East Coast Cowboy Innovates Fencing Industry at Wilson Fence

“When you look behind and see your production, hundreds of fence posts in a line in the valley, it’s very satisfying,” says Jake Wilson, owner of Wilson Fence in Lexington, Virginia. 

With an innovative approach to fencepost-setting attributable to his fleet of Bobcat® equipment, Wilson Fence has revolutionized a typically painstaking and laborious process. 

Bringing the Western way to the East Coast 

Some might find it interesting that an East Coast kid (born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland) would end up pursuing the cowboy life. But after moving to Montana briefly and working on a ranch, Jake headed back east to attend college where he now has his business in Lexington. There, he connected with some “horse people and farm guys,” thus restoking his fire for a Western way of life.  

But his dream would be put on hold while he served a bigger purpose. During a 16-month deployment to Iraq in the early 2000s, Jake knew where his path would take him upon his return home.  

Always drawn to rural life, he had once held a side job helping a friend build fences in agricultural areas. “It was my first step in chasing my cowboy dreams,” says Jake. “He told me if I started a fence business, I’d have all the work I would ever want to do.” 

Soon after, Wilson Fence was formed and the rest is history. Today, Jake’s four-person business builds fences for cattle, livestock and horse ranches, farmers, vineyards, orchards and more. The company also does grading and excavation work, and installs livestock water systems. 

Bobcat equipment delivers turnkey operation 

Jake’s fleet of Bobcat machines complement each other for the variety of jobs his crews tackle. His impressive line-up includes: 

• Four Bobcat T740 compact track loaders 
• Two compact excavators (E50 and E42) 
• Toolcat™ 5600 utility work machine 
• VersaHANDLER® V519 telehandler 
• MT85 mini track loader 

“I’ve been using Bobcat machines for over 15 years, and I can honestly say that every night I look forward to the next day of work because I know my equipment is up to the challenge.”