Electrified fencing humane way to control cattle, livestock conference told

The concept of the electric fence was first described in Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, in 1889, as a defensive weapon.
Today the electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary. The voltage of the shock may have effects ranging from uncomfortable to painful.
Most electric fencing is used today for agricultural and other forms of animal control purposes. Electric fences were used to control livestock in the United States as early as the 1930s.
A New Zealand inventor, Doug Phillips, invented the non-shortable electric fence based on a capacitor discharge. This significantly increased the range of an electric fence and could be used from a few hundred yards to 35 miles, and reduced the cost of fencing by more than 80 per cent. Phillips went on to develop and patent other improvements to electric fence technology. The Gallagher firm, and other manufacturers, obtained the Phillips patent in 1975 and are still heavily involved in electric fencing for livestock control.
Carmen Christianson was speaking at a livestock producers conference held in Moose Jaw Wednesday.
Permanent electric fencing is used in many agricultural areas, as construction of electric fences is much cheaper and faster than conventional fences. It uses plain wire and much lighter construction, and the fence does not need to physically restrain animals. The risk of injury to livestock is lower compared to fences made of barbed wire or certain types of woven wire with large openings that can entangle the feet.
"The idea of the electric fence is to create a deterrent for livestock. It doesn't have a physical element like barbed wire, but creates a memorable experience for animals. They can be taught not to go near the fence. Once an animal learns it will be shocked by the fence, it usually never goes near it again," said Carman Christianson, the territory manager of Gallagher Power Fencing for prairies central.
The Gallagher firm also created a learning pamphlet that comes with all of its battery or solar powered energizers. It's called Power Fence and Common Sense, and teaches children about the risks of an electrified fence. Although the fences are not lethal, according to Christianson, they can have the power to knock someone unconscious for a few seconds.
The disadvantages of an electric fence include the potential for the entire fence to be disabled due to a break in the conducting wire, shorting out, power failure or forced disconnection due to the risk of fires started by dry vegetation touching an electrified wire.

Colin Dewar can be reached at 691-1263.