Fences for Your Farm: Find the Best System for Your Farm and Animals

Fencing is a strange thing - on one hand it's an investment that isn't cheap so investing in quality is good. On the other hand if you're getting into quality animals it's the least expensive and most controllable part of the system.

A long held saying is good fences are hog tight, horse high and bull strong. They're sufficient for whatever someone puts in the field. As more places cater to appearance there's another factor in fences that are functional and decorative. Fences that are easy to maintain will get the maintenance to last longer. With good planning it's easy to put up a fence that will still be there and functional in 30 years. For looking at fencing that the initial cost may be in the thousands of dollars but if spread over the course of 20-30 years it's very easily the least expensive thing. Feed costs, fuel, insurance and many other costs vary - a good fence, properly installed, will need a minimum of annual maintenance to maintain structure and appearance.

There are obviously different types of fencing. Some use one type of fence for the perimeter - the fence that goes around the property. Others use the same thing to divide fields as well as around the property while others use one type of fence across the front and others down the sides/back.

Before pricing fencing consider carefully several factors. How long will you have your property? What will you raise? Is there any chance things might change? When looking at permanent things be sure to include what if. What if your plan to raise horses changes due to illness? What if cattle are too much for you to handle? What if the latest exotic animal craze ends up a bust? Consider what you're fencing and all aspects of that.