Waratah's exclusion fence deters threat

Mr Cook has seen a marked reduction in the numbers of pigs, dogs and kangaroos coming onto “Kindon Station” since installing more than 25 kilometres of exclusion fence.

He runs more than 6000 Herefords and grows wheat, sorghum, oats and forage oats for his cattle on nearly 5000 hectares.

Despite having an existing dog fence on three sides of his property, Mr Cook was still having trouble with feral animals.

“Like most people, we used traditional control measures like baiting, but we just weren’t getting on top of the numbers,” Mr Cook said.

“With cattle prices where they are, and seasons as tough as they are, it just occurred to me that we needed to do a bit more to protect our business from the threat.

“I’d seen the Waratah exclusion fencing system before, and was impressed by the durability. It’s heavy duty, serious gear and the way it’s installed seems suited to the environment I’m dealing with here.

“Some of the other products out there just didn’t seem durable enough to stand up to the strain.

“It’s been a gradual process over the past 12 months, but now the contractors are done, I’ve noticed that pig numbers have reduced a lot, and the roos are slowing down as well,” he said.

Using the full Waratah system to close the loop between existing dog fencing, Mr Cook has been able to reduce the threat to his livestock and crop yields.

“It’s a big investment, but making a living from the land is full of things beyond your control, and to me it just makes sense to control what you can, where you can,” Mr Cook said.

Waratah fencing has been servicing the needs of Australian farmers for more than 130 years. The fencing products are available from your local rural distributor.