Conservation Corner: Virtual fencing is more than just a pretty necklace
If you’ve been on the BLM and Forest Service land south of Eagle or along Colorado River Road in the last two years, you may have noticed cows sporting new lunchbox-sized bling.
Although they don’t know it, these cows (and their collars) are part of a larger movement changing ranching and land management.
Virtual fencing is taking hold in the United States and is in its second year in Eagle County. This new technology allows ranchers to control cattle movement by communicating to the cow via its new necklace and using principles similar to an electric fence for dogs. The perimeter of the virtual fence is established on a computer and transmitted to GPS stations set up across the county.
The GPS stations send the coordinates of the virtual fences to the collars, and when a cow gets close to one of the virtual fence lines, the collar will emit an auditory signal to alert the cow of the boundary. If the cow passes through the auditory signal zone, they will then receive an electrical stimulus (shock).
The cows are trained to respond to these signals before they are turned out of their winter pastures, which helps them react to the auditory cue before they reach the boundary.
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So what’s the benefit here? Beyond the labor and cost savings, the rancher can control cattle in almost real-time, and rotational grazing, a practice that prevents overgrazing and improves overall soil structure and rangeland health, becomes far easier when you can change fence perimeters from your computer.
Without traditional fencing, cows can be brought in to graze areas that need it. This could look like an area with a fuel build-up where grazing can create natural breaks for wildfire mitigation. On the flip side, cows can be kept out of areas that need a rest from grazing, such as burn scars and sensitive riparian zones. Fences no longer need to dictate what can and cannot be done in an area, which leads to a whole range of possibilities that could not have been previously considered.
Another beneficiary of virtual fencing is the local wildlife. Physical fencing has long been known to be an obstacle for wildlife and has been a continued management issue on federal and state lands. Although some perimeter fencing may always be needed, the potential for reducing physical interior fencing is huge, and the removal is a major benefit to wildlife, creating safer passage routes during their migrations.
And for many recreationists, the benefits of virtual fencing are many. Gates to be opened and closed, fences to be crossed, and cattle guards to be crossed could all go away.
Virtual fencing in Eagle County is not something that most ranchers can foot the bill for on their own. That’s where the Eagle County Conservation District comes in.
In a grant facilitated by Eagle County Conservation District, 3,000 collars were distributed to six local ranching operations,10 GPS stations were installed at high points, and 48 different research plots were established to gauge the impact virtual fencing can have on the health and composition of the landscape. The grant runs for three years before the funding expires at the end of 2024.
So, next time you see a cow sporting an oversized necklace, give it a wave, and thank it for helping us shape a new future for ranching in Eagle County.
Allegra Waterman-Snow is a technician for the Eagle County Conservation District, which is committed to preserving and restoring natural resources by collaborating, educating, and cooperating for conservation. For more information, visit EagleCountyCD.com or contact allegra.eaglecountycd@gmail.com.
