By Doug Warnock
Virtual Fencing has emerged as a new technology in the livestock industry, allowing ranchers to control where animals go and how long they stay in a specific place without the use of costly wire fencing. Researchers at the University of Idaho and its neighbor, Washington State University, received special funding in 2022 to test the safety and efficacy of a prototype virtual fence system that uses novel features to manage grazing livestock.
Initial testing by scientists and ranchers, recently, has shown success in training grazing animals to respond to the cues of a GPS system that is constantly monitoring where the animals are and gives them a signal when they get too close to an established boundary. If the animals ignore the signal and go over the established boundary, they receive a mild electric shock, which stimulates them to return to the original area. The initial GPS systems have shown some limitations in rough and rugged terrain and require the installation of cell phone towers to accommodate the communication needed.
The systems being tested in this Idaho study use proximity sensing technology that functions well in mountainous terrain. Also, this system shocks the animal’s ear, not its neck. These two differences make the system cheaper, uses less energy, is less stressful, and makes the systems more durable.
Grazing management has become more important in many ranch situations over the last 40 years. Managers strive to keep animals bunched together more and to move them sooner, in order to allow pasture plants to recover sufficiently before the next grazing. Rangeland plants are healthier and more productive when grazing animals are only allowed to remove part of the plant tissue and plants are given sufficient time to recover from the grazing before being grazed again. Electric fencing has been a very useful tool in accomplishing better grazing management because it is flexible and more portable.
Fencing is expensive and must be moved prior to moving the livestock. With virtual fencing, the fence moving is accomplished on a cell phone or other computer-type of device. Also, fences tend to restrict wildlife, while virtual fencing makes for unobstructed corridors for wildlife movement.
“As wildlife habitat becomes increasingly fragmented and recreational activities on rangelands continue to grow, maintaining unobstructed corridors for movement of wildlife and humans is critical,” said Karen Launchbaugh, director of the University of Idaho Rangeland Center.
This four-year study, funded by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is expected to result in the development of an effective, efficient, and affordable virtual fencing system that will assist rangeland managers in improving pasture management and opening land to easier wildlife movement. More information about virtual fencing is available online. Search for sources ending in “.edu.”
Doug Warnock, retired from Washington State University Extension, lives on a ranch in the Touchet River Valley where he writes about and teaches grazing management. He can be contacted at dwarnockgreenerpastures@gmail.com.
