MENDING WALLS

Published in the Intermountain Farm and Ranch April 15, 2011. 

            In 1914 American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) wrote the poem “Mending Walls.” In this poem he talks about fixing a stone fence with his neighbor, each being on his own side of the fence. Twice he used the phrase: “Good fences make good neighbors.”

            As cattlemen, we know how true that is! Cattle roaming free can cause a multitude of problems:

• If they happen onto Conservation Reserve Plan acres, the owner of the land can be fined, whether he is the owner of the cattle or not. 
• If cattle wander and graze on alfalfa fields when the plants are in certain stages, they can bloat.
• They can cause considerable damage to wheat and barley fields.
• Pasture ground can be over-grazed by trespassing animals.

            Mending fences is part of working with cattle, part of having land, and part of being a good neighbor. There are many ways for the fences to become broken, torn down, and ruined. The blame can be placed on wild animals (especially elk and moose). Hunters and people on snowmobiles or four wheelers will sometimes cut fence wire to get easier access to areas of interest. Other factors that wear out fences are weather, age of the fence, and just plain wear and tear. It doesn’t matter what or who caused the broken fences, they have to be mended.

            Spring time, before the cattle are moved to summer pasture, is a busy fence mending period. It seems that when cattle are moved from pasture to pasture, they walk the fence of the new area. If there is a weak or broken spot on the fence, it will be found almost immediately and the cows will wander through and into areas where they are not supposed to be. Therefore, it is a wise rancher who checks fences before moving cattle into a new pasture.

            Fencing is hard work, especially if the fence is on a hillside. We use our John Deere Gator to get us in close proximity to most of our fences. But there are still some areas where we have to walk the line. When in those areas we like to work in pairs because of the equipment needed: the bucket of nails, staples; hammer; wire stretcher; a chain saw to cut limbs off trees, and sometimes the entire tree has fallen over the fence; and a bottle of water.

            When the spring fence mending is done, that doesn’t mean that the fencing is finished for the year. Older poles can rot below the surface of the ground, thus weakening the fence, or the wind will blow a tree over a fence. A cow will spot that weakness and with a little push the fence can go down. So the fences have to be ridden all the time there are cows in the pastures.

            A lot of our fences are within the perimeter of our own land, but there are some which border neighbors. It is good but not always possible if the owners of both sides of the fence can work together in making repairs. One’s goal is to keep the cattle in, the other’s goal is to keep the cattle out.

            I like to go out fencing with the men. It isn’t easy work but it is a job that when finished, you can see you have accomplished something.  Often wild animals can be observed; the spots where the deer, elk and moose work to get their antlers off can be seen. It is actually a quiet job other than the sounds of the hammer and sometimes the chain saw.

            Mending fences is a constant job and a challenge. But when fences are maintained, or fixed as soon as a problem is found, neighbor’s friendships are also maintained or fixed as soon as a problem comes to light.

Yes, I agree with Robert Frost. “Good fences make good neighbors!”