Wisconsin Agriculturist - September 2007
27
Dairy & Livestock
Agrivision
MILLER
CROPP
HODORFF
On the fence
The line fence between our farm and
our neighbors needs some major repair
or replacement. The neighbors moved
in three years ago and have made no
effort to keep their half of the fence repaired. Our heifers that are pastured
there have gotten out a couple of times
this summer and caused damage to
their property. Up until now we kept
the fence repaired. We are frustrated
and they are mad. Help!
Hodorff: I believe the rule reads you
are responsible for half of the fence line,
and the neighbor is responsible for the
other half. My understanding is that
when facing south, the right half is your
responsibility. The left half is the neighbor’s. Good luck getting help. An ag
instructor, Extension agent or attorney
can help you verify the regulations in
your area.
Miller: Your neighbors may not
know that half of the fence is their responsibility to keep repaired while the
other half is yours. Communication is
the key to good relations whether it’s
in the business, in your family or with
your neighbors. Check with the town
clerk about local practice and legal responsibilities. The next step is likely
contacting your neighbor and exploring
solutions. You may want to come prepared with estimated costs of materials
and labor and, if possible, offer to do
the work yourself or hire it done.
Cropp: This sounds like a “teachable moment.” Many nonfarm rural
neighbors have no clue about fence
law. Share a copy of Wisconsin’s fence
law with your neighbors and inform
them that you have been doing the
repair work that is really their responsibility. Once they understand the law,
try to develop a plan with them to
jointly repair or replace the fence as
they will not likely know how to build a
proper one. Most county Extension offices have a fact sheet that clearly outlines Wisconsin’s fence statutes called
“Fences in Agricultural Areas,” UWExtension Local Government Center
Publication No 13.
Letting the neighbor help
Our neighbor has offered to custom
harvest our corn silage this fall. This
is tempting as we are still growing
into a recently expanded dairy operation and our labor is stretched as
it is. However, we do have a line of
machinery that is in fair condition and
Agrivision panel: Doug Hodorff,
Fond du Lac County dairy farmer;
Sam Miller, vice president of
agricultural banking for M&I Bank;
and Bob Cropp, Pepin County
Extension agriculture agent. Send
questions to Wisconsin Agriculturist,
102 E. Jefferson St., P.O. Box
236, Brandon, WI 53919; or e-mail
[email protected].
could still chop it ourselves. How do
we decide?
Hodorff: We have used custom operators for 10 years. Bigger machines
are expensive, but can help get work
done timely and also relieve work load.
Make sure you give the custom operator
enough notice of your plan. Go for it. It
really does make sense.
Miller: Your decision will depend on
the answers to a number of questions:
✔ Your machinery is in fair condition. Is it dependable to get through the
harvest season?
✔ What experience does your
neighbor have in custom-harvesting
operations, including the feed storage
you have (upright silo, drive-over pile
or bunker silos)?
✔ Will your neighbor be able to
chop when the crop is ready or be busy
with other jobs at that same time?
✔ Will you have the labor to harvest
and store feed at the same time as operating the balance of the farm?
If your neighbor does custom harvest, work with your nutritionist and be
certain the chop length and quality is
appropriate for your herd.
Assess the cost of custom harvesting
vs. using your labor and equipment.
Consult your Extension agriculture
agent to help you sort out the answers.
Cropp: Unless you can hire addi-
T H E S I M P L E M AT H O F
tional qualified labor, it sounds like this
would be a good year to hire your corn
silage harvesting simply because of the
stress your business is under. Research
the custom rates to be certain they
are within market ranges. The recent
increase in fuel prices has pushed the
rates significantly higher. Also, be sure
to define what other services are provided. For example, will they transport, distribute and pack the silage?
Remember, there is a cost of ownership
for your machinery whether you use it
or not. These costs include depreciation, insurance and interest. Keep this
in mind as you make your decision.
This should be a learning experience.
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