Virtual Fences for Cows Show Benefits
2024-03-07
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1In the American state of Florida, rancher Jim Strickland can see his cows at any time, day or night.
2To do this, all he needs is his phone.
3Strickland uses virtual fencing to watch and control the movements of his animals.
4The system, based on Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology, can help Strickland and researchers improve grazing lands, preserve wildlife and save time and labor for workers.
5It can also help improve animal health.
6Strickland has been using the system for about six months.
7He told VOA Learning English he has already seen many good results with the new technology.
8"It has exceeded by far my expectations."
9Virtual fencing uses radio signals to make an invisible fence.
10This means you cannot see the fence.
11This keeps animals within, or outside of, certain areas.
12The signals come from nearby mobile phone towers.
13The signals can also come from base stations that can be moved using a small truck.
14Each animal wears a collar around its neck.
15The collar has a radio signal receiver and a GPS device that shows the animal's location.
16Ranchers train livestock to connect a sound with a small electric shock.
17When an animal gets close to a virtual fence, its collar makes a warning sound.
18If the animal moves even closer to the fence, it receives a shock.
19In this way, livestock quickly learn to stay away from the fence.
20Ranchers can change the virtual fence boundaries quickly by using a phone App or computer.
21And livestock quickly learn the new boundaries.
22Strickland and his coworkers can use their phones even while on horseback to move cattle from one area to another.
23All they need to do is change the virtual fence lines.
24"And every 30 minutes, that line will move down; it will literally drive those cows down."
25Physical fences take time, labor and money to build.
26It can be difficult to put them in areas such as rocky and hilly land, wet areas, or places with thick vegetation.
27Over time, fences need to be fixed or new ones need to be built.
28When hurricane Ian hit Florida last year, it destroyed four houses and 45 kilometers of physical fence on the land where Strickland works.
29But the cell towers for the virtual fence system kept working.
30Physical fences can also harm wild animals by making it difficult for them to move within and to areas they need for survival.
31The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a U.S-based environmental non-profit organization.
32It has partnered with cattle ranches in the states of Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado to research the effects of virtual fencing.
33William Burnidge is Deputy Director of TNC's North America Regenerative Grazing Lands Strategy.
34He said that by changing fence boundaries, the systems prevent animals from eating too much vegetation within one area.
35This helps plants regenerate, or grow again.
36He added that virtual fences could help protect rare plants and areas near rivers and streams.
37They could also support conservation of wild animals, improve the health of animals and help ranch workers have a better quality of life.
38Strickland works with partners at Florida Conservation Group and the University of Florida.
39With virtual fences, they can carefully control grazing.
40This helps them research the effects of grazing patterns on the growth of young cows, birth rates, and even the effects on nesting birds.
41They also plan to research how grazing can affect the release of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere.
42In Florida and other places, fields are sometimes burned to prepare them for future grazing.
43The burning releases carbon.
44Virtual fences may help reduce burning by better controlling where and how long cattle graze.
45Both Strickland and Burnidge note that, unlike physical fences, livestock cannot not get injured by a virtual fence.
46The GPS collars also let ranchers watch for animals that may be having problems.
47For example, if the system shows that a cow has not moved for many hours, it may be sick or injured.
48In the northwestern state of Oregon, researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University studied how virtual fencing can prevent cows from grazing on recently burned land.
49Cattle can easily damage burned areas and the young plants that grow there.
50The Oregon study showed that cows without virtual fence collars ate nearly 70 percent of the plants available to them in a burned area.
51However, cows with collars spent very little time in the burned area and ate less than three percent of the plants available to them.
52Although virtual fencing systems have benefits, they can be costly.
53A collar for just one animal can cost around $50 each year or more.
54And portable base stations cost $10,000 or more.
55Researchers are looking for ways to lower costs and bring the technology to developing countries.
56Last year, the Bezos Earth Fund awarded $9.9 million to Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to develop low-cost virtual fencing.
57The university plans to test new systems in Kenya, Mongolia, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.
58But in some areas, virtual fencing may not be the best solution, Burnidge said.
59When Burnidge visited Kenya, he saw many workers who closely follow and take care of livestock.
60Virtual fences could cause some of these workers to lose their jobs.
61Still, Burnidge said, many people want to learn more about the technology.
62"The amount of interest in the ranching community, I've never seen anything comparable," he said.
63And Strickland said they are already working on more ways virtual fencing can be used.
64"Now we're seeing so many things. Once you start down the road of new technology, then it starts expanding . . . It's like, what can we do next?" he said.
65I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Anna Matteo.
1In the American state of Florida, rancher Jim Strickland can see his cows at any time, day or night. To do this, all he needs is his phone. 2Strickland uses virtual fencing to watch and control the movements of his animals. The system, based on Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology, can help Strickland and researchers improve grazing lands, preserve wildlife and save time and labor for workers. It can also help improve animal health. 3Strickland has been using the system for about six months. He told VOA Learning English he has already seen many good results with the new technology. 4"It has exceeded by far my expectations." 5How it works 6Virtual fencing uses radio signals to make an invisible fence. This means you cannot see the fence. 7This keeps animals within, or outside of, certain areas. The signals come from nearby mobile phone towers. The signals can also come from base stations that can be moved using a small truck. 8Each animal wears a collar around its neck. The collar has a radio signal receiver and a GPS device that shows the animal's location. 9Ranchers train livestock to connect a sound with a small electric shock. When an animal gets close to a virtual fence, its collar makes a warning sound. If the animal moves even closer to the fence, it receives a shock. In this way, livestock quickly learn to stay away from the fence. 10Ranchers can change the virtual fence boundaries quickly by using a phone App or computer. And livestock quickly learn the new boundaries. 11Strickland and his coworkers can use their phones even while on horseback to move cattle from one area to another. All they need to do is change the virtual fence lines. 12"And every 30 minutes, that line will move down; it will literally drive those cows down." 13Benefits of virtual fencing 14Physical fences take time, labor and money to build. It can be difficult to put them in areas such as rocky and hilly land, wet areas, or places with thick vegetation. Over time, fences need to be fixed or new ones need to be built. 15When hurricane Ian hit Florida last year, it destroyed four houses and 45 kilometers of physical fence on the land where Strickland works. But the cell towers for the virtual fence system kept working. 16Physical fences can also harm wild animals by making it difficult for them to move within and to areas they need for survival. 17The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a U.S-based environmental non-profit organization. It has partnered with cattle ranches in the states of Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado to research the effects of virtual fencing. 18William Burnidge is Deputy Director of TNC's North America Regenerative Grazing Lands Strategy. He said that by changing fence boundaries, the systems prevent animals from eating too much vegetation within one area. This helps plants regenerate, or grow again. 19He added that virtual fences could help protect rare plants and areas near rivers and streams. They could also support conservation of wild animals, improve the health of animals and help ranch workers have a better quality of life. 20Strickland works with partners at Florida Conservation Group and the University of Florida. With virtual fences, they can carefully control grazing. This helps them research the effects of grazing patterns on the growth of young cows, birth rates, and even the effects on nesting birds. 21They also plan to research how grazing can affect the release of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. In Florida and other places, fields are sometimes burned to prepare them for future grazing. The burning releases carbon. Virtual fences may help reduce burning by better controlling where and how long cattle graze. 22Both Strickland and Burnidge note that, unlike physical fences, livestock cannot not get injured by a virtual fence. 23The GPS collars also let ranchers watch for animals that may be having problems. For example, if the system shows that a cow has not moved for many hours, it may be sick or injured. 24Other research and developing countries 25In the northwestern state of Oregon, researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University studied how virtual fencing can prevent cows from grazing on recently burned land. Cattle can easily damage burned areas and the young plants that grow there. 26The Oregon study showed that cows without virtual fence collars ate nearly 70 percent of the plants available to them in a burned area. However, cows with collars spent very little time in the burned area and ate less than three percent of the plants available to them. 27Reducing costs 28Although virtual fencing systems have benefits, they can be costly. A collar for just one animal can cost around $50 each year or more. And portable base stations cost $10,000 or more. 29Researchers are looking for ways to lower costs and bring the technology to developing countries. 30Last year, the Bezos Earth Fund awarded $9.9 million to Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to develop low-cost virtual fencing. The university plans to test new systems in Kenya, Mongolia, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia. 31But in some areas, virtual fencing may not be the best solution, Burnidge said. When Burnidge visited Kenya, he saw many workers who closely follow and take care of livestock. Virtual fences could cause some of these workers to lose their jobs. 32Great interest in the new technology 33Still, Burnidge said, many people want to learn more about the technology. "The amount of interest in the ranching community, I've never seen anything comparable," he said. 34And Strickland said they are already working on more ways virtual fencing can be used. 35"Now we're seeing so many things. Once you start down the road of new technology, then it starts expanding . . . It's like, what can we do next?" he said. 36I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Anna Matteo. 37Andrew Smith wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 38_______________________________________________ 39Words in This Story 40rancher -n. a person who owns or manages a large farm, especially one with animals such as cows, sheep, and goats 41graze -v. the eating of grass or other plants in fields by animals 42preserve -v. to keep something safe for future use 43invisible -adj. unable to be seen, not visible 44collar -n. a ring worn around the neck of an animal 45GPS -n. (acronym Global Positioning Satellite) a system for finding and tracking locations on earth using satellite technology 46portable -adj. able to be moved or carried from one place to another