CALES, through the University of Arizona Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension, is collaborating with technology companies and the ranch community to investigate emerging ways to control the movement and track the health of livestock. Extension faculty are testing radio and satellite systems that can track cattle activity and give ranchers, though cellphone apps, data that helps them determine if livestock are healthy and even potentially if they are giving birth.

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University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is working with livestock owners in Arizona to test virtual fencing – systems that electronically track and control the movement and even health of livestock.

The technology has been in development for about 20 years but has only been available commercially for about five years in the livestock industry, said Flavie Audoin, an assistant professor and Extension rangeland management specialist.

Using a variety of radio, cellphone and satellite signals, these systems can tell ranchers where cattle are or if they have stopped moving. That data is useful for daily ranch operation and could prove crucial as ranchers face a potential threat from the parasitic New World screwworm if behavioral traits of infested animals can be picked up by the technology, Audoin said.

“I'm trying to help ranchers understand the technology, and because it's changing so fast, it's really hard to keep track of what's out there,” Audoin said.

Audoin has six testing projects across Arizona, including one as part of a research team testing the virtual fence collars on the 52,000-acre Santa Rita Experimental Range, which is part of the university’s Arizona Experiment Station system.

At the various sites, she is or will be testing the technology on sheep and cattle to evaluate advantages and limitations of each virtual fencing company, then providing Arizona producers with informed and unbiased feedback.

Audoin is testing the technology at King’s Anvil Ranch in Pima County’s Altar Valley. Extension partnerships like that help not just King’s Anvil, but the entire industry stay on the cutting edge of trends, Sarah and Joe King said via email.

“It helps producers understand if adopting new technology would benefit their ranch and their herd. It's really helpful to have the Cooperative Extension staff as partners during the process of getting started - sharing information and the experiences of other producers,” they said.

What is virtual fencing?

Virtual fencing uses invisible barriers to control the movement of livestock. The barriers, defined by GPS coordinates using an app on a cell phone or computer, influence cattle through a combination of audio and tactile signals sent through collars. Once the virtual fences are established, livestock get a signal – either a sound or a small electric cue – to deter them from crossing the boundaries.

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The systems work by conditioning livestock to the sound cues during training, making the electric cues unnecessary, Audoin said.

There are three types of connectivity available in virtual fencing. Some systems use base stations, or radio transmitters, installed on the landscape. Those work only with line-of-sight connection to collars. Other systems use cellphone signals, and others connect directly to satellites.

Arizona’s topography lends itself well to systems that connect directly to satellites, because long distances, hills and canyons stymie systems that use radio or cell signals, Audoin said.

Jake Hennig is an assistant professor and Extension rangeland management specialist who manages a virtual fence system on the V-bar-V Ranch, a university property in Yavapai County. 

Gates on the ranch are inevitably left open from time to time, and the ranch uses electric fencing, which can fail. Both scenarios leave the cattle vulnerable to escape, so Hennig is testing the virtual fencing as a back-up system, he said.

Hennig checked into covering the ranch with radio systems, but the topography would require a lot base stations, so now they are testing a mobile base station, he said.

“We kind of trailer it around to different spots along with the herd,” Hennig said.

What are the advantages of virtual fencing?

One advantage of the systems is frequent updates, he said.

“It gives you updates on where the cows are every half-hour, and that's the biggest thing. Not all the cows respect the virtual fence, and they'll get out. Knowing where they are in pretty much real time helps us track the cows down and get them back into the correct pasture really quickly,” Hennig said.

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The systems offer more flexibility than traditional fencing, Audoin said.

“When you have a physical fence, you’re not going to change the position of that fence every month or every week, but with virtual fence, if you change your mind, you just change the fence,” she said.

The technology allows ranchers to keep cattle on or off of specific rangeland. It can potentially be used to keep livestock away from endangered plants or animals, or in some situations, to keep them on land to clear it as a fire break, she said.

On King’s Anvil, the Kings see the technology as a potential money-saver and a way to fine-tune grazing.

"Often people are quick to point to the cost per mile of building new fence, and while that's certainly a factor, our stronger motivation is being able to use our pastures differently and more effectively, having the peace of mind of knowing that our cattle haven't left the ranch, and using the system for herd health management,” they said.

Micaela and Andrew McGibbon of the Santa Rita Ranch south of Tucson, agreed.

“We think virtual fencing has tremendous potential to help labor starved ranches fine tune grazing management strategies especially within sensitive areas,” they said in an email.

The other way ranchers are using the technology is to keep multiple herds separate, Audoin said.

Tracking livestock health on a phone

Audoin will be working under a USDA-APHIS grant to test satellite-based GPS ear tags and virtual fence for detecting illness, including New World screwworm. Some veterinarians have reported excessive head shaking in livestock infested with the parasite, so Audoin plans to test whether an algorithm in concert with the ear tags and virtual fence can detect whether an animal is infested, she said.

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The technology in the collars and ear tags is changing quickly. Some of the manufacturers are beta testing the technology to detect when cows are in heat or calving, she said.

“Calving detection would be extremely helpful in the case of New World screwworm, because a main target in cattle is the navel. Let's say you are in an infested zone and know you just had a cow calve, you go check on that one, you could put some spray on the navel, and then that animal is secured for the time being,” Audoin said.

Having ways to remotely detect cattle wellbeing is important because it’s very difficult for ranchers to lay eyes on livestock daily due to our extensive rangelands, but it can’t replace physical inspections.

“They monitor the activity of the animal, and you may get messages saying, ‘Reduced activity detected’ but if you don't go check, you don't know if it's true,” Audoin said.

Hennig has radio ear tags on some cattle to test detecting heat or calving, he said.

“It’s still pretty nascent technology, so it’s not 100 percent predictive,” he said.

One use that Hennig thinks is a clear advantage is after wildfires burn physical fences, which can cost more than $30,000 per mile. A virtual fencing system would be cheaper, he said.

Moiria White of the Broken Box Cattle Co. in Dragoon sees a lot of upside.

“The potential for virtual fence is endless,” White said. “Not only is it helping with range health management, it is going to allow ranchers to access all kind of management data and let us use areas of our ranches without the normal worry of cattle getting out. I truly believe this is the biggest change to western ranching since the invention of barbed wire.”

The overall cost of each technology for each rancher varies. Variables include the size and topography of the ranch, size of the herd, type of livestock and type of collars, Audoin said.

Audoin recently published a comparison to help ranchers make decisions about which technology. Extension also contributed to creation of an online cost calculator for cattle producers.

Extension partnerships vital

Potential problems with the collars include battery life, connectivity and the need to check the fit of the collars every six to eight weeks on growing animals, which is difficult for Arizona ranchers who work across vast and rugged open rangelands, Audoin said.

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“You may have to work your herd more often,” she said.

There have also been concerns in the ranching community that the collars will replace ranch hands, but that’s not the case, because even with the systems in place, you still need boots on the ground to check on cattle and the land, Audoin said.

Generally the technology has been successful, Audoin said, although success is highly variable based on the company used, each rancher’s situation and herd.

“Overall, it's a technology that works. There are some challenges, but that's true with any type of technology, but most of the time, it can be very successful,” she said.

As ranchers sort out the benefits and drawbacks, Extension will continue to offer research to guide them, and that work is important, the Kings said.

“We think Extension plays a critical role helping distribute needed information to ranchers that research finds potentially beneficial at the university level. That bridge is critical to our industry,” they said.

To learn more, see the Rangelands Gateway Virtual Fence User’s Guide, a cooperative effort among Extension, Arizona Experiment Station, the Marley Endowment for Sustainable Rangeland Stewardship and The Nature Conservancy.