fencing

FENCING

Good fencing is fencing that forms efficient paddock and lane design. Fencing causing the inefficient subdivision of a property will have nil or salvage value only. Fences in good condition is an indicator of good management. A well designed subdivision of a property will:

Permit ready access to all paddocks
Make the fullest use of the watering points.
Facilitate desirable cropping and pasture management programs.
Assist in the soil conservation.

Technological change has caused a large drop in the cost of fencing in recent years. The most important changes have been the use of high tensile steel and ringlock wire fences. High tensile steel allows economical fencing with the use of fewer strainer posts, even for curved fences. In fact, most rural fences are “over engineered” that is, there are far too many support posts.

It has been estimated that by moving away from the common 3 metre steel post spacing to 10 metre spacing, farmers may save about $790 /km on the cost of a new fence. When posts are placed every 3 metres to carry fences the average cost is about $1 132/km while for 10 metre spacing it is only about $340/km. About 47% of Merino sheep fencing costs between $500 and $1 000/km while about 37% costs about $1 000 - $ 2 000/km. The cost of cattle fencing is about the same. The comparative cost of different types of fence is shown in the table below:

COMPARATIVE FENCING COSTS @ 2002

These costs are a guide only and do not include site preparation or survey costs, flood gates and gateways. Labour and miscellaneous costs are generally considered to be about 45% of total cost. Further, costs will increase in rugged terrain. The costs are for a typical run for example, 100 metres of net or 1500 metres of plain.

	$/metre
NETTING: 90x4x1.4	1.82
105x4x104	2.10
HINGE JOINT: 6x70x30	0.68
HINGE JOINT:6x90x30	0.82
HINGE JOINT:6x80x15	1.20
RINGLOCK: 6x70x30	0.84
RINGLOCK: 6x90x30	0.97
PLAIN: 4mm heavy gauge	0.15
PLAIN:2.5 mm Flexabel	0.07
PLAIN:2.5mm Tie Easy	0.08

There are tradeoffs in fencing design and construction. For example:

High tensile wire makes a better fence and is cheaper than soft wire. However, it is more difficult to work with for example, to tie and repair.
Soft wire is easy to tie and repair as it requires less tension. However, it costs more and uses more posts.
Lasting repairs cannot be made by joining new and old wire
Fabricated fencing (eg ringlock) is long lasting. However, effective repairs require the removal of damaged sections, replacing them and then restraining the joined portions.
The frequency of maintenance is largely determined by fence design, construction, suitability for the job, the materials used and stocking density.

The valuer should collect contractors' costs for the construction of various types of fences. Taxation offsets affect the type of fence and value. For example, the owner cannot claim deductions for the replacement cost of a boundary fence and therefore, boundary fences are continually being repaired as the cost of repairs are deductible.

THE UTILITY RULE

The utility rule is that rural improvements should be valued and
assessed according to whether or not the objectives of construction are met and not on the attractiveness or the look of the improvements. This is a different paradigm to that used for the valuation of urban improvements where style and attractiveness are most important. For example, a much repaired fence may look untidy but the question is whether or not it serves it's function of keeping stock and pests in or out. If it does, then it has high utility value.

Only half the value of the boundary fence adjoining a private owner is valued as the cost of fencing is shared between the two owners. However, boundary fencing fronting a public road or crown land is fully valued. Any disadvantage to the property caused by a long frontage to a public road or crown land should be reflected in the land value.

POSTS

Posts in a fence maintain the wires at the correct tension, vertical order and keep the whole system in an upright position. Strong posts firmly set into the ground are essential for a tight fence. Fences on black soil plains suffer a high rate of depreciation because they move in the heavy clay soil. Posts may be timber, concrete, and steel.

WELL PLANNED PADDOCKS

Well planned paddocks:

Better utilize grazing and cropping land
Eliminate a great deal of labour
Aid the management of farm machinery
Prevent or control erosion and wind damage to topsoil
Better control water run off
Allow better weed and pest control.

The smaller the paddock, the more workable it is. Old fashioned fencing based on a grid pattern (usually following crown boundaries) add little value to the property as better management will replace it with contour or keyline fencing.

Good fencing and paddock design takes into account the shape of land, soil, climate, proposed stocking rates, type of stock or crops, cash and materials available, watering points, and diversification according to markets (that is, allows more flexible management).

A farm with obsolete fencing should be replanned on the contour and classes of land separated from one another for better working. Fertility can be rebuilt by wider rotations and more intelligent use of crops, improved pasture and stock. Seasonal water run off is halted or controlled with surplus water guided gently along contour banks to grassed waterways (flumes) to dams where it can be safely stored. Suitable fencing is necessary for such replanning to be effective.
Paddocks should be designed to allow:

easy handling, segregation and control of different sex and age groups of stock.
improved pasture management
better control of internal parasites.

They should be constructed according to the:

Type of country
Location of existing water supplies
Particular requirements or needs of the type of stock run.

The fence should restrain stock under normal conditions. The running lines in open country can be of light construction but with extra reinforcement around gateways, corners and water courses.

LANEWAYS

A laneway is a track or access line bordered by a fence to allow quick and easy movement of stock and machinery throughout the farming system. Laneways add substantially to the cost of fencing a property but when properly done, the payback period is short through increased savings and benefits in farm management.

LANEWAY ADVANTAGES

Stock mustering time can be reduced by half in situations where stock have to be moved over a considerable distance to and from a set of yards.
Allows quick and easy access to most parts of the property by vehicle
Because a laneway confines stock, a good dog can bring stock into the yards by itself.
If well grazed, provide a good firebreak and stock protection area in the case of a grass fire. Stock can be quickly driven into it to minimise loss.
Unskilled labour can be used as mobs tend to break out of control when being driven through paddocks containing other mobs.
Save time and effort in property inspection and stock movement
Avoid the possibility of boxing mobs during mustering
There are fewer gates to open for mustering and inspection
Mobs can be driven directly to their destination without time lost deviating through paddocks.
Essential management and stock health programs are more likely to be carried out because of the ease of handling and mustering.
Laneways can be used as temporary yards.

LANEWAY DISADVANTAGES

Extra watering points may be required
Extra costs for fencing, and in some instances for road formation.

LANEWAY DESIGN

Ideally, the laneway should connect as many paddocks as possible. The more paddocks that are connected to the laneway the more efficiently the property can be managed. The laneway should be sited along an existing fence line. This means only one extra fence line has to be built. They should not be sited in areas that require large amounts of fill or bridge construction so as to mitigate the cost of construction.

Further, the possibility of soil erosion should be taken into account and the laneway sited to avoid it. Width is determined by:

The size of the mobs to be moved through the lane
The need for the formation of a road
The value of the lane as a fire-break or stock protection area, against a grass fire.
Lane widths of from 20 to 30 metres are recommended for the following reasons:
The lane is wide enough to avoid mobs of stock from becoming "choked" when being pushed along it.
There is room for a vehicle to pass and "head off" the mob if necessary
The lane is not too wide for a dog to handle stock without 'lover-working''
For firebreak purposes, a lane that is wider than 30 metres is more difficult to keep grazed short, especially in high-rainfall country.
Narrow laneways on clay soils require road formation and fill to avoid the heavy concentration of stock pugging the soil. Wider laneways (20-30 metres) on stable soils may need no more than just road formation.

EXAMPLE

The following is an example comparing the mustering time of stock from two properties, one with, and one without a laneway system. While the example refers only to the mustering of sheep, there are similar advantages for mustering cattle.

OBJECTIVE

To muster 300 adult sheep from the top paddock and take them to the
sheep yards and then return them. Journey times are compared in table 12-2.

EXAMPLE OF JOURNEY TIMES FOR SHEEP ON A PROPERTY WITH NO LANEWAY AND THE SAME PROPERTY WITH A LANEWAY

	NO LANEWAY SYSTEM	LANEWAY SYSTEM
Distance to move stock:	2300 metres via paddock	2 100 metres via F, E and A. laneway.
Time for outward journey:	9 minutes	5 minutes
Vehicle @ 25 kph Vehicle @ 35 kph	= 6 minutes.	= 3.5 minutes.
	4 gates open/close	3 gates open only
Time for homeward journey:	59 minutes. Deviation of stock through paddocks and 4 closed gates.	48 minutes. No deviation and & 3 opened gates.
Total time to muster:	58 minutes	53 minutes
Return stock to top paddock:	48 minutes. Return stock via paddock under supervision.	8 minutes. Release stock into laneway and follow up later.
TOTAL TIME:	116 minutes	61 minutes

In this example, the use of a laneway system almost halves the time involved. This time could be further reduced by the use of a good dog to drive sheep towards the yards along the laneway without supervision. The time saved can then be spent more profitably on other jobs. Laneways reduce the labour required and speed up the job, making stock handling easier and encouraging sounder stock management.

COST OF INSTALLING A LANE $/KM

Cost per kilometre of single fence line:	$
EXAMPLE A: Non-electric fence Materials( posts 10 m apart, 8 plain wires, 1 gate):	3 100
Labour:	2 500
EXAMPLE B: Electric fence Materials: (posts 30 m apart, 5 plain wires, 1 lift gate)	2 000
Labour:	1 700
ROAD FORMATION COST: Contract grader at $100 per hour (approximately):	550

The above costs are for the installation of one kilometre of single fence line of non-electric (or electric) fencing, with or without road formation, to be calculated.

FABRICATED OR RINGLOCK FENCING

Ringlock has proved a very successful fence because:

The crimp placed in the lateral wires allows for the necessary expansion or contraction caused by variations in temperature.
Once properly strained, requires little attention
The ringlock gives absolute proof against slipping
Fewer posts are needed than for most other fences
It can be strained up very quickly
One break does not affect the remainder of the fence
It is the best fence for temporary fences
It does not sag passing over hills and hollows
It requires fewer posts and therefore, is less subject to bushfire damage.

Ringlocks of different design are available for the control of sheep, sheep and lambs, cattle and pigs.

The two diagrams above show that subdivision fences, particularly in arable country, may be located with advantage along drainage lines or waterways. when they have to be fenced to control grazing they can be incorporated into the subdivision design. In this instance the gully is protected by a series of soil conserving structures which also provide water for stock.