Training Cattle to Respect Boundaries With Collars
Virtual fencing systems combine collars for grazing animals and a GPS device. Using a mobile application, you can determine which specific pasture areas your livestock can access or not. Animals learn to respect these boundaries when audio cues—and initially electrical pulses—are triggered.
So far, several collars have been developed and are in various stages of commercialization, namely in Norway, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. A recent study conducted in Canada by several partners, including the University of Alberta and the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, evaluated the performance of the Nofence system. This technology, which was developed by a Norwegian company, seems to adapt well to the Canadian context according to preliminary results. Its technical performance was especially promising in Alberta.
Significant Time Savings on the Farm
As we know, family time is high on the priority list for younger generations, who cite less time with loved ones as one of the main reasons for hesitating to take over the family farm. Although manual work can seem more familiar to them, young farmers may choose to adopt innovations like virtual fencing to do away with some repetitive menial tasks—such as maintaining physical fences.
The time of smart pastures may be right around the corner. It’s up to the next generation to choose between touch screens and pickets!