The following Agriculture and Natural Resources article printed in the 2018 Fall edition of the Oldham County Extension Newsletter.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

“Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” a phrase made famous by Robert Frost’s poem, is a sentiment that still rings true today. While fences may not always be necessary, respecting other people’s property goes a long way toward being a good neighbor.

Keeping yourself, your kids, pets, and livestock on your own property may sound pretty basic, but it’s surprising how often this can be a problem. If you don’t own the property in question, you should not be on it unless invited.

The same goes for yard and kitchen waste, pruned branches, and other trash; keep it on your own property. Throwing these into your neighbor’s yard or field is somewhere between unthoughtful and rude. Remember that some plants are poisonous to livestock. Plus some animals may have nutritional disorders that affect what they can eat. Ask before you feed them anything.

Stacking stall waste or other debris right on property lines may also be objectionable to neighbors. As well, branches should not be dumped into weather drains and creeks. This causes clogged waterways, flooding, and erosion, sometimes on your property as well as your neighbors’.

What people do on their own property is generally their own business, unless they are breaking the law or violating an ordinance. Remember that being a good neighbor goes both ways. Before talking to neighbors about issues, consider whether you’ve been holding up your end of the good neighbor agreement.

Written by Traci Missun, Oldham County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent.