February 19, 2016
This is our new logo for valley farm supply. We sell electric fence chargers and energizers from many different makers such as gallagher, speedrite, patriot, parmak, cyclops, stafix, zareba, red snapper, and many more.
please visit our website at www.valleyfarmsupply.comfor deals on electric fence for cattle and livestock farms and ranches.
February 16, 2016
February 16, 2016
I live in bear country. Every year I have visitors checking out my chicken coop, bee hives, and food forest. Yes, they take a peek through my living room window not even blinking an eye when my three dogs bark at them. Bears are, next to coyotes, mountain lions, and eagles, the main predators on my homestead.
So, when I decided to get bees, I did a ton of research on the best way to protect my bees. There was not one set-up I really liked, so I took a bunch of ideas and put together my own seasonal bear-proof fencing; you might call it a fortress, but so far, it is working.
When I started reading up on my bear fence I felt like I was back in school. Positive and negative charge, circuit completion, grounding… let me see if I can give you a basic idea: An electric fence uses electric shocks to deter, in this case, the bear from getting into my bee hives. It is set up to create a circuit that, only if completed, will shock the animal.
An electric fence circuit is composed of different parts: The fence charger with a negative and a positive outlet, the positive wire, and the negative or grounding wire/rod/fencing.
In my setup, the energizer fence terminal (positive outlet) is connected to the insulated fence wires (hot). The energizer earth terminal (negative outlet) is connected to 1. The galvanized metal stakes (grounding rods) driven into the ground, the welded wire fencing put up behind the fence wires, the welded wire fencing put on the ground surrounding the fence, and the grounding (negative) fence wire put up in between the positive wires.
The bear has to be in contact with both negative and positive charge at the same time to get shocked. That is called ‘circuit completion.’ That is why for example, a bird sitting on the wire will not receive a shock. When putting up your fencing you really want to make sure you have a solid grounding system (grounding rods and/or welded wire on the ground, etc.) to reach full protection.
Location
When I choose the location for my hives I took several questions into consideration:
•Is this a snow loaded area during the long winter which would make it hard to access?
•Where does the sun hit the area, especially during the winter?
•Is there some wind protection? The cold is not the bees’ worst enemy; it is actually the strong winds.
•Is there sufficient amount of space to build a bigger enclosure than I think I need (in case I want to add hive boxes down the road)?
•Is the grass growing “wild and tall”? This would require for me to clear cut underneath the electric wire all the time.
Size of area fenced in
I wanted a bigger area with the option to add hive boxes during the years to come and build an earthen shelter for my bees so they would be more protected from the gust winter storms. I needed space and chose my enclosure to be 50×60 feet.
Height of fence
There are different opinions regarding the height of the enclosure. I opted for 5.5 feet.
Voltage
Long-haired animals, like the bear, require a minimum voltage of 5,000 volts to receive a shock. Pretty common for a bear fence is 12,000 volts with amperage of one or less to deliver a painful enough shock. 12 volt batteries are pretty standard and you can find them in most ranch supply stores.
I am listen below the things I needed to build my fence, plan accordingly if you make a bigger or smaller fence.
| Items | Quantity |
| Wooden non-treated or cedar fence posts.I bought 8 footers since I wanted the welded wire portion of the fence to be 5 feet high, being lifted off the ground 1/2 a foot. So, two feet in the ground, 1/2 foot before the welded wire starts, and a little extra on top | 18 |
| Grounding rods | 3 at least 3 feet long |
| Ground rod clamps which go with the grounding rods | 3 |
| Garden staples to attach the welded wire fencing to the ground | 50 |
| Gate handles | 7 |
| Electric wire: 12 to 16 gauge wire is the most common size range used in electric fencing | Depending on how many rows of wire you are putting up and if you have other projects (i.e. chicken run) I would buy a big spool |
| Split bolt wire connectors to connect the wires to each other | 2 packages |
| Wood Post Screw-in Ring Insulator | 100 |
| Corner lag insulators | Those come in packages of 5. I bought 4 packages |
| Wood post gate anchor insulator | 14 |
| Bull nose strainer | 5 insulated and 1 non-insulated bull nose/wire strainer |
| Insulated tubes to tie around posts | 2 packages of 10 |
| Crimp sleeves (size depends on the wire you buy). | 0ne box of 100 |
| Fence charger/energizer | There are two types of fence chargers: 1. Mains powered, you plug them into a mains power supply let’s say at your house and 2. Battery/Solar powered: Is what I have because you can just leave them outside no matter where the hives are |
| 12 volt deep-cycle battery | 1 |
| T-posts for corner enforcement | 4 |
| Fencing nails | 1 bucket (I have them around, so I didn’t count…) |
| 12 foot galvanized wires to attach to corner/T-posts | 4 |
| Clamps to hold heavy wire on corner posts together (size depends on wire diameter you get) | 16 |
1. Fence posts
Once you determined where you want the enclosure, you want to mark/flag the individual posts (mine are 8 feet apart) before you start digging. Note that you want the corner posts to be braced in some way or another. I chose to use heavy wire and anchor it to a T-post pounded in in the ground in an angle. To achieve the tension you want, it helps to wrap a ratchet strap around the corner post, tighten it, and then close the clamps. Tamp each post really well, so they will not move when you stretch the welded wire.
2. Putting welded wire up
You want the welded wire fencing to go on the inside of the enclosure, with the exception of the corner posts which you stretch the fencing around. Use a fence tensioner and if you have a tractor to pull the fencing tight. If not, a camelong is really helpful. Once the fence is stretched right, nail it to the wooden posts.
3. Putting electric wire up
Mark your posts at 1, 2, 3, 3.5, 4, and 5 feet, pre-drill and put the screw-in insulators in. From the ground up I place: 1. Bottom wire (hot), 2. Hot wire 3. Hot wire 4. Ground wire 5. Hot wire 6. Ground wire. You want the wire to dead end, not go up and around. The wire does not have to be super tight.
4. Building your gate
I made the gate wide enough so I could drive in with my little tractor. Think about what you want to be able to get through the gate and design it accordingly: a wheelbarrow, a lawnmower? Also, I added 2 hot and 1 ground wire to the gate to give extra protection.
5. Installing charger and grounding rods
You want the fence charger to be inside the fence, close to the gate. I have it set up so I can reach inside and unhook the hot wire at any point. I have it sitting on the ground, some people like attaching it to a pole.
6. Grounding
Proper grounding is essential and maybe I overdid it a little, but here is what I did:
• I put three grounding rods, 10 feet apart, along the inside parameter of the fence. You want to connect those with wire and hook them up to the negative charge on your charger
• To improve the ground around the perimeter of the fence I added long pieces of the welded wire I cut in half (length-wise) laying on the ground around the outside of the fence.
• And, lastly, I added one negative wire to the whole parameter and 2 negative wires to the gate.
With all of these different methods of grounding you want to make sure that they are properly connected.
7. Testing your fence
You do want to make sure you connected everything correctly and the fence actually works.
The image below shows how electricity flows.
Image from http://www.gallagherusa.com/electric-fencing/electricfence101.aspx
Maintance
February 08, 2016
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Thank you from your friends at Valley Farm Supply 717-786-0368 or valleyfarmsupply@aol.com
February 06, 2016
TOP TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES (HSUS)
1. HSUS spends nearly 2/3rds of its massive revenue stream on fundraising and salaries. In 2012, they generated $125 million from donations, $42 million of which went towards fundraising efforts and $44.3 million towards salaries.
2. In the 2014 election cycle, HSUS spent well over $5 million in direct contributions and independent expenditures on candidate races, former candidate pay-offs, and ballot issues. This doesn’t even include the money spent on lobbying efforts.
3. HSUS placed $26 million of reported “investments” in the Cayman Islands. This is just one of the many financial deceptions that has prompted members of our U.S. Congress to call for IRS investigations into HSUS’s 501 (c)3 tax standing.
4. In March 2014, a consumer alert was issued to Oklahomans by Attorney General Pruitt’s office in response to concerns over HSUS’s fundraising practices. Pruitt’s office then launched an investigation into HSUS fundraising appeals made in OK following a 2013 tornado. HSUS was also investigated, years earlier, by the Louisiana Attorney General following an HSUS ad campaign that raised a reported $35 million as New Orleans was recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Not all of that money made it back to Louisiana in the form of aid. Tax forms show less than $8.6 million was disbursed by HSUS that year in the form of grants, worldwide, while HSUS said they could account for $18 million that was supposedly used in Louisiana to aid recovery and help animals.
5. HSUS paid $15 million to Feld Entertainment to avoid racketeering charges in a RICO case against them. 5` Racketeering is any criminal activity that is performed to benefit an organization, a charge that is typically used against organized crime syndicates. The reason HSUS was forced into paying that settlement is that they paid a key witness in a separate trial against Feld Entertainment (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus) to provide false testimony against Feld.
6. To reiterate, the last two letters in RICO stand for Corrupt Organizations. Wayne Pacelle, HSUS President and Chief Executive Officer, is a former director of radical activist group Fund for Animals and also has strong ties to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a group that has used violence against fishing boats. Since joining HSUS, Pacelle has distanced himself from his more radical past, often denouncing those groups.
7. Some direct quotes from the HSUS president
“I don’t love animals or think they are cute.”
– Yale Daily News
ect quotes taken from
“One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals.”
– Quoted in Animal People, May 1993.
“In fact, I don’t want to see another cat or dog born.”
8. While its President may not love animals, many at HSUS do and are dedicated to preventing animal use in any capacity. This is represented in its Three R’s philosophy on its website.
The three R’s they refer to are:
REDUCING the consumption of meat and other animal-based foods;
REFINING the diet by eating products only from animals who have been raised, transported, and slaughtered in a system of humane, sustainable agriculture that does not abuse the animals; and REPLACING meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods.
9. HSUS has a proven track record of pursuing its meatless/animal-free agenda regardless of the consequences, harming farmers, ranchers, sportsmen, animal owners, and most importantly, consumers. In fact, on January 1st, 2015, California’s Prop. 2 and AB 1437 (“enriched” cage requirements on egg-laying hens) went into effect. This HSUS-backed legislation caused a tremendous spike in the price of eggs, the costs of which were passed on to consumers all across the country.
10. Humane Society of the United States is one of the top non-profits in the country in terms of influence in both government and public sectors. Unfortunately for HSUS, its influence doesn’t extend to its charitable ratings. Charity Navigator, one of the most respected charity evaluators, revoked HSUS’s rating on its website in 2014, replacing it with a “Donor Advisory” warning.
Please do not support HSUS!
February 03, 2016
February 02, 2016
February 01, 2016
1. How do you compare units (acres versus miles versus .17 joule)
There is no set standard by which to compare similar products. The same charge, same wire and same grounding set-up will often lead to different types of advertising for those products. For instance, “Company X” [name redacted] tests a single strand of wire under perfect conditions to come up with their advertised numbers.
When Gallagher’s S-17 is tested, it is tested under field conditions in New Zealand with a multi-wire set ups (including cross fencing) on many different classes of livestock. So when you see the S-17 advertised, you know what you are getting.
When you are comparing products to purchase, keep in mind that everyone’s testing conditions are different— it depends on the livestock, the regional environment and etc.
2. How important are ground rods?
There are three components integral when considering electric fence as an option for your livestock: energizer, wire and grounding. It is recommended that you utilize three ground rods when building fence for livestock. Why? The ground rods are the “antenna” that pick up and deliver the electricity being used to effectively keep your animal penned in—more rods used, the more efficient the fence will be. More power completing the circuit and delivered to the offending animal. If you don’t use enough ground rods in your fence, your bull will walk right through it. Grounding is one of the most important aspects of fencing that is overlooked—you need check to make sure you have the right solution for your fencing needs.
3. What’s the capacity of the S-17?
The S-17 is recommended for small acreage areas. The S-17 (17 because it sends a .17 Joule charge down the line) has been proven to work on multi-wire areas up to 1 mile of fence. The solar power operation is ideal for permanent installations or remote locations. It has been used for bulls, sheep, even to keep bears out of honey bee hives. Another important aspect to consider when selecting an energizer is the wire—for instance, some wires have a resistance have 10K Ohms/mi. (ideal for under ¼ mile) and some have a resistance of 209 Ohms/mi. The lower the resistance number, the more power is delivered down the line.
*From North 40 Outfitters
January 31, 2016
January 30, 2016
BUY HERE! A light weight (16 lb), complete in a bag kit for a 40’ square corral. Quick and easy to assemble. Great forpack trips, horse shows or any event requiring a temporary enclosure.
• 1 B11 Energizer
• 1 Insul-Grip Gate Handle
• 1 EquiBraid Spool
• 1 Ground Rod
• 10 Pigtail Treadins
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