Agricultural Fencing

Why this matters

Agricultural fencing serves different purposes than residential: containing livestock, deterring predators, marking property. The construction is different (wire fabric vs panels), the materials are different (T-posts vs vinyl), and the customer is different (farmer, rancher, hobby farm). A contractor who serves agricultural customers needs specific knowledge of livestock requirements and the available fence types.

Fence types for agriculture

Woven wire (sheep / goat / cattle)

• Pre-fabricated wire fabric
• Various heights and patterns
• Contains most livestock
• Common rural fence

Barbed wire (cattle)

• Standard cattle fence
• 4 to 5 strands typical
• Posts every 10 to 16 ft
• Inexpensive for large areas

High-tensile wire (cattle, horses)

• Smooth wire under high tension
• Less injury to animals than barbed
• 5 to 7 strands
• Modern preferred

Electric fence (containment + deterrent)

• Single or multiple wire strands
• Connected to electric energizer
• Brief shock if animal touches
• Effective for many animals

Field fence / hog wire

• Heavier woven wire
• Smaller openings at bottom (deter hogs and predators)
• Standard rural fence

Post and rail (decorative + horse)

• Wood posts with horizontal rails
• Traditional ranch appearance
• Contains larger animals

Combination

• Different fence types for different sections
• Standard for diverse farms

Specific animals

Cattle

• Standard: 4 to 5 strand barbed wire, OR
• 5 to 7 strand high-tensile, OR
• 4 to 5 ft woven wire
• Posts every 10 to 16 ft typical
• 4 to 5 ft height

Horses

• High-tensile preferred (no barbed; cuts horses)
• 4 to 5 strand smooth wire
• Sometimes wood rail for visibility
• 5 ft height typical

Sheep / goats

• Woven wire fabric (smaller openings)
• 4 ft height typical
• Electric supplementary for goats (climbers)

Hogs

• Hog wire / field fence at bottom
• Top wire (barbed or electric)
• 4 ft typical
• May need buried bottom to prevent digging

Poultry

• Poultry netting
• Specific opening sizes
• 4 to 6 ft for chickens
• Higher for ducks / geese (less effective)

Deer

• 8+ ft high fence
• Woven wire
• Specific deer fencing products
• Some electric deer fence

Predator deterrent

• High strands (top deters jumping)
• Buried bottom (deters digging)
• Electric (deters attempt)
• Specific to local predators

Post types

Wood posts

• 6 to 7 ft (4 to 5 ft above grade)
• 6 to 8 inch diameter typical for line posts
• Larger for corners (8 to 12 inch)
• Treated for ground contact

Steel T-posts

• 5 to 7 ft (4 to 5 ft above grade)
• Driven into ground with post driver
• Cheaper and faster than wood
• Standard for barbed wire fences

Concrete posts

• Premium for very long-term installations
• Some areas with termites or rot
• Expensive

Steel pipe

• Heavy-duty corner / brace posts
• Welded to T-post line fence
• For cattle / horse fence

Specific assemblies

H-brace (corner / end)

Standard corner construction:

• Two posts
• Horizontal brace between
• Diagonal wire (top of one post to bottom of other; tightened with twitch stick)
• Provides leverage to take fence tension

Floating brace

• Wood post braced into the ground with rocks / concrete
• Simpler than H-brace
• Used for some corner applications

T-post pull

• T-posts braced together with cross-bracing
• For shorter fence runs
• Common in pasture fence

Installation specifics

Post spacing

• Cattle barbed wire: 12 to 16 ft typical
• Horse fence: 8 to 10 ft (more posts; less wire sag)
• Woven wire: 10 to 12 ft
• Electric: 50 to 100 ft (posts mostly for support; wire is rigid)

Wire tension

• Critical for fence performance
• Specific tools (wire stretcher, fence stretcher)
• Tighten until wire just begins to sing
• Then secure

Splicing wire

• Inline splice
• Specific technique (wrap together with specific number of turns)
• Quality of splice affects fence longevity

Gate placement

• At natural travel paths
• 12 to 16 ft for vehicle / equipment
• 4 ft for pedestrian
• Specific gates for livestock

Electric fence specifics

Energizer

• Solar or AC-powered
• Sized by fence length
• Common: 0.5 to 8 joule for residential / small farm
• Higher joule for longer fence or more aggressive animals

Wire

• Specific high-tensile wire
• Insulators on posts (wire isolated from ground)
• Multiple strands often (high, mid, low)

Grounding

• 3+ ground rods (6 ft each)
• Connected to energizer ground terminal
• Critical for fence to function
• Common failure point

Testing

• Fence tester (measures voltage at the wire)
• Standard: 6,000+ volts for effective deterrence
• Verify voltage at the far end (not just at energizer)

Customer education

For agricultural customer:

• Specific livestock containment requirements
• Material options and costs
• Installation timeline
• Maintenance expectations
• Warranty terms

Maintenance

Agricultural fence:

• Annual inspection
• Repair damaged sections
• Reset leaning posts
• Re-tension wire as needed
• For electric: verify voltage; replace insulators

Common agricultural fence errors

Wrong fence for the livestock

• Cattle fence for goats: doesn't contain
• Standard barbed for horses: injures horses

Insufficient post depth

• Posts lean / heave
• Wire stretches; fence sags

Inadequate corner brace

• Wire pulls corners in
• Fence becomes crooked

Loose wire

• Animals push through
• Fence ineffective

Electric fence grounding inadequate

• Fence doesn't function
• Energizer fails to deliver voltage

References

• ASTM A116 (Standard Specification for Metallic-Coated, Steel Woven Wire Fence Fabric).
• USDA livestock guidelines for fencing.
• State-specific livestock fencing requirements.
• Manufacturer literature: Red Brand, Bekaert, Tractor Supply, Premier 1.
• Manuall internal: Fence Contractor Post Setting Depth and Concrete.