How an electric fence works

Well, how does an electric fence work?

1. The fence energizer sends an electric pulse through its positive terminal to the fence. 
2. The fence then carries this pulse until an animal comes in contact with the fence. 
3. The pulse travels through the animal and into the soil/ground. 
4. The pulse is then absorbed from the soil back into the energizer via the ground rod system. 

So where do the terms joules, voltage and ohms come into play?

• Joules is the volume of electrical energy in a pulse (think gallons, pints etc. in water systems). 
• Voltage is the measure of pressure upon the pulse to move from A to B (similar to PSI in air and water systems).
• Ohms is the resistance to electrical flow (constrictions in these systems). Higher ohms reduce the felt pulse.   

Points to consider:
For a fence to be effective, we suggest a minimum of 3000 volts. This means the fence needs to have reasonable high pressure (voltage). But that's just half of it. The other half being the size of the pulse, which is measured in joules (read as released, not stored, on fence energizers).

High pressure (volts) behind a large pulse (joules) results in a deterring shock when the fence is touched by an animal. The smaller the joule (output) the smaller the potential shock and vice versa. Also, the lower the voltage the smaller the felt pulse.

If bigger is better (or so it seems), why do we recommend .5 joule units?
For fences with low resistance (ohms) and have high voltage (at least 3000v), a .5 joule energizer is enough to deter animals. Longer fences with more resistance need more joules in order for pulse to be felt. 

Announcing Premier's Gift Section

Silence the room with the perfect gift!

There's a chill in the air. And for those who delight in discovery, that means the gift giving season is officially upon us. We know you’re always searching for that special something—that unique, handcrafted item with a great story. In that spirit, enjoy this collection of thoughtful and distinctive gifts, sourced directly from the craftsman—just in time for the holiday season. 

Items include:

• Home Accents
• Apparel 
• Personal Care items
• Handmade crooks and walking sticks
• Sheepskin rugs 
• and much more!

Fall Grazing Tips

This sight will be common within days. 

Think of each blade of grass as a solar panel. The panel charges the plant's growth. In fall, with less light available for growth, grass needs more ​surface​ ​area​, than summer months, for the same regrowth—if the amount of moisture remains a constant. Gordon S. (Premier consultant and raises 200+ ewes on grass) prefers to move when grass length is 4" (a good practice to use in general). 

This leaves the plant enough solar collection ability to regrow without drawing from its roots (drawing via the roots reduces available energy for spring growth). 

Also consider fencing off shaded areas. While essential during summer months, they attract heavy traffic which leads to bare, barren dirt (not good). 

Solutions:

• Increase rotation speed (i.e. less time in one area). Less time grazing (one location) = more grass available for collecting sunlight. 
• If an area is already overgrazed, fence it off. Same practice for shaded areas—if it's cool, fence off the trees.

For fencing out of the way areas, consider using a solar fence energizer. 

In either case, we use netting to accomplish this. It is quick to install and easy to move. Fall rains bring soft soils so nets with double-spikes are preferred by many (though we find single-spike just as effective on our farm). Though if we graze later into the season, nets with drivable posts (DP) would be advised (hard/frozen soils). 

Photo of the Day

A few of our expectant mothers enjoying an early morning snack. Ewes marked with blue are expecting singles, green-twins and orange-triplets (or more).

Job openings at Premier

Premier has the following positions open:

New for the 2015 breeding season!

Premier’s new Deluxe Marking Harness—notice the padded white strap at the underside of the arm. Strap does not “cut into” the front legs as other nylon harnesses are prone to do.

A much better Ram Marking Harness

Why is our new Deluxe Marking Harness a world class harness?

1.	Wider (2"), soft nylon straps—distribute pressure more evenly over the ram’s body. Also easier to find and adjust the straps when they’re in deep wool.
2.	Unique padded (1/5 in. thick) white straps behind the front legs to prevent skin abrasion.
3.	Much larger snap buckles and metal loops—harness’s connection and stress points are reinforced. Even gloved hands can manipulate the large snap buckles.
4.	Crayon holder is also padded.
5.	Uses standard crayons.

When we brought the rams in from breeding last autumn—little to no wear in the brisket area and behind the front legs. Bottom line? This is the best ram marking harness we've ever used or sold. Click here for Deluxe Marking Harness instructions.

Nylon Breeding Harness

For mature rams of medium and large breeds with broad briskets. Durable nylon straps. Strong plastic snap buckles allow adjustment as needed and rapid fitting. More likely to stay on if the ram’s brisket has 3 months’ wool growth.

Marking Crayons

3 temperature ranges: Cold (25º - 65ºF), Mild (65º - 85ºF) and Hot (85º-100ºF). Mild and cold crayons wear very quickly when it's hot. Hot and mild crayons don't mark well when it's cold. We wish that one crayon would work for all conditions.... but such a crayon does not exist. And a warning—the marks from any and all breeding crayons may not be scourable.

Picking a fence and energizer combination—did I get everything right?

If picking out an energizer or roll of netting for the first time strikes you as a daunting task don't worry—it does not need to be tedious.

When visiting Premier's website—below the logo and slogan are a series of tabs, Sheep-Goats-Poultry-Horses-Garden/Wildlife-Deer-Cattle-Hogs/Pigs-Camelids. (Before we go any further, camelids is a one word way of saying llamas and alpacas.)

Tabs shown above. 

Select the relevant tab for your fencing needs—I'll select sheep. Go to the left hand column and click on Fencing.


Your fence options should now be shown. Since we're discussing netting, we'll focus on the temporary and semi-permanent options. The main differences being, how often do you intend to move the netting? Daily/weekly—choose temporary. Less often? Semi-permanent.

Fencing options for sheep (Semi-Permanent options not shown). 

From there you decide on Plus or Standard nets (post frequency), length, height, strut or string verticals and type of spike. Don't forget support posts for ends, corners and any major directional changes.

Now that you've chosen your fence, it's time to choose an energizer. Unless you already have one, in that case you're done!

Click back over to Fencing and select Energizers (DC, AC or Solar).
At the top of the results select energizer comparison chart. This will take you to a chart detailing all of Premier's energizers.

Click on the type of unit you need, AC (plug-in) or DC (battery or solar).

In the upper right corner you can again select the type of species you are fencing. Scroll right and you will find the number of nets each energizer can power. There is a range, (i.e. 2-5, 3-6) depending on energizer output in dry grass/soil conditions. If your soils are typically moist, go with the higher number and vice versa in dry conditions.

Energizer power source are the selections at the upper left. Species type is at the upper right. (Energizers can be used for multiple species.)

These options should help narrow down energizer and net choices. As always, if you have any questions give us a call at 1-800-282-6631 and we'll help you out.




Coming soon—advanced filters to help narrow down your netting and energizer selections.