Reasons to Consider Electric Fencing
Electric fencing, sometimes called power fencing, is an effective way to control
livestock on most farms. The only places where electric fences should not be used
are in cattle-handling facilities where quick exits might be necessary or near the
milking facilities of dairy operations.
Advantages
Electric fencing offers two major advantages over other types of fencing. One
is cost. The cost to install a four-strand, barbed-wire fence is about $5,000 per
mile. The cost to install a typical, single-wire, electric fence is about $1,600 per
mile. If necessary, additional wires can be added to an electric-fence for about 10
cents per foot. There could be additional costs to install electric fencing in certain
cases. For instance, Missouri law requires that property line fences be at least four
feet tall and have posts at least every 12 feet.
The other big advantage of electric fencing is its ease of construction, which
improves forage management opportunities. Small pastures can greatly enhance
harvest efficiency and increase the amount of forage produced from a grazing system
because of the amount of rest that is introduced into the system.
