He also likes the white polywire made by Premier because it "has a lot of give, even after it''s been out in the sun for months." The cheaper yellow and black polywire sold at farm supply stores is flexible when you unroll it, says Klocke, but it gets brittle out in the sun.Twenty years and still tickingDairy farmer Dan Johnson of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, has used his Blitzer solar fence controller for almost 20 years. It''s been hit by lightning twice, requiring replacement of the the solar grid and one fencetools other part, but otherwise, it''s worked fine, he fencetools reports. Johnson milks 60 Holsteins and grazes the hills of his 285-acre farm.

Willis bought the Bobcat and attachments used from his local dealer for about $11,000. Money well spent, he says. He uses it to move pallets of feed, move fencetools calf huts, and clean the barn. The green box shown in the photo above is actually a hog hauler Willis picked up at a local auction. It will hold four calves on the front of the skid steer when it comes time to move them from huts to the barn for weaning and processing. His older barn has been remodeled, and the skid steer slides perfectly fencetools down the aisles and into the pens for cleaning. Anything bigger wouldn''t fit, says Willis.Some producers cite purchase of a skid steer as their best recent management change.