Fences
Fences and gates. Do you imagine them lining every field in the countryside? Well you'd be astonished then how few fields actually have fences. Most look like this . . .
That is where the field meets the road. Field, ditch, road and not a fence to be seen!
To some, this may look like an invitation. Or maybe there is an oddball or two who consider anything not roped off to be public access. But this land belongs to someone.
Coming from a city background, I'm used to the idea of private territory being marked by fence. But there is an understanding among everyone who lives here that makes fences not so necessary. Think of it like the front lawns of houses in a city - they don't need a fence for you to know that you should stay off of them.
But this land - farm and ranch land - is even more valuable to its owners than a lawn. Every cropland and pasture is the basis for someone's livelihood. People here trust their neighbors and passer-bys to be respectful of their land for that reason. And most are, thank goodness.
The biggest reason for fences is to keep animals in or out (mostly in). Above is a standard permanent barbed-wire fence with steel posts. It's a very nice one, too, because all the wires are straight and tight. This fence may be used to keep cattle or horses in the pasture beyond. For scale, this fence probably comes up to the average person's waist, maybe a little taller.
This is an electric fence around a wheat field. This hard-to-see fence is a temporary set-up while the landowner lets cows munch on the stubble in this field. For some strange reason I didn't take a picture of the cows grazing in this field, but that's alright because you can look at a similar situation here. The fence is about three feet tall and very effective. It is recognizable by the bright yellow plastic insulator holding the "hot" wire in place. Unlike in the movies, touching this wire won't send you hurdling back from the shock, but it'll probably be enough to keep you (and the cows) from touching it in the future! Most cows only need to touch an electric wire once (most likely as a calf) and then they stay away from similar wire in the future.
This picture shows steel panels set against wood posts. The panels are probably six feet tall and meant to contain cattle. Panels like this can be moved around for temporary set-ups or to change the size of the enclosure to suit what you need.
This fence is also made for cattle, although its a little shorter (maybe five feet) and permanent.
Have you noticed that the barbed-wire fence I showed you before is much smaller than either of the last two fences and yet they all are meant for cattle? You might think that the barbed part makes up for the size of the fence, but actually those barbs won't break the skin of most cattle (they'll even use it to scratch their sides!). It's actually the situation inside the fence that determines what kind of fence you need. Roy's family used to breed cattle. When the cows were peacefully grazing in the pasture they didn't need much of a fence to keep them in. But when his family had to "work cows" that meant that the cattle had to be rounded up and driven into closer confinement so they could be given vaccinations or preg-checked (checked to see if they were pregnant). Although this is for their own good, the cows don't understand that and tend to resist. If a cow gets upset or feels threatened, you definitely need a larger, stronger fence to keep her from running free!
I asked Roy why they even bother using barbed-wire if it doesn't stop the cattle (and it tends to cut human hands and rip clothes). He guessed that someone thought it was a good idea once and it just stuck!
This paneling is shorter than the cattle panels. It's maybe a little lower than chest height. It is meant to keep smaller animals, like pigs or sheep. The metal goes in both directions to keep small animals from wiggling through.
There are several reasons that fences aren't used more often. First, they're expensive. Second, they're hard to maintain.
Over time, fences can get warpedand the wires may start to droop, which creates little gaps for curiouscalves to escape through!
With the wind always blowing in this part of the world, tumble weeds tend to pile up against the barbed wire. That can drag the fence down, but even worse it can be a fire hazard. Landowners have to be careful to remove the tumble weeds on a regular basis, which is a tedious job.
Now here's a special kind of "fence" . . . or maybe it's more of a "gate" . . . This is called a cattle guard. It's steel bars over a hole in the ground. Notice there is no fence above it or gate to close. That's because cattle don't like to walk over these things, so they work just as well as any gate to keep the cows from leaving. Plus, when the owners drive up in their pick-up, no one has to get out and open the gate! Cattle guards are brilliant - don't you think?
Posted by Susan at February 1, 2010 
Categories: Rural Living
Tags: barb sheep cattle guard pig gate post electric fence wire cattle barbed tumble weeds
Categories: Rural Living
Tags: barb sheep cattle guard pig gate post electric fence wire cattle barbed tumble weeds
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