we put it up we used our tractor. It worked well! After a couple years, the goats ate most of the browse in the pasture, and started leaning on the fence to reach what was on the other side. After many lean-ons from ambitious goats, the fence stretched drastically and bowed and sagged! We added posts here and there, but we finally started on what I hope will be the final solution.

Cattle panels. The 16 foot sections of wire are VERY sturdy, though considerably more pricey than field fencing. However, I believe they make up for that downfall in two ways. First of all, they will outlive a field fence by many years. Second, the sections are kind of like lego blocks, in that if you decide to take down the fence, you can put it up somewhere else, or even sell the sections if you want. This is not an option with field fencing! Now...we do use t-posts with the cattle panels, and they are clipped together with the wire clips that are included with the purchase of the t-posts. I highly recommend using these over using wooden posts and staples.

If you find yourself needing to replace your field fencing, please consider using cattle panels. Even if you can only afford to do it one piece at a time, it is a semi-permanent investment that will save you time and effort now...and time, effort, and money in the future.

If you don't have access to a trailer to haul the cattle panels, you can do what my friend did to get hers home. She has a Ford Mustang, and she strapped hers over the top of her car, bumper to bumper. No kidding! Made her car kind of look like a Volkswagon Beetle...