Livestock Fencing
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Fencing to Protect Soil and Water
Enclosing or dividing an area of land with a suitable permanent structure that acts as a barrier to livestock.
Description
Fencing prevents livestock from trampling streambanks, destroying vegetation, and stirring up sediment in the streambed. It is also used to exclude livestock from areas that need to be protected from grazing or browsing, contain animals in a designated area, and encourage animals to use stream crossings.
Benefits
- Reduces erosion by controlling access to designated areas by grazing animals.
- Water quality and fish habitat benefit from reduced amounts of nutrients and sediment entering the stream.
- Livestock fencing allows vegetation to be established or recover.
- Enables farmers to develop rotational grazing systems that improve forage, distribute manure more evenly, protect the soil from erosion, and improve water quality.
- Improved forage production will help increase livestock production.
Planning
- Establish vegetative cover on all disturbed surfaces; use gravel or lining to control erosion where vegetation will not survive.
- The distance between the fence and the streambank is determined by the landscape, stream characteristics, flood levels and frequencies, state laws and regulations, public drainage maintenance right of ways, and wildlife/environmental considerations.
- Temporary fences are not eligible for cost-share.
- Do you need a livestock watering facility?
Tech Notes
- Work with our office to establish this practice.
- Riparian forest buffers should be at least 1/3 of the width of the floodplain or at least 35 feet wide to benefit water quality.
- Comprehensive habitat/stream protection benefits may require a wider buffer strip.
- All work must comply with federal, state, and local requirements.
Maintenance
- Inspect and repair fences regularly, especially after snow.
- Clear brush and fallen limbs from fence lines.
- Avoid damaging buffer zones with herbicides from surrounding cropland.