THE COST of fencing is as much about the time taken to erect it as it is about the materials. Smart selection of fencing products can often save significant time when putting up a fence, and can also make it more reliable and longer lasting.

Love it or hate it, fencing is a fact of life for almost every farmer. Whether you grab your pliers and strainers and head out to do it yourself, or pick up the phone and call your local fencing contractor, it all costs money, and often lots of it.

Fencing is an investment in your farm, and something you hope will be in place when your kids are running the show. If you skimp on materials, it will come back to bite you sooner than later. Some of us are less fortunate than others, and have to replace fences prematurely as a result of floods or fire.

But the cost of fencing is not just in materials, it is in time as well. If you pay for a contractor, the bill for their hours worked will usually be a very large portion of the total fencing bill. So if you do your own fencing work, your time needs to be valued similarly, as well as any employees working with you. There are new fencing materials coming to market which can often save time as well as money.

When replacing old fences, or putting up new boundary or divisional fences, it gives us an opportunity to revisit the products and techniques used previously. While we all tend to get a little set in our ways, any opportunity to harness new products or technology should be embraced if there is an obvious benefit on farm.