Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Fencing farm waterways and dams can improve livestock drinking water while protecting the farm environment downstream. But this property is doing it with a surprisingly simple, low-strain fencing system — and combining it with virtual fencing, better grazing management and soil biology treatments.
In Western Australia, I catch up with Kevina to look at a farm system where smarter fencing is helping keep cattle out of waterways without building expensive conventional fences everywhere.
The physical waterway fence uses flexible composite posts spaced at approximately 10 metres, three wires and a well-powered electric fence. Water from the dam can then be pumped to header tanks and troughs, helping keep cattle out of the water they drink.
But the fencing is only one part of the story.
Virtual fencing collars are now being used to control where cattle graze, protect wet areas and keep animals out of other dams without building another permanent fence. That flexibility means grazing boundaries can change with soil moisture, pasture conditions and the needs of the paddock.
We also head into the paddock with Cavina and David to look at the biological side of the system. After introducing Biolink ammendments, soil structure, pasture recovery and Brix readings have all improved. On the cool winter day we filmed, pasture was reading around 6–7 Brix, compared with historical winter readings around 3 or below. They are seeing stronger pasture recovery, improved water retention and greater confidence in the productive capacity of the farm.
This is a useful case study for farmers and landholders thinking about farm dam fencing, waterway protection, electric fencing, livestock drinking water, virtual fencing for cattle, grazing management, regenerative agriculture, soil biology, pasture Brix, runoff control and keeping rainfall in the landscape. It also shows why physical fencing, grazing technology and biological farming should be considered as parts of one farm system rather than separate decisions.
**Watch next on Farm Learning:**
• Farm fencing, electric fencing and better boundary-fence design
• Virtual fencing and precision grazing systems
• Soil biology, biological inputs and regenerative grazing case studies
Subscribe to **Farm Learning with Tim Thompson** for practical agricultural education built around real farms, real people and systems that are being used in the paddock.
If you're fencing dams or waterways, using virtual fencing, or changing the way you manage livestock water, tell us what you've learned in the comments.
Share this with a farmer, contractor or landholder working through the same problem, and have a look through the related Farm Learning videos for more practical fencing, grazing, soil and water-management ideas.
**Details**
Location: Western Australia
Guests: Kevina and David
Farm system: Grazing livestock
Practices featured: Waterway fencing, electric fencing, virtual fencing, biological soil management and grazing management
Water-management focus: Excluding cattle from dams and waterways, supplying trough water and improving water retention in the landscape
Biological inputs: Biolink products https://biolink4plants.com.au/ are discussed in the video
Funding disclosure: This video was made possible by RegenWA through funding from the Western Australian Government's State NRM program. regenwa.com/projects/make-your-hectare-count-empowering-peri-urban-landholders-to-practice-regeneration
#FarmFencing #FarmWater #RegenerativeAgriculture #VirtualFencing #GrazingManagement
What would make the biggest difference on your place: better fencing around water, moving stock with virtual fences, or improving the soil and pasture underneath the whole system?
I’m particularly interested to hear from farmers who have fenced dams or waterways — did you notice changes in water quality, stock behaviour or pasture management?
For more on the physical side of the system, head next to the Farm Learning **Farm Fencing: End Assemblies, Knots & Electric Fences** videos. If the biology interests you more, have a look through the regenerative agriculture and soil biology case studies.
00:00 Why Fence Farm Dams and Waterways?
01:24 What Cleaner Water Looks Like
02:03 Protecting the Wetlands Downstream
02:59 The Simple Low-Cost Fence Design
03:44 Better Drinking Water for Cattle
04:04 Soil Biology Meets Virtual Fencing
04:36 Why They’re Removing New Fences
05:09 Rethinking Permanent Farm Fencing
05:58 Protecting Wet Areas with Virtual Fences
06:51 Soil Structure and Pasture Brix
08:20 More Pasture, Less Supplementary Feed
09:15 Precision Grazing and Soil Biology
09:34 Stocking Rate: 23 DSE and Rising
10:18 Holding Rainfall and Reducing Runoff
11:35 What Farmers Can Take From This
Fencing farm waterways and dams can improve livestock drinking water while protecting the farm environment downstream. But this property is doing it with a surprisingly simple, low-strain fencing system — and combining it with virtual fencing, better grazing management and soil biology treatments.
In Western Australia, I catch up with Kevina to look at a farm system where smarter fencing is helping keep cattle out of waterways without building expensive conventional fences everywhere.
The physical waterway fence uses flexible composite posts spaced at approximately 10 metres, three wires and a well-powered electric fence. Water from the dam can then be pumped to header tanks and troughs, helping keep cattle out of the water they drink.
But the fencing is only one part of the story.
Virtual fencing collars are now being used to control where cattle graze, protect wet areas and keep animals out of other dams without building another permanent fence. That flexibility means grazing boundaries can change with soil moisture, pasture conditions and the needs of the paddock.
We also head into the paddock with Cavina and David to look at the biological side of the system. After introducing Biolink ammendments, soil structure, pasture recovery and Brix readings have all improved. On the cool winter day we filmed, pasture was reading around 6–7 Brix, compared with historical winter readings around 3 or below. They are seeing stronger pasture recovery, improved water retention and greater confidence in the productive capacity of the farm.
This is a useful case study for farmers and landholders thinking about farm dam fencing, waterway protection, electric fencing, livestock drinking water, virtual fencing for cattle, grazing management, regenerative agriculture, soil biology, pasture Brix, runoff control and keeping rainfall in the landscape. It also shows why physical fencing, grazing technology and biological farming should be considered as parts of one farm system rather than separate decisions.
**Watch next on Farm Learning:**
• Farm fencing, electric fencing and better boundary-fence design
• Virtual fencing and precision grazing systems
• Soil biology, biological inputs and regenerative grazing case studies
Subscribe to **Farm Learning with Tim Thompson** for practical agricultural education built around real farms, real people and systems that are being used in the paddock.
If you're fencing dams or waterways, using virtual fencing, or changing the way you manage livestock water, tell us what you've learned in the comments.
Share this with a farmer, contractor or landholder working through the same problem, and have a look through the related Farm Learning videos for more practical fencing, grazing, soil and water-management ideas.
**Details**
Location: Western Australia
Guests: Kevina and David
Farm system: Grazing livestock
Practices featured: Waterway fencing, electric fencing, virtual fencing, biological soil management and grazing management
Water-management focus: Excluding cattle from dams and waterways, supplying trough water and improving water retention in the landscape
Biological inputs: Biolink products https://biolink4plants.com.au/ are discussed in the video
Funding disclosure: This video was made possible by RegenWA through funding from the Western Australian Government's State NRM program. regenwa.com/projects/make-your-hectare-count-empowering-peri-urban-landholders-to-practice-regeneration
#FarmFencing #FarmWater #RegenerativeAgriculture #VirtualFencing #GrazingManagement
What would make the biggest difference on your place: better fencing around water, moving stock with virtual fences, or improving the soil and pasture underneath the whole system?
I’m particularly interested to hear from farmers who have fenced dams or waterways — did you notice changes in water quality, stock behaviour or pasture management?
For more on the physical side of the system, head next to the Farm Learning **Farm Fencing: End Assemblies, Knots & Electric Fences** videos. If the biology interests you more, have a look through the regenerative agriculture and soil biology case studies.
00:00 Why Fence Farm Dams and Waterways?
01:24 What Cleaner Water Looks Like
02:03 Protecting the Wetlands Downstream
02:59 The Simple Low-Cost Fence Design
03:44 Better Drinking Water for Cattle
04:04 Soil Biology Meets Virtual Fencing
04:36 Why They’re Removing New Fences
05:09 Rethinking Permanent Farm Fencing
05:58 Protecting Wet Areas with Virtual Fences
06:51 Soil Structure and Pasture Brix
08:20 More Pasture, Less Supplementary Feed
09:15 Precision Grazing and Soil Biology
09:34 Stocking Rate: 23 DSE and Rising
10:18 Holding Rainfall and Reducing Runoff
11:35 What Farmers Can Take From This
