Fencing crucial for farm safety, value

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Barbara D. Livingston

The quality of a farms fencing can affect its property value.

The first impression that a farm gives to its visitors is not the gates that welcome them to the property but often the fences that line roads on the drive to get there.

Those fences have a dual purpose, not only keeping the horses in their confines but serving as the roadside advertisement of a farms attention to detail, safety, and upkeep. The quality of a farms fencing also can affect its property value.

Fencing is important, said Bill Bell, an agent for Justice Real Estate, a prominent realtor of Thoroughbred farms in Lexington, Ky. The horses are going to injure themselves if there is any possible way. Theyll figure out a way to hurt themselves, so you want to try to make things as safe for them as you can, and good fencing is important.

The most common form of fencing found on Central Kentucky farms is four-panel wooden plank. The types of wood used vary from oak, pine, and poplar to imported wood, which tends to be weaker than its domestic counterpart.

Gary Hardin, farm services manager and maintenance supervisor at the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, said that oak plank fences are the standard among commercial operations. The Thoroughbred Center offers fence construction among many farm project services, and oak fencing is the least-expensive option the company offers.

For farm owners looking to build on a budget, Hardin said one way to do so is to install three-panel fences instead of four panels, thus cutting costs on materials and man-hours putting up the fence. However, a three-panel fence at the same height leaves more room between the boards for horses to potentially get themselves caught.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Hardin said that selecting quality wood and using proper nails are facets of fence installation that should not be bargain-shopped.

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Fencing crucial for farm safety, value