“GOOD fences make good neighbours”, wrote poet, Robert Frost in his 1914 poem, Mending Wall.

They also make for good farm management – think laneways and control of grazing pressure.

Containment areas, much discussed this year, also depend on good fencing.

So what is the state of play with fencing?

Fencing technology generally moves at a fairly sedate pace but there are significant things happening.

Wire

WIRE, a critical fencing component, has a venerable history having been invented about 200BC.

Early wires were produced by laboriously pulling metal through a series of increasingly smaller holes, a process refined over centuries.

By the Middle Ages, wire was widely used across Europe for chain mail, jewellery, and various household and industrial tools but not at that stage for fencing.

It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that wire-making processes became faster and more efficient, setting the stage for widespread agricultural use.

Wire was first used for farm fencing in the USA in the 1800s, but it was not yet the durable material farmers required.

In 1873, while attending a county fair in DeKalb, Illinois, Joseph Glidden saw a sample of barbed fencing created by Henry B. Rose.

Inspired by Rose’s concept, Glidden set out to improve the design.

He twisted two strands of wire together, embedding sharp barbs at regular intervals.

This design not only kept animals from pushing through but also made the fence more durable and secure.

Glidden filed for a patent in 1874 and was granted U.S. Patent No. 157,124 on November 24, for his ‘The Winner’ barbed wire design.

Joseph Glidden went on to amass a great fortune from his wire, which changed the course of farm fencing development around the world.

Barbed wire reached Australia in the late 19th century, where it soon became part of the pastoral landscape.

Evolution of Electric Fencing

ELECTRIC fencing emerged in the early 20th century, with the first known designs appearing in New Zealand in the 1930s.

Bill Gallagher, a New Zealand inventor, is credited with designing the first practical electric fence for farm use in the 1930s to keep his horse off his car.

Apparently, the horse liked rubbing against the vehicle with detriment to the duco.

(Why Mr Gallagher’s car was in the horse’s paddock in the first place is one of fencing’s unsolved puzzles.)

Back to the main story – these early Gallagher designs relied on non-renewable battery power.

By the 1960s, electric fencing technology improved with the development of more reliable power sources, nowadays including solar.

Its value lies in its flexibility in managing livestock and improving land use, as it allows for rotational grazing and precise paddock management.

Virtual fencing

THIS is the cutting-edge technology for fencing.

It involves stock (mainly cattle) wearing a solar powered, GPS enhanced, collar which gives a warning sound as a beast approaches a ‘virtual fenceline’.

If a recalcitrant heifer tries to barge through the line she will receive an electric prod to keep her back within the virtual paddock.

The technology is being taken up in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Tasmania.

However, Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales are yet to allow it, due to animal welfare legislation.

Australia Business Development Manager for Gallagher Group Limited’s eShepherd virtual fencing solution, Mark Dempsey, told The Spectator that the cost of virtual fencing was $350 per head plus GST.

He said that the system was web-based, utilising the Telstra mobile network and satellite Global Positioning Systems (GPS) with the farmer able to use his or her smartphone to visualise fencelines and move virtual paddock boundaries.

The technology is labour saving and a great aid to cell grazing although hardly of value in preventing stock theft (unless the thieves are wearing collars themselves).

Innovations for fence building

MUCH (or at least some) of the hard yakka has been taken out of fencing with the invention of tractor-mounted post drivers in the mid twentieth century followed by the motorised, hand-held star-picket driver which came on the scene around the beginning of this century.

As to future developments, a fencing machine the ‘Smart Fencer’ has been built as a prototype by inventor Hugh McKay originally of Henty, NSW.

Mr McKay received a grant from Australian Wool innovation (AWI) but the project stalled due to COVID-related delays.

The trailer based Smart Fencer incorporates GPS accuracy with automatic star picket driving with up to 50 pickets on board at any one time.

In addition, multiple spools feed out wire as the unit proceeds across the paddock.

Hopefully, the Smart Fencer will be developed to commercial production as it has potential to be a boon to fence erection.

With fencing materials under inflationary pressure, labour saving innovations will become ever more important.