From a Job to a Joy

Hamish Harley, part owner of Harling Ranching, a family owned 4,500 acre ranch across Texas and Oklahoma, talks to us about a challenge he couldn’t solve…

Hamish explains: “Fencing was never my favorite job on the ranch. It was time-consuming, and took me away from other things I would rather be doing – spending time with my family or fixing up other bits of kit around the ranch. This all changed after meeting Rappa.”

The Need

At any-one-time Harley Ranching can have 650 cows and 500 stockers in circulation. These are fed via strip and rotational grazing, however the fencing had historically been fixed, meaning much less flexibility than Hamish and his family wanted.

With the business growing, Hamish was looking for ways to be more efficient with time, and effective with money.

Hamish comments: “Fixed fences are simple to build, but on the ranch they are never a long term solution. They take up two or three of the team’s time, and it is long, slow work. Personally, it has never been something I have enjoyed, so I was very open to change.”

The Solution

Before seeking external help, Hamish had already identified fencing as a problem area on the ranch.

In fact, he had built his own ‘fencer’ from old bits of kit he had, with the aim of speeding up the process  by making it less manual. Whilst it saved some time, it was still slow going.

Through a family connection, Hamish reached out to Rappa to see how it could help. From the moment the Rappa Winder arrived on site in Texas, things changed for Harley Ranching. Fencing transitioned from being a daily grind to a quick job the team actively looked forward to doing.

Some of the outputs were truly unexpected too.

The Results

Hamish and his team immediately started to reap the rewards of the Rappa Winder. Even though his makeshift ‘fencer’ had already significantly sped up the fencing process, the new Winder allowed Hamish to complete jobs in half the time, and it meant that less people needed to be involved.

“The Winder is 100% more effective that the system I built, so I can’t even imagine how much time it would save for those still fencing by hand. It means we don’t have to hire in other people to help us out during busy periods, and we can concentrate on a variety of jobs, not just one.

“An example of this in practice, is time we can spend on the other machinery we have on the ranch. I normally spend my spare time fixing up various pieces of kit all winter. But, by November almost every piece of kit has been fixed and honed ready to be used. I am so far ahead of myself, it is fantastic”.

Hamish, who has a young family, explored how fencing has become a fun family activity, rather than a chore he tried to avoid.

“Improving the amount of time I spent with my family was certainly not a thought when I started talking to Rappa, but my kids love it. Every time I head out on the ATV for some fencing, one or both kids want to come. And, it is so simple, they can actually help me. In fact, the other day, the kids made me promise not to do any fencing until school had finished, just so they could come.

“For me, it allows me to be with my kids more, and get a job done, but for them it gets them outside and learning about the ranch. It’s a win/win in my book.”

Another creative use for the Winder that Hamish has found invaluable is using it to block off stock ponds, forcing his cattle towards clean, fresh trough water. It takes just two minutes to fence off an area, and after just one summer of use, Hamish has already found his cattle are healthier and suffer from less water-borne disease.

“Stagnant water is a major cause of disease amongst cattle, so the fact that I can force them to move away from in, and stop drinking from it, and produce healthier animals is a major win. Being able to push them towards clean, fresh water is a boost for them and for the family.

“I have found the same when strip grazing. By being able to move the cattle when I want is creating longer grass in other areas of the ranch, and allows me to be more proactive in how and where I let them graze. I know the benefits of fresh, long grass, so I know the paybacks are coming.”

The Winder has been a transformative presence on the Harley Ranch already, and it has only just completed its first summer. It is saving time, allowing for fewer workers, creating fun family time and establishing a healthier, happier herd.

Hamish concludes: “Fencing is now fun. It is an easy, simple process. It isn’t even work.”