This week we have dove in head first into the fencing phase of our internship. Due to our hungry four legged creatures that like to play in our fields, it was time to take action. Our plan originally was  to start building our 8 foot high fence this week, but it wouldn’t be interesting if things went to plan.

So instead of starting to build our new fence, we started pulling the old to put in the new. For the past 50 plus years there was a hog wire and barbwire fence that stood 4 feet high. This fence had conveniently stood next to the ditched and slowly became apart of the bank due to lack of matiness. Our task was to removed this old fence, T post, wire clips, and all. However, it didn’t just stop there.

Once we got all the fencing material removed, with assistance of heavy machinery and hard labor, we needed to use our sickle bar mower to clear the area so we can see where we would like to put the fence. But weeds, rose bushes, and all sorts of grasses wasn’t all what we uncovered. When we had got the ditch looking nice, we found an area that needed improvement pronto! With the help with other employee on the station, we were able to make the improvements needed and get the water flowing better.

All in all this week I have shed a lot of sweat and some drops of blood here and there. However, with all the sweat and blood, I can say I have by far made an impact on the station that is outside my internship, and I can’t complain about that. But the big thing I want to stress, is it is important to maintain fences and ditches. Although its not the greatest job, nor the finest, it can impact your operation significantly and can help you avoid situations with neighboring farmers.