Fishin'Rod
Member
We had excellent rains again this year, and our native grass is too thick for our quail and pheasant populations. My patch burns from last fall are even too thick.
I need to add some cattle to improve my habitat. However, my barbed wire fences are in bad shape. I believe they may be 70-100 years old, since my hedge posts in the ground have rotted and there are a few strands of "antique" barbed wire in some of the fence runs.
I do have hedge stays in the fencing at very close spacings, so I believe that if I just pounded in T-posts as needed I could repair most of the fence to a "cattle proof" condition.
The bigger problem is that significant runs of fencing have abundant volunteer trees in the fence line. These are mostly cedars and Siberian Elms. It will take me far more time to clear the trees than it will take to perform the actual fence repairs.
My question for any experts: Is it better to clear the trees and repair the old fences, or move in one tractor width and just run new fences?
If the answer is new fences, is electric the way to go to save time and money? I am in south-central Kansas. My native grasses get to chest and shoulder height every year.
Also, the old fences are in the optimal places. If the recommendation is to preserve that spacing, should I tear out the old fence, then clear trees, then install new fencing? That is more money, but if it saves enough time that could be the better approach.
Thanks, Fishin' Rod
I need to add some cattle to improve my habitat. However, my barbed wire fences are in bad shape. I believe they may be 70-100 years old, since my hedge posts in the ground have rotted and there are a few strands of "antique" barbed wire in some of the fence runs.
I do have hedge stays in the fencing at very close spacings, so I believe that if I just pounded in T-posts as needed I could repair most of the fence to a "cattle proof" condition.
The bigger problem is that significant runs of fencing have abundant volunteer trees in the fence line. These are mostly cedars and Siberian Elms. It will take me far more time to clear the trees than it will take to perform the actual fence repairs.
My question for any experts: Is it better to clear the trees and repair the old fences, or move in one tractor width and just run new fences?
If the answer is new fences, is electric the way to go to save time and money? I am in south-central Kansas. My native grasses get to chest and shoulder height every year.
Also, the old fences are in the optimal places. If the recommendation is to preserve that spacing, should I tear out the old fence, then clear trees, then install new fencing? That is more money, but if it saves enough time that could be the better approach.
Thanks, Fishin' Rod