From the Barns: Caring for fences

The last two weeks have been an absolute flurry of activity here at River Oak. I have been involved more with the cows than usual with Carson tied up with chopping triticale and then mowing, raking, baling and hauling the following week. All our work is so much weather dependent that quite often things need to happen all at once in a small window. Those are the times we need all the equipment to work and have all hands on task.

I rather enjoy time back with the cows and their grazing. It is definitely a slower pace with one simple piece of equipment, an ATV or UTV, and time to enjoy all the sounds and smells of nature and the cattle.

My usual tasks involve caring for fences and water sources. I have been kept busy with those due to floodwater, wind damage and an increase in deer damage. The deer seem to be high in population and less aware of where our fences are located. The one-wire, high-tensile fence holds up very well against most hazards, as long as segments have tighteners and springs both in line.

Gates, not so much. I am tempted to use only the least expensive gates. I counted up and we have at least 145 single-wire gates, so that exposes us to damages in a way I had not really thought about. When deer hit a single-wire gate, the handle is often damaged beyond salvage. Gate handles range in price from $10 to $2, but you get what you pay for, for sure, in that range. We prefer the orange Gallagher gate handles, but they are the most expensive. When the springs get stretched, we sometimes just shorten the wire and keep on using them as long as possible.

The charge reading on our south fences was low this morning, so I used the process of elimination to locate the draw down in voltage. One of our largest and tallest cherry trees had blown down in the high winds on Thursday and landed completely across the one-wire, high-tensile fence on the north end of paddock 12B. Cattle were not present there, but the line fed the fences where they were further east of the event.

It took three hours of chainsaw and then tractor work to clear it completely. The good part was that the wire was never broken and the spring power brought it right back to the original height when all was cleaned up. I sure wish we could know where and when those events are to occur.

In the middle of all the usual happenings, we were happy to host the Illinois Junior Beef Tour, attend the all-day Illinois Beef Association Annual Meeting, take the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition fencing trailer to Bloomington to be “wrapped” — wait until you see that — and make a pasture consultation visit on the way home. By the way, those consultations are free, courtesy of the IL GLC.

As it heats up, stay safe and sane!