Reasons to Choose and Best Practices for Building a Field Fence

Field fence — the woven wire mesh style with horizontal and vertical wires forming a grid — is one of the most common fences on rural properties around Livingston, Coldspring, and Onalaska, and for good reason. It's built to do a specific job over long stretches of pasture, and it does it well.

Keeps animals where they belong

The grid pattern of field fence gives consistent containment along the entire run, which matters for sheep, goats, and other livestock that will test gaps in a fence line that a simpler style like barbed wire might not stop.

Keeps predators and stray animals out

The tight mesh works both directions — it's harder for coyotes, stray dogs, and other predators to get through than a widely spaced wire fence, which matters for anyone raising smaller or more vulnerable livestock.

A clear, durable property line

A properly tensioned field fence reads as a clean, unmistakable boundary line, which helps avoid the kind of neighbor disputes that come from an unclear or poorly maintained property edge.

Keeps livestock off crops

On properties running both livestock and cultivated ground, field fence separating the two keeps animals from wandering into crops and undoing a season's work in an afternoon.

Supports rotational grazing

Dividing pasture into sections with field fence lets an owner rotate livestock between areas, giving grazed sections time to recover instead of running animals over the same ground continuously.

Best practices for building field fence

• Plan the layout around the animals. Terrain, herd type, and what the fence needs to exclude (predators, in addition to containing livestock) all affect the right mesh spacing and height.
• Choose corrosion-resistant materials. Galvanized woven wire and treated wood or steel posts hold up to years of weather and ground moisture without rusting or rotting out.
• Set corner and brace posts first, and set them solid. These carry the tension of the entire line, so they need to be set deeper and braced more heavily than line posts.
• Space line posts consistently and stretch the wire to proper tension — a loose field fence sags, gaps, and loses much of its containment value.
• Reinforce high-pressure sections near gates, water sources, or feeding areas where animals congregate and push on the fence most.
• Inspect regularly, especially after storms, and retension or repair sections before small gaps become an animal getting through.

Field fence is part of our farm and ranch fencing lineup, and we often pair it with t-posts for line posts or barbed wire as a top strand for extra deterrence on larger perimeters.

Frequently asked questions

Is field fence better than barbed wire for my property?

It depends on what's being contained. Field fence's tight mesh gives more reliable containment for goats, sheep, and other animals that can slip through wider-spaced wire, while barbed wire is often more economical for larger cattle-only perimeters. We can talk through which fits your situation during a free estimate.

How long does field fence typically last?

With galvanized wire, solid posts, and proper tensioning, field fence is built to hold up for years of outdoor use, though regular inspection and occasional retensioning helps it stay tight over the long run.

Can field fence be added to an existing pasture layout?

Yes — it's common to tie new field fence into existing farm and ranch fencing to divide pasture for rotational grazing or to upgrade containment on a section that needs it.