By Brian Consiglio
The University of Missouri is scaling up the use of virtual fencing, a cutting-edge agricultural technology that’s gaining attention among livestock producers and state officials.
Thanks to a $3.7 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Mizzou’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture will help hundreds of livestock producers in Missouri and Nebraska save time and labor with GPS-enabled collars for their cattle.
Virtual fencing collars guide cattle to fresh grazing fields with a variety of cues. Once their cattle are collared with the new technology, producers simply draw their virtual boundaries on a mobile app or computer and activate their interior “fences” with the press of a button. That reduces the time producers need to spend tearing down and rebuilding physical fences to move cattle to different pastures.
“Not only are we giving producers time back in their day by eliminating the time- and labor-intensive process of constantly moving interior fences, but we are also helping them be good stewards of the land by improving the sustainability and profitability of beef production,” Rob Myers, the center’s director, said. “I heard from one producer who is getting nearly double the value from each acre of land after switching to virtual fencing because his cattle are now eating all the cover crops in one field before moving on to the next field. He loves redrawing the boundaries on his phone.”
Beefing up impact
Myers and his team initially tested the technology in partnership with five Missouri producers. The latest grant will allow the center to expand the project by collaring the cattle of 200 livestock producers in Missouri and Nebraska who collectively manage around 150,000 acres. The award is part of $32.8 million in initial grants announced by NFWF as part of the new Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, supported by funding from McDonald’s USA, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and several key McDonald’s USA beef and beverage suppliers.
The grant provides incentive payments directly to producers who adopt the virtual fencing technology, which can also be used to protect streams, rivers and other sensitive landscapes. Additionally, Myers and his team will help producers improve their watering systems and plant native forages, boosting sustainability and profitability.
“The grass in most Missouri pastures is tall fescue, which is not native to the U.S.,” Myers, an extension professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, said. “So, by having native plants also be part of livestock grazing, that extends the grazing season, and it’s great for soil health and wildlife.”
Source : missouri.edu