Who checks your fence if you don’t?

An electric fence seems simple: as long as there is voltage on the wire, the animals stay in the field. In practice, however, it is harder to tell whether the fence is working properly before the animals have escaped. Grass growing against the wire, wear and tear on connections and wires, or a damaged insulator can cause the voltage and reliability of the fence to gradually decrease. This often goes unnoticed until the animals discover the problem and take advantage of it.

That is why it is important to check the operation of a fence regularly, says Bart Otten, product specialist at Gallagher. “An electric fence only works properly if there is sufficient voltage. Minor deviations often occur sooner than you think. Through testing, you can spot those changes in time and take action.”

Manual testing: a snapshot

The usual way to check a fence is to perform manual testing with a fence voltmeter. By taking measurements at various points along the fence, you can determine whether the voltage is high enough. This method is simple and inexpensive, but it always provides only a snapshot. To get a reliable picture of how the fence is performing, measurements must be taken regularly and at multiple points.

According to Otten, this is the main limitation. “Manual testing works as long as you keep doing it. In practice, it takes time and requires discipline. Moreover, you can only take measurements when you’re standing by the fence yourself. If something changes in the meantime, you won’t know until you take another measurement.” For smaller fences, manual testing is perfectly adequate, but as they grow larger or encompass multiple pastures, it becomes increasingly difficult to get a complete picture from isolated measurements.

Greater insight with the smart i Series system

To increase that insight, Gallagher developed the i Series system. This system continuously monitors what is happening on the fence and displays that information via an app. Instead of a snapshot, you get a continuous picture of the fence’s performance.

In addition, i Series devices use adaptive technology that automatically adjusts the power output to the load on the fence. For example, if vegetation grows against the wire, the device can supply extra power to maintain the voltage. Precisely because modern devices are powerful, minor issues can sometimes still be compensated for without this being immediately visible in the voltage. By continuously measuring, such changes become apparent sooner.

Via the Gallagher app, you can see directly how the fence is performing. The app displays the voltage and current on the fence and sends a notification when the values exceed a set threshold. This allows for quicker intervention should a problem arise. The system can also be expanded with fence monitors, which divide the fence into different zones. Each zone is monitored separately, making it easier to locate and prioritise faults. This can save a great deal of time, particularly for larger farms with several kilometres of fences. “If you know exactly which part of the fence has changed, you don’t have to walk the entire system,” says Otten. “That makes maintenance a lot more efficient. And perhaps even more importantly: with this system, you provide your animals with the safest pasture and give yourself the peace of mind that you are always in control.”