Best practice days help fence off the cowboys

The best way to install a fence is continually evolving and fencing contractors can separate themselves from the cowboys by attending bestpractice days, a southern industry spokesman says.

About 40 people attended the Fencing Contractors Association best practice day on Llawnroc farm in Hillside, near Te Anau, last week.

Board member Nick Terry, of Waikouaiti, said the event aimed to teach members the best way to install a certain type of fence and highlight new products to ensure fences were built to last, separating them from inferior operators.

The industry wanted to abolish the analogy "a fence is a fence, which any old Joe can put up".

Fencing products had improved.

"Wire and post technology has come such a long way," he said.

New technology demonstrated included a termination insulator and a netting trailer.

Mr Terry was at a similar day on the West Coast and a fencing contractor, who had been working in the industry for 50 years and attended his first event, doubted he would learn anything.

Mr Terry was stripping netting when the experienced contractor asked him to slow down and show him his method.

"It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing it, there is always something to pick up — it’s cool," he said.

At the best practice day, a new fence was erected and an electric wire was installed to exclude sheep and beef from a riparian block near a drain.

Fencers Cairn Monks, of Dunedin, Corbyn Gibbs, of Palmerston, and Dion Robertson, of Cromwell, learned how to install the fence as part of a programme to gain a New Zealand Certificate in Fencing (Level 3) qualification.

The students built the fence under the guidance of NorthTec Tai Tokerau Wānanga fencing contractor trainer John Noakes, of Motueka.

Llawnroc owner and Strainrite Southland fencing rep Donald Cornwall planned to have about 500m of fencing installed near waterways on his nearly 400ha sheep and beef farm each year.

He offered to host the event because it was an opportunity to demonstrate new ideas and for contractors and farmers to take a break from a challenging season.

The "incredibly wet and cold" weather had been a nightmare.

"It has been a tough old spring. Hopefully, we have turned a corner," he said.

He was tailing his lambs this week, which would show the extent of any stock losses.

Association member and fencing contractor Stephen Mee, of Winton, said his farm was extremely wet."If you dig a hole on my farm at the moment it will be full of water before you’re finished," he said.

The association held another best practice day on equine fencing at the Southland Rodeo Ground in Invercargill last week.

A practice day will be held in Otago next year.

The location is to be confirmed.