The most suitable and most used material for agricultural fence posts is wood; specifically round, chemically pressure treated softwood, such as Lodgepole Pine.

The principal reasons for this preference are that wooden posts are in good supply in B.C.; they have a high strength to relatively low weight ratio; are economical and provide a long service life.
 
Installation of Posts:
A variety of equipment and methods are available to install fence posts quickly and efficiently for a wide range of post sizes and soil conditions. These methods can be summarized into the following three categories:

• dig and fill - hand dug with compacted fill; auger dug with compacted fill
• drive in - hand raised/dropped weighted driver; machine driven ram with a friction, pneumatic or hydraulic drive
• vibrate in - hydraulic driven vibrator; assisted by a weighted head or hydraulic pressure

Combinations of these methods are sometimes used, for instance partly dug and then driven in when the post height is greater than the drivers capacity. As a rule of thumb, approximately 1/3 of the full line post length should be inground; for brace posts 1/2 the length (to 4 ft maximum).