Barbed Wire

Barbed wire is the standard wire for holding cattle on a place. It goes up fast, it covers ground cheaply, and it can be repaired with a pair of pliers and a stretcher.

Fence lines on a ranch fail in the same places: corners, low spots, and stretches where a tree falls. A roll of wire in the barn means the repair happens the same day instead of on the next trip to town.

Wire is also used for temporary runs and cross fences where cattle are rotated through pastures. Strung between T posts, it makes a line that can be moved as the grazing changes. Tension and spacing do most of the work. A tight wire on solid posts turns cattle; a loose one just teaches them to push through.