The Borderlands Research Institute will host a free webinar Aug. 20 exploring how GPS-based “virtual fencing” technology can help Texas ranchers manage livestock and grazing without relying solely on traditional wire fencing.
The “Beyond Barbed Wire: Virtual Fencing Webinar” is scheduled for 10 a.m. Central time and will be held online. The program is being presented with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
Virtual fencing uses GPS-enabled collars worn by cattle and digital boundaries established through a phone or computer. Ranchers can move or adjust those boundaries electronically, allowing livestock to be rotated among grazing areas without constructing or relocating physical fences.
Organizers said the technology could be particularly useful in the Trans-Pecos, where large ranches, rugged terrain and the cost of fencing and livestock labor can make conventional grazing management difficult.
The webinar will cover virtual fencing systems currently on the market, how the technology works and what operating the systems looks like on a working ranch. Presenters also will discuss government cost-share programs that could help ranchers offset the expense of adopting the technology.
Potential uses include rotating cattle among pastures, keeping livestock away from environmentally sensitive areas and quickly changing grazing boundaries in response to drought, forage availability or other changing range conditions.
Scheduled speakers include Sawyer Varick of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Collin Carrell of NoFence and Marc Duderstadt of Halter.
The Borderlands Research Institute said the webinar is intended for cattle producers, landowners and others interested in emerging livestock-management technology.
The webinar begins at 10 a.m. Aug. 20. Registration is available online through the link provided by the Borderlands Research Institute.
