A group of ranchers, researchers and Forest Service rangers spent Sunday in North Routt County learning about the potential of virtual fencing.

The group, which included ranchers and researchers at the Colorado State University extension office, was joined by renowned animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, Ph.D., an Animal Science professor at Colorado State University. Grandin, who has expressed great interest in virtual fencing, said that it is “important to have early adopters that want to make it work.”

The virtual fencing — or Vence — from Merck Animal Health, functions by using a series of beeps and light shocks to let a cow know when it is too close to a boundary. Collars connect to a network of towers scattered across a large area.

Ranchers and cattle managers can use a computer or smartphone to track the location of the herd and potentially save large amounts of time spent looking for their livestock.

Virtual fencing also offers significant environmental benefits. There is “great potential where we can use cattle to improve the land,” said Grandin before the group set off to several Forest Service allotments used by ranchers for grazing cattle. Virtual fencing allows for easier rotational grazing, a technique used by ranchers to prevent overgrazing and improve overall soil structure.

The fencing also can reduce the need to place physical fences in difficult locations, and can help protect the animals as well.

Sites the group visited were the King Solomon and Whiskey Creek grazing allotments, which are about 15 miles south of the Wyoming border. There, fifth-generation rancher JP Ely explained how the technology could be used to keep the cows out of spots that have caused him problems in the past.

The creek and falls are in an area that has had consistent issues with cattle getting stuck as they tried to drink the water — in the fall and winter in particular, the cattle then can’t make their way back to the ranch. With virtual fencing, the cattle would “still be able to get water but also not end up in a position dangerous for them, and dangerous for the riders trying to get to them,” Ely said.

In addition to protecting both the cattle and ranchers, virtual fencing is also a more cost-efficient option. While the towers cost around $12,500 with installation, the collars cost around $50 per cow, with the overall cost potentially being cheaper than laying thousands of feet of physical fencing, especially in rough Northern Colorado topography.

There currently are five towers in North Routt with plans to add more. Several ranchers present at the meeting were interested, with around 230 cows owned by Ely already using the collars.  

While the virtual fencing is a powerful tool, several participants noted it is important to use it jointly with existing techniques. Grandin stated that the technology “doesn’t replace management.”

“I think it’s got some issues that need to be fixed, but it’s invaluable,” Ely said of the new technology.