February 13, 2017
Introduction to Electric Fence | Gallagher Fence
The need to protect crops from hungry wildlife is as old as farming. The knowledge that moving livestock to new pastures improves their diet is as old as ranching. What’s less than a century old is getting these jobs done by putting electricity on fence wires. Around 75 years ago, the tools and techniques for portable electric fencing were developed, and agriculture hasn’t been the same since. Modern electric fencing is one of the most versatile and cost-effective tools available to the sustainable farmer who needs to contain domestic animals or protect plantings, poultry, and livestock from wild animals. For a fairly small investment (as farm equipment and supplies go) you can build and use electric fence for many different purposes, such as separating deer from seedling trees, rabbits from garden lettuce, weaned calves from cows, bears from beehives, or foxes from chickens. Where electric fence has really revolutionized sustainable agriculture is in making rotational grazing (a.k.a. management intensive grazing, or MIG) easy as well as flexible enough to adjust quickly to changing weather and seasons. Portable electric fencing used for rotational grazing will increase the carrying capacity of your pastures, improve the quality of your soils, enhance the overall ecological health of your land,
