Alberta Beef Producers – August 7, 2024 – by Bruce Derksen
A two-year research study examines how virtual fencing technology might fit the Canadian landscape.
European and U.S. cattle industries experienced an influx of livestock-based technologies lately including virtual fencing. While it appears successful in warmer climates, will this technology hold up in colder, Canadian regions to become a fixture of cattle management?
Alexandra Harland, a master’s student at the University of Alberta addressed this question during a two-year research study at the Roy Berg Kinsella Research Ranch.
The trial began in 2022 using Nofence, a Norwegian technology to manage 49 naïve heifers. In 2023, Harland continued the research by bringing back 39 of the original heifers with their calves. During both summers, the heifers were fitted with GPS-capable collars and contained and moved through rotational grazing patterns using the Nofence mobile app.
Read the rest of the Virtual Fencing story.