On a cold Alberta night, few jobs are less appealing than heading out to move polywire so cattle can keep making the most of a swath-grazing field. For producer Cody Claypool, virtual fencing offered a way to reduce that winter labour while still controlling how his herd accessed feed and helping capture the full value of swath grazing. Instead of bundling up in the dark to shift electric fence, Cody could check his cattle’s movements from the comfort of home — even in the middle of the night — and make management decisions from his phone.
That practical fit is what made the technology worth trying on the Claypool operation, where Cody manages a herd of approximately 400 cattle and is always looking for ways to make grazing more efficient without adding more hours to already full winter days. Cody’s parents first learned about virtual fencing at an Alberta Stockgrowers meeting, where RDAR CEO Mark Redmond and Olds Researcher Briana Elliot gave presentations. Their interest was piqued by the potential to control livestock movement without building or moving as many physical barriers. Mindful of the costs and risks that come with adopting new technology, the family saw the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF), delivered in Alberta by RDAR, as a practical entry point. “Probably the main reason was just the cost and like the risk if it didn’t work out...with RDAR it was kind of a win-win.”
One of the biggest opportunities was winter swath grazing. By leaving feed in the field and letting cattle harvest it themselves, Cody could reduce the time, fuel, and equipment demands that come with hauling feed and managing manure. The challenge, as many producers know, is controlling access so cattle use the swaths efficiently instead of wasting feed or moving through the field too quickly. With GPS-enabled collars, Cody established virtual boundaries that guided the herd to fresh feed areas in stages. The system helped him stretch feed, maintain better use of the crop, and extend grazing later into winter without the same amount of daily fence work.
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