ELECTRIC BORDERS

Here's what you need to know before you buy a portable electric fence.

- ERIN FRANCE

You don’t need 100 head of cattle and acres of land to reap the benefits of rotational grazing. Portable electric fencing is a great small-farm tool for increasing soil fertility, taming some of the most stubborn weeds and feeding your animals all at the same time.

PURCHASE POINTERS

The energizer — what produces the electric zap — is critical and can be expensive. The amount of energy an energizer sends through a fence is measured in output joules. Higher output joules will cost more. Manufacturers suggest 0.5 to 1 output joules for corralling cows, horses, goats and pigs. More aggressive and better insulated animals (such as fluffy sheep) will need a greater shock as a deterrent. I started with an energizer of 0.8 output joules for my goats but replaced it with a less expensive, less powerful option of only 0.1 output joules. I’ll need to update this equipment when adding new animals.

Energizers can be powered by solar-powered batteries or hooked up to an outlet through an extension cord. The solar-power option is by far the easiest to move and set up, but it’s also more expensive. Though the extension cord isn’t the prettiest option, it does work just as well and is less expensive if you already have a couple hundred feet stored in a barn.