Success StoryLivestock Fencing Program



Livestock Fencing Program

Author: Tracie Goodman

Planning Unit: McCreary County CES

Major Program: Beef

Plan of Work: Livestock/Forage Production

Outcome: Initial Outcome

The McCreary County Cattlemen's Association requested a series of educational programs in 2022 for their monthly meetings that would fill the need for CAIP education credits, as well as cover topics that would help them to improve their farming practices. Since I took the position of McCreary County ANR Agent, I have heard from many farmers that they dislike using electric fencing either because they are unfamiliar with the setup and voltage requirements, or they have tried in the past and gave up because of shortage issues or other factors. Based on that feedback, I knew that a livestock fencing program would be beneficial to them. I had attended one of UK's Fencing Schools at the Princeton facility in 2021, and was able to sit in on one of Dr. Morgan Hayes's presentations on using electric fencing. She presented the information in a way that I knew our farmers would appreciate, so I asked if she would be willing to conduct a fencing program here in McCreary County. Some of the surrounding counties had also had education programs sponsored by Tarter Farm & Ranch Equipment, so I reached out to Kayla Maddox to see if they could sponsor the fencing program and possibly bring out some equipment for demonstration. She was able to provide a selection of gates and panels at the meeting, and share information about proper selection of gates and panels based on their specific farming needs. We had a turnout of 23 farmers, including 4 people from Pulaski County. During the meeting they asked a lot of questions and shared their own experiences with electric fencing. We had several farmers in the room who have bottom land and had a lot of issues with debris washing up on their fence lines, which Dr. Hayes offered solutions to with both electric fencing and standard fencing. Dr. Hayes did a fantastic job and we had a lot of positive feedback from her presentation. They also enjoyed the presentation from Kayla and expressed interest in some of the gate styles that she had for demonstration. This program is one that I believe will help them in years to come as they design and set up new fencing and also improve current fencing on their farms.  






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