Farmers have been taking advantage of the recent mild weather and are getting cattle out to grass.
This has been most common in the south and east of the country.
We are still in February and conditions can change at the drop of a hat but it is great to take the opportunity to graze when possible.
With calving still under way, it is important that your grazing infrastructure is working effectively. There is no time at this time of year for breakouts and to avoid these you need an electric fence working to its optimum. Farmers often complain that their fencer (charger/energiser) is not working as well as they would like. To help identify the problem here is a handy checklist:
1 Is there a good earthing system in place?
All electric current wants to get back to source. The fence unit connected to a wire on its own is useless without a properly functioning earthing system.
Therefore, power on the fence wire needs to get back to the fencer via the earthing system.
If an electric fence touches an uninsulated wire or a lot of vegetation such as nettles, thistles or earthed material, almost all of the power pulse will be drained from the wire and the shock felt by the animal will be minimal.
To set up the earthing system, you will need 1m-long earth bars, each driven fully into damp ground and spaced 3m apart.
The number of bars required depends on the size of the fencer and the type of soil. Stoney ground requires more earth bars.
Damp ground is preferable as it will be a better conductor of current and should result in the fence giving a better shock. Here is a guideline for the number of bars required:
A 50ac fencer needs one earth bar.A 100ac fencer needs two earth bars.A 200ac fencer needs four earth bars.A 300ac fencer needs six earth bars.2 Is the fence well
maintained?
As mentioned earlier, all electric current on the fence line wants to get back to source.
Having enough earth rods is essential for the fence system to work effectively
Therefore, fence maintenance is essential to ensure the chance of leaks is minimised. Farmers should check their fence line regularly to make sure there are no signs of leakage.
The following fence line maintenance tasks should be carried out to make sure power is not being lost:
Replace damaged or broken insulators.Correct wire tension to avoid swaying in the wind.Remove excess vegetation growth.Check wire connections under gates.Ensure all wire connections are tight and joined wires make a good connection.When walking the farm, walk by hedges and remove any heavy briars or thistles that are hanging over the wire.Having a fencer capable of 100 acres being used for 50 acres will allow 50% of the power capabilities of the fencer to be used to keep back vegetation.3 Is the fencer strong enough?
Fence sizes are described by different companies in different ways. Some will list the fencer by the number of acres it will cover while others will say the amount of miles and some will list the number of joules.
Whatever the system, you should assume they are providing ideal conditions – weed-free lines and a perfect earthing system.
The best way to compare fencers is to examine the maximum output joule rating. This is the real power available to drive voltage along the fence wire.
A rule of thumb says that if you double the output joules, you will double the shock length. Mile and acre measures can also be useful for comparing one fencer against the other but the recommendations have to be taken in context.
For example, a fence line might be two miles long but if there are two rows of wire in that line the distance is effectively doubled.
Acreage measure can also be misleading but again when comparing two different types of fencers it can give you some idea.
For outfarms or areas where there is no power source, farmers can use solar- or battery-powered fencers.
A solar cell battery and electric fence are useful for outfarms.
Fence tester
There is a range of fence testers on the market now that will give you a reading of the voltage on a fence line.
Some will give a reading showing the direction of a fault to make life easier for a quick maintenance check.
Most agricultural stores and co-op shops would have these on sale. They are very useful for any farmer depending on an electrical fencing system.
Fence testers are a must for farmers depending on electric fences for grazing livestock.
Farmers have been taking advantage of the recent mild weather and are getting cattle out to grass.
This has been most common in the south and east of the country.
We are still in February and conditions can change at the drop of a hat but it is great to take the opportunity to graze when possible.
With calving still under way, it is important that your grazing infrastructure is working effectively. There is no time at this time of year for breakouts and to avoid these you need an electric fence working to its optimum. Farmers often complain that their fencer (charger/energiser) is not working as well as they would like. To help identify the problem here is a handy checklist:
1 Is there a good earthing system in place?
All electric current wants to get back to source. The fence unit connected to a wire on its own is useless without a properly functioning earthing system.
Therefore, power on the fence wire needs to get back to the fencer via the earthing system.
If an electric fence touches an uninsulated wire or a lot of vegetation such as nettles, thistles or earthed material, almost all of the power pulse will be drained from the wire and the shock felt by the animal will be minimal.
To set up the earthing system, you will need 1m-long earth bars, each driven fully into damp ground and spaced 3m apart.
The number of bars required depends on the size of the fencer and the type of soil. Stoney ground requires more earth bars.
Damp ground is preferable as it will be a better conductor of current and should result in the fence giving a better shock. Here is a guideline for the number of bars required:
A 50ac fencer needs one earth bar.A 100ac fencer needs two earth bars.A 200ac fencer needs four earth bars.A 300ac fencer needs six earth bars.2 Is the fence well
maintained?
As mentioned earlier, all electric current on the fence line wants to get back to source.
Having enough earth rods is essential for the fence system to work effectively
Therefore, fence maintenance is essential to ensure the chance of leaks is minimised. Farmers should check their fence line regularly to make sure there are no signs of leakage.
The following fence line maintenance tasks should be carried out to make sure power is not being lost:
Replace damaged or broken insulators.Correct wire tension to avoid swaying in the wind.Remove excess vegetation growth.Check wire connections under gates.Ensure all wire connections are tight and joined wires make a good connection.When walking the farm, walk by hedges and remove any heavy briars or thistles that are hanging over the wire.Having a fencer capable of 100 acres being used for 50 acres will allow 50% of the power capabilities of the fencer to be used to keep back vegetation.3 Is the fencer strong enough?
Fence sizes are described by different companies in different ways. Some will list the fencer by the number of acres it will cover while others will say the amount of miles and some will list the number of joules.
Whatever the system, you should assume they are providing ideal conditions – weed-free lines and a perfect earthing system.
The best way to compare fencers is to examine the maximum output joule rating. This is the real power available to drive voltage along the fence wire.
A rule of thumb says that if you double the output joules, you will double the shock length. Mile and acre measures can also be useful for comparing one fencer against the other but the recommendations have to be taken in context.
For example, a fence line might be two miles long but if there are two rows of wire in that line the distance is effectively doubled.
Acreage measure can also be misleading but again when comparing two different types of fencers it can give you some idea.
For outfarms or areas where there is no power source, farmers can use solar- or battery-powered fencers.
A solar cell battery and electric fence are useful for outfarms.
Fence tester
There is a range of fence testers on the market now that will give you a reading of the voltage on a fence line.
Some will give a reading showing the direction of a fault to make life easier for a quick maintenance check.
Most agricultural stores and co-op shops would have these on sale. They are very useful for any farmer depending on an electrical fencing system.
Fence testers are a must for farmers depending on electric fences for grazing livestock.
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