Thursday, November 7, 2024
HomeGrazing ManagementFencingTechnology is only as good as the Grazing Manager

Technology is only as good as the Grazing Manager

(This is Part 4 in our series on Virtual Fencing – the Next Big Thing in Grazing. Here’s Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)

“Virtual fence technology is not going to take the role of a rangeland manager.” ~ David Bohnert

“Using these technologies, that doesn’t take the animal husbandry out of it. That doesn’t take the ranch management out of it. It’s a tool.”  ~ Andrew Cox.

“Virtual fence is only as good as the manager.”  ~ Pat Luark

Graziers who use virtual fence technology tell us that it’s just like any other tool we use to manage our operations. It still requires the basic skills of a successful grazier. You still need to set goals and monitor your pastures. You still need to be patient, persistent and above all, adaptive. And when things seem tough, remember to enjoy the little things. Listen to these graziers talk about how they did all that in this 10:22 video. Then read on for some tips on how to do each of these things, whether you’re trying something new, or just going about your daily work.

Setting Goals

Yes, I know just how hard this can be. So I’ve got some examples for you in this collection of articles. I especially like Troy’s piece on thinking about what you’re doing and why because he gives LOTS of examples to work from.

Grazing Goals to Get You Where You’re Going

Monitoring

If it were easy, everyone would do it. Those who take the time to monitor eventually develop the ability to look at their pastures and know how much forage there is. This article has links to a variety of techniques for monitoring so you can choose the ones that work best for you and grow your estimating abilities.

How Do You Monitor Your Pastures?

Being Patient, Persistent, and Adaptive (and enjoying the little things too)

The best examples of this are successful graziers, folks who have grown and changed over time, who looked at the world the way it is and made it something more for themselves. So look around you for those kinds of people and see what you can learn from them.

As one example, I give you Greg Judy. In his three books, he writes about what was going wrong and how he changed to make things better. In his last book, he focuses on those personal traits he developed that carried him through. You can read more about “How to Think Like a Grazier here. You can find all Greg’s books and order them here.

And if you’d like ongoing inspiration, check out his youtube channel too.

And the Funnies!

I was having a hard day back in June of 2021. To feel better I watched a funny video about someone else having a harder day because pain shared is halved, and joy shared is doubled.

Enjoy!

Some Days Nothing Goes Right – So watch a funny video instead!

Your Tips Keep This Library Online

This resource only survives with your assistance.

Kathy Voth
Kathy Vothhttps://onpasture.com
I am the founder, editor and publisher of On Pasture, now retired. My career spanned 40 years of finding creative solutions to problems, and sharing ideas with people that encouraged them to work together and try new things. From figuring out how to teach livestock to eat weeds, to teaching range management to high schoolers, outdoor ed graduation camping trips with fifty 6th graders at a time, building firebreaks with a 130-goat herd, developing the signs and interpretation for the Storm King Fourteen Memorial trail, receiving the Conservation Service Award for my work building the 150-mile mountain bike trail from Grand Junction, Colorado to Moab, Utah...well, the list is long so I'll stop with, I've had a great time and I'm very grateful.

Welcome to the On Pasture Library

Free Ebook!

Latest Additions

Most Read