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Archive for the ‘Electric Fencing’ Category

Portable Electric Fencing

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

When I was trying to determine the best methods for implementing the ideas that were rolling around in my crazy head as to how we were going to best manage our pig operation (from the perspectives of quality of life, parasite control, manure control, as well as overall pasture management and rehabilitation), portable electric fencing seemed to be one of the best solutions available.  Over the last ten or twenty years, farmers in New Zealand and the U.S. made many logical advances in the technologies associated with what has been termed, Management Intensive Grazing (MIG).  The idea is that livestock of varying forms (cattle, sheep, pigs, and even poultry and/or rabbits) are sectioned off into small paddocks which are then frequently rotated as soon as they sufficiently finish their respective jobs of “mowing the grass” to an appropriate level or in a pigs’ case, “aerating” or tilling the soil to encourage new growth.  Once they’re moved to a new paddock, the old paddock isn’t re-visited until it has sufficient time to rest and rejuvenate.  Not only do the animals mow and till, but they also leave consistently spread, nitrogen-rich fertilizer [manure(!)] behind to aid in soil enrichment.

Electronet at Work

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