(This is Part 3 in our series on Virtual Fencing – the Next Big Thing in Grazing. Here are Part 1 and Part 2.)
This week in our look at the next big thing in grazing, we meet some of the folks using virtual fencing and hear about the things they think make for success, including:
• Developing support networks,
• Exploring different technology options to understand their benefits and limitations, and
• Designing a grazing plan.
These steps aren’t unique to virtual fencing. So, if you’re not in the market for this particular technology, I hope you’ll use the tips you learn here for whatever new thing you’re trying, whether it’s solar fencing, a grazing planning tool, or your smartphone.
Check out the 10:27 video and then read on for a few more helpful hints. (And remember, if you don’t want to watch the video and would rather read a transcript, YouTube has you covered. Click on “…more” in the video’s description box, then scroll down to the bottom to find a link to open the transcript. The transcript will appear on the right-hand side of your browser. If you click on anything in the transcript, the video will begin playing at that point.)
Tips for Developing Support Networks
As Chip Hines pointed out in his article, Intelligent Groups Make Innovation Easier, “Several people are much more intelligent than one when it comes to developing new thought or revamping the mind to accept something initially foreign.” It’s especially helpful if the people in your group have different areas of expertise and different ideas.
Chip was big on ignoring the Coffee Shop Cowboys and naysayers, so when you’re putting together your “intelligent group” don’t be afraid to look for expertise outside your normal group. There might be folks working in Extension or at local agencies who could be helpful too.
Read All About It
If you’d like to know more about Virtual Fence, the Rangelands Gateway Virtual Fence page is a great place to start. You’ll find all kinds of resources there. There is also a Virtual Fence Facebook Group.
You can also explore a growing body of research on virtual fence. These articles might give you some ideas of how animals react to the fencing and ways to use the technology to turn cattle into grazing “firefighters.”
Effects of virtual fence monitored by global positioning system on beef cattle behavior
Virtual Fencing Effectively Excludes Cattle from Burned Sagebrush Steppe
Using Virtual Fencing to Create Fuel Breaks in the Sagebrush Steppe
Do the Math
I know there are a lot of readers out there with smaller operations and fewer cattle than the folks in virtual fence projects. For you, the current cost of collars and mobile base stations likely doesn’t pencil out…YET! But, like all new technologies, as it becomes more widely used, prices often drop. Maybe someday we’ll all have virtual fences and think nothing of it, just like we all have mobile phones. Who knows?!
