The Changing Face of Field Management

Posted on: 19 September 2017

It is important to build a long-lasting a durable fence for your livestock by using the right materials and methods. Here are some tips to help you complete this project in a successful manner.

Select Long-Lasting Wood

There are many types of wood you can choose from when building a corral fence, such as pine or cedar. Cedar can be one of the best types of wood to use for fence building, as it will last and remain durable for many years.

Cedar wood is usually made up of two different types of wood growth; lighter sapwood and a darker heartwood. Light-colored cedar sapwood is not as hard and will deteriorate more quickly than heartwood. The darker heartwood in cedar lumber is a harder wood and contains oils that make it naturally repellent to insects to prevent insect damage. The darker wood is also more rot-resistant.

You can find cedar lumber for your fence at most home improvement stores, which you can use for some or all your corral fence building. Talk to a local lumber distributor in your area to find a good quality of cedar lumber to use for any of your fence posts, railings, and slats.

Install Each Fence Post Properly

Once you have selected the right type of wood for your new corral fence, make sure you install the fence posts properly to ensure your fence will remain stable and last a long time. When digging the post holes, make sure you dig them deep enough to bury a good percentage of your fence posts. It is recommended to bury one-third to one-half the length of your fence posts to make the fence durable under pressure from livestock leaning against your fence and from extreme weather and wind.

Cover the bottom of the post hole with several inches of gravel before you place the post in the hole, which will help water drain from around your fence post. This helps further prevent moisture rot in your wood fence posts. You may also wish to treat the base of your fence post with a wood preservative. Apply this treatment onto the fence post with a brush the day before you plan to install the fence posts. Then, once it is set in the ground it will be further protected from moisture rot and deterioration.

As an additional method to help prevent moisture rot in your fence posts after they are installed, form a slope on the concrete around each fence post. After you pour the concrete around your fence posts, build the concrete upward and toward the post to allow water to flow downward and away from the wood of your fence post. For more information, contact companies like Liese  Lumber Co Inc.