University of Alberta Folio – Nov 6, 2025 – By Bev Betkowski.
A high-tech, no-fence solution is teaching cattle to stay home on the range, University of Alberta research has found. In a study that tracked the movement of beef cattle over two grazing seasons using virtual fencing, cattle wearing the specialized GPS collars stayed within set boundaries more than 99 per cent of the time.
That’s a big step forward for potentially helping cattle ranchers graze their herds and pastures more efficiently, says Edward Bork, a professor of rangeland ecology and management in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences and co-author of the study.
“Virtual fencing allows the rancher to control where, when and how often the animals graze, which gives tremendous flexibility to improve pasture and forage management.”
The collars continuously track animal location and use auditory cues to warn livestock when they approach a programmed digital fence boundary. The collars deliver a mild electrical pulse if the cattle stray beyond the designated area.
The technology, which is just starting to emerge in Canada, is controlled through a cellphone app and can sharply reduce the need for costly fencing and labour needed to move herds to different grazing areas, Bork says. It also provides constant information on the location and status of individual animals.
“The collars can be programmed remotely, so you can move those animals almost instantaneously and you can do it from anywhere.”
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