Purdue Forage Information

Perimeter Fencing Costs

Item	Woven Wire	Barbed Wire	High tensile (non electric) 8 strand	High tensile (electric) 5 strand
Estimated useful life (yr.)	20	20	25	25
Average annual maintenance (% of initial cost)	8%	8%	5%	5%
Depreciation	$99	$81	$59	$37
Interest on investment	$79	$65	$59	$37
Maintenance	$159	$129	$74	$46
Total Cost per Year	$338	$274	$193	$121
Total Cost per Foot/Year	$0.26	$0.21	$0.15	$0.09

* Annual average ownership cost by fence type (Based on a 1,320 ft. fence)

Interior Fencing Costs

Electrified Polywire Fence
Item	Amount Needed	Cost Per Unit	Total Cost
Wood Post (4 inch diam)	2	$9.30	$19
Fiberglass posts (3/8" x 4')	33	$1.59	$52
Insulators	2	$0.80	$2
Post Clips	42	$0.25	$11
Polywire	1320 ft.	$0.026	$34
Energizer (priced over 4 yrs)	1/4	$200.00	$50.00
Cut-out switch	1	$9.00	$9
Grounding/Lightning Rod	4	$9.00	$36
Labor estimate	2 hrs	$13.60	$27
Total			$240
Total per foot			$0.18
Cost of adding 1 strand of polywire (wire, clips, insulators)			$35 or .03 per ft

*Based on a 1,320 ft. fence

References

Estimated Costs For Livestock Fencing, Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Service, 2005

For more forage information contact Dr. Keith Johnson: johnsonk@purdue.edu