Farm Gates and Fencing: Quintessential Components for Effective Farm Management
Protecting livestock and property is a top priority for farmers. It’s about more than keeping animals fenced in and predators out; it’s about safeguarding investments and ensuring your farm runs smoothly. Farm gates and fencing are quintessential components of any farm. At Chemvet Steel & Fencing, we would like to explore the importance of gates and how, when used with fencing, they not only form effective barriers of protection and livestock containment but also how they improve daily farm operations.
Ensuring Smooth Operations with Farm Gates
Before installing perimeter or pasture fencing, farm gates must be included in the planning phases. Factors such as the size of machinery and vehicles on farms need to be considered as the gates that need to be installed are completely dependent on the scale of farming operations. Even smaller enterprises often need to accommodate larger vehicles for deliveries and pickups. Gates should be efficient and easy to use for foot traffic, livestock, and supplies as a poorly designed gate wastes time and slows down production. Try to keep gates at a minimum and ensure those leading to nearby fields are close together and ideally located in a corner to reduce travel distances.
Design Considerations for Safe and Efficient Livestock Movement
With farm roads running along fence lines and gates placed in corners, it allows livestock to be easily herded between the fields by funnelling them through the gates, eliminating the need for driving diagonally across fields. Ensure that the site chosen for gate placement along the fencing has sufficient drainage away from the gate to prevent waste or water from going through or across it.
A further design consideration should be the direction in which the gates swing open as two-way gates need to have a stop post installed to prevent unnecessary damage to the fence post and fence line. This also leads to poor closure and reduced strength, which can pose a risk when livestock need to be contained.
Benefits of Outward Swinging Gates
Gates that swing outward toward a farm lane can be strategically beneficial. If the gate spans the width of the lane, it can be used to temporarily close off the lane, making it easier to contain and herd livestock to the next paddock. It is advisable to have both entry and exit gates to prevent possible escapes. Although a cattle guard is an option, a latching farm gate provides better security. This final point of containment helps ensure livestock safety and reduces the risk of them being injured on main roads.
Basic Gates on Farms
Here are a few examples of basic gates used on farms:
- Bow Gates – installed as main access gates on farms, these farm gates include a pedestrian gate within the main one to prevent damage from pedestrians climbing over it.
- Livestock Gates – constructed with a sturdy frame and featuring a combination of pipes and flat steel, these gates provide the strength needed to safely contain larger livestock.
- Field Gates – used at the entrances and exits of fenced-off fields, they allow for easy and controlled access from one field to another.
Understanding the functionality of different gates as well as the importance of choosing the appropriate materials, placement of gates, and support systems is essential for farming operations.
The Golden Strand of Quality
For 45 years, Chemvet Steel & Fencing has been manufacturing and supplying superior-quality steel and fencing solutions to farming communities and several other market sectors. Whether you require our fencing solutions for protection and containment, or farm gates for access control, contact us. Our experts are waiting to assist you.
