Page 11 - MWC 08-5-2021s

The Midwest Cattleman · August 5, 2021 · P11
Researchers deploy virtual fencing technology to improve

grazing and water quality

By Gail Ellis OSU Agricultural Communications Services
Oklahoma State Universi- ect’s principal investigator
ty researchers have received and director of the Oklahoma
funding from the Environ- Water Resources Center.
mental Protection Agency to Compared with tradition-
examine how virtual fencing al or electric fencing, virtual
technology could improve the fencing requires less labor,
water quality and ecosys- time and maintenance while
tems of cattle grazing lands. increasing flexibility. The
The new EPA grant to- web-based, mobile fencing
taling more than $800,000 system can be added, moved
supports research on how or removed in a matter of
GPS-enabled collars worn by hours. The study involves cattle wearing GPS-based collars that are tracked on a web portal
and programmed with virtual fencing boundaries.
cattle can help producers not Wagner and other facul-
only better manage grazing, ty from OSU Ag Research laboration with Vence. The streams in Oklahoma,” Wag-
but also improve water quali- including Laura Goodman, company is a startup based ner said. “Our objective is to
ty and other natural resourc- range Extension specialist; in San Diego, California, and provide cattle producers with
es, such as wildlife habitat Ali Mirchi, assistant profes- one of only three companies new tools that they can use
and soil health. sor of water resources en- in the world developing the to improve the management
“It’s the same concept gineering; Bryan Murray, emerging technology. of grazing on their ranches.
as collars for your pets but assistant professor of forest “The latest Water Quality This will not only improve
tracked on a web portal ecology and geospatial tech- report from the Oklahoma the quality of their grazing
where you can pull up a map nology; and Ryan Reuter, Department of Environmen- lands and cattle production
of your ranch and designate associate professor of range tal Quality (2018) shows poor but also water quality as
the areas where you do and beef cattle nutrition have grazing practices are impact- ground cover improves and
don’t want cattle to graze,” spent the past year gather- ing thousands of acres of
said Kevin Wagner, the proj- ing preliminary data in col- lakes and miles of rivers and continued on page 19

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