Do you have things around the homestead that are super versatile? Very useful? And pretty cheap? One of my favorites is the boring-looking welded stock panel. It’s about 52″ high (a horse or goat won’t jump over it), 16′ long and very sturdy. There are medium sized squares in the fence panel that a dehorned goat can reach through….but not fit through.

Because they’re so sturdy, they need little support. Therefore, you can use them with only steel T posts, for a pen or corral. It’s fast (no corner braces). Pound in the T posts every 8′ and hang the panels. You can even use one for the gate. But I like to re-enforce it with a wood frame that is cross braced. After all, the gate does take a beating.

I bought two weanling donkeys that were pretty wild, having run with their mothers in a pasture, and were not handled at all. To tame them down, I needed a quick, strong pen close to the house where I could work with them several times a day. So I added a corral off the side of the goat barn, made a door into a large pen inside, and added a gate. I was in business!

Goats are terrible hay wasters. They pull hay apart, then walk on it with their poopy feet. Then when they get hungry, they turn their little noses up at the “dirty” hay they just ruined! So to stop that, I feed my goats their hay and grain OUTSIDE the stock panel pen. That way they have to reach through the fence to eat.They don’t ruin any hay. It saves money, prevents parasites, is much neater and they can’t fight over the feed. (This does NOT work with horned goats; they can sometimes get their heads through the fence, but nearly always get stuck in the fence and can choke to death. Another reason to disbud those kids young!)

I’m using stock panels as the bottom tier on my dog yard. They’re big sled dogs and even they have never chewed on or bent the fence…..unlike the chain link that makes up the dividing fence between the two parts of the yard. On top, I added 3 feet of welded wire 2″x4″ fence to prevent any attempts at climbing the fence….which they would do without it.

Then in the garden, I use it for bean and cucumber trellises. Next year I plan on using two rows of stock panels, one on each side of tomato row. It’s easy to pick through and strong enough to keep the lush tomato vines upright, even in the strongest wind. Much faster than staking, caging, and tying, too!

I’ve used stock panels, bent in a U shape, for a garden trellis for climbing flowers and even as a lean-to greenhouse support, tacking one end to a south-facing shed wall and the other to the top of a horizontal piece of panel making up the side wall. You do have to be careful you don’t have sharp ends sticking out that will poke through your greenhouse plastic though. I used duct tape to protect the ends.

Around here, stock panels are available at local farm stores for about $14 on sale (of course!). They last nearly forever. I bought a cheap set of bolt cutters to cut the panels to fit any application. For instance, my labrador retriever thought my tulip bed was neat for digging in. So I cut a stock panel in two, leaving straight spikes on both pieces. These I shoved into the ground and wow! instant flower bed fencing that the big dog wouldn’t just step over.

Getting those 16′ long panels home can be a challenge, though, unless you’re in the know. Obviously, you can haul them in a trailer. We’ve hauled them in our 16′ stock trailer. But you can haul them safely in a pickup, too. To haul five or fewer, lay them in the truck bed (with the spare tire out), shoved all the way forward. Then with helpers, push hard, bowing the panels up like a covered wagon top and shut the tailgate securely. Don’t stand behind it in case it springs open. Been there. Done that. Ouch!!! Then use two ratchet straps and ratchet the load down securely.

If you haven’t already discovered these versatile pieces of handy homestead material, check ‘em out! We just love ours and have used them for years.

I’ve posted readers’ questions with my answers below:

Using moldy manure

I picked up a load of manure last weekend and didn’t get around to uncovering it until today. After sitting for a week with not much if any air it is covered by a white cotton candy like fungus or mold. I
was going to mix this manure with dirt to build a new garden bed and let it decompose all winter. I’m not sure what this growth is — should I still use the manure, mold and all?

Jeanne & Kevin Walker
Homer, Alaska

I wouldn’t worry about this mold; it’s quite common and I’ve never had a problem when using “moldy” manure. Work it in well and water your beds until a freeze. This will help it to get started decomposing so it doesn’t sit “hot” in your bed all winter. You do want it to decompose nicely. — Jackie

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