Virtual Fences for Cattle Find a Home on the Range

Cattle ranchers increasingly have access to virtual fences that allow them to determine their land’s boundaries on a computer and use electronic collars to keep their cows from wandering away from it.

San Diego-based Vence expects to deploy more than 75,000 of the electric collars, which emit warning beeps followed by a shock if the cow crosses the virtual fence, by the end of the year.

The collars are being used at the Mushrush Ranch near Kansas City, MO, as part of a test of fenceless grazing on the Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve.

The virtual fences cost just $50 per collar per year in rental and battery fees, plus $12,500 per base station; a traditional fence can cost upwards of $15,000 per mile for installation and maintenance.

From The Wall Street Journal
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