04/09/2026
Adaptive grazing doesn't have to be hard or expensive!
I'm aging, work a full-time job, run a small business, and have some medical issues. Moving fence posts and reels all the time doesn't work well for me, especially in our hot and humid summers. I did it for a few years and found that I procrastinated moving them or created extra large paddocks because it was so much work.
The plastic step-in posts are an annoyance because they are tough to remove when soils are dry or frozen. The clips or the entire post break often, or they bend and become almost useless. Reels with enough polywire to cover the distance are heavy, and they, too, tear up with age and use. I don't have a reliable 4-wheeler, so I did a lot of walking and carrying all those posts is awkward.
Instead, I have set up semi-permanent paddocks using predrilled fiberglass posts from Kencove Farm Fence Supplies, a jerry-rigged A-frame made from two standard Timeless Fence posts at each end, two strands of 14g wire, and spring gates with handles on both ends so I can use them wherever I need them. I can still subdivide with my multi-line hot posts and mini reels from Premier 1 Supplies when warranted.
With this system, it takes about 5-10 minutes to open the gate to the next paddock and move the water and mineral tubs. It used to take me nearly an hour to pull and reset posts, then reel up and reel out the wire, and finally move the tubs. I'd rather spend that time observing the sheep, inspecting the pasture, or even better, sitting on my porch.
I change up the paddock order in which I introduce the flock to graze each year, and move them when the grass tells me to. If/when I decide to retire from sheep or we move to a different property, I can reel up the wire and pull up the posts with little effort.
