No-fence grazing systems are improving, and costs are going down — it may be a good example of ag tech can lead to better land stewardship
No-fence grazing is an exciting concept. The idea of using technology to not only track cattle but to also save time — while enhancing cattle movement across the landscape — is compelling. These systems offer a glimpse into the future of grazing operations, with the potential to revolutionize how we manage herds worldwide.
I’ve been thinking about this technology in relation to the principle that both John Kempf and Mark Shepard articulate in this issue of Acres U.S.A.: that we should embrace technology only when it helps us get closer to the natural world. There’s an argument to be made either way here. Could electronic cattle fencing pull grazers farther from the land? One of my favorite aspects of cattle management is walking through the pastures, opening each paddock by hand, feeling connected to every inch of earth. The observations I make during these walks are critical to how we manage the system.
Yet there’s another side to the argument. In particular, technology like GPS collars could provide insights we just don’t have today. When is the herd feeding? How much are they moving? Is an animal becoming less active? Are individual animals not visiting the water source as much as others? Are cows showing signs of being in heat, or of going into labor? Did we get uniform impact across the paddock? Data collected from GPS tracking every step could offer new insights into both the animals and the land. While graziers using this technology will likely end up not seeing cattle as much with their eyes, they will be able to observe much more total activity of the herd — nearly 24 hours a day compared to just a few minutes.
When I first heard of these systems, about five years ago, they were far from perfect, with few case studies here in the U.S. Now, more companies are entering the market, prices are coming down, and the systems are becoming more accessible.
One of the biggest objections I hear from grazers is the time it takes to rotate cattle. “I don’t have time to move my cattle every day,” they say. A reliable system that allows you to manage fencing from your phone could change that. I’m already a strong advocate of mapping each paddock and tracking how much forage is consumed daily. An app that integrates with paddock maps could push us from one move per day to three or four. Scheduling paddock openings throughout the day could improve grazing impact and animal health. It could also make grazing on leased farms more efficient, allowing for more daily moves and access to areas where polywire fencing is difficult.
Take the GPS collars by NoFence, for example. They use GPS to track cattle movement, with solar chargers to keep the battery going. When an animal approaches a boundary, the collar emits a tone, and as they get closer, the tone increases. If they cross the boundary, the collar administers a shock until they return. This system can also create exclusion zones within a paddock, which is useful for protecting young trees or keeping cattle away from specific areas, like warm-season grasses that need longer rest periods. In this way, we could expand silvopasture systems or better manage native plant species.
Right now, the technology is expensive, and there are limited companies in the market. But as the technology improves, prices will fall, and performance will rise. I see this as the future of our operation, especially as we expand to more grazing lands. GPS collars could allow us to manage land that currently requires mechanical mowing, helping to bring more ground back into balance with grazing animals. Case studies with goats and sheep show that this technology can also be used for brush clearing, offering a potential service for landowners. Could this technology bring us closer to revitalizing oak savannah ecosystems? I think it could.
That said, we should be cautious not to let this technology take us too far from the land itself. There’s something irreplaceable about having boots on the ground, seeing and feeling the land firsthand. Losing that connection would be a real tragedy.
What do you think? Assuming the technology improves and the price becomes more attractive, is this something that will be a net boon for cattle and for land stewardship? Let me know — taylor@acresusa.com.
Taylor Henry is the owner and CEO of Acres U.S.A.
