Page 19 - MWC 08-5-2021s

RESEARCHERS
continued from page 11
the amount of time that cat- fective strategy for all cat-
tle spend in critical areas is tle producers, but Vence is
reduced.” working closely with sever-
Initial research involved al ranching operations and
deploying GPS collars on a academic teams across the
group of about 25 cattle at country to determine the
the OSU Bluestem Research ideal scenario for this kind of
Range in Stillwater. Move- emerging virtual technology.
ment and frequent graz- When Vence collars join the
ing patterns were tracked commercial market later in
for two weeks as the cattle 2021, the product will be of-
roamed freely throughout the fered as an annual subscrip-
100-acre pasture. The Vence tion service per animal with
product — short for virtual additional startup fees.
fence — was created so that “Progressive ranchers are
when cattle reach an off-lim- our customer base for pur-
its zone, an auditory cue will chasing this virtual capabil-
sound. If the cattle continue ity. The technology changes
to approach, an electric stim- quickly, and when we can
ulus is enacted, teaching the earn third-party validation
animals to avoid that area of from the perspective of ag
the pasture when they hear research, it’s the best way to
the auditory cue. drive commercial adoption,”
Several short-term trials said Todd Parker, Vence di-
with different virtual bound- rector of product develop-
aries in various areas of the ment.
pasture were conducted in Future research will not
2020. Maps that visually only help Vence identify its
indicated where the cattle niche in a new market but
grazed revealed positive re- also protect sensitive areas
sults in each case. In one in- utilizing rotational grazing
stance, the GPS collars sug- systems implemented with
gested a 64% reduction in the the technology. Wagner and
amount of time cattle spent his colleagues will monitor
in a zoned off portion of the stream and creek water qual-
pasture and a 99% reduction ity, observe fish habitats and
in an area where cattle had study stream bank stability
trafficked heavily prior to the to determine the effects of
Vence boundary. improved grazing manage-
The new EPA grant will ment on vegetation and ero-
support additional research sion in target areas where
on the effectiveness of lon- cattle are virtually fenced.
ger-term studies to improve Other potential environmen-
watershed quality. Other tal benefits of virtual fencing
planned research will exam- could include preserving the
ine how the GPS collars im- habitats of pollinators such
pact cattle stress compared as bees or monarchs during
to traditional fencing and the flowering phase of milk-
more conventional electric weed.
fences. The OSU team plans “The vast majority of pro-
to test blood cortisol levels ducers I’ve talked to have
and monitor other aspects of been interested,” Wagner
animal physiology to ensure said. “If you’ve got a small
cattle health and safety. place, this may not be the
“We want to determine technology for you, but if
if this is a tool that could you’ve got several thousand
replace the expensive and acres and a lot of cattle that
inflexible physical infra- you’re running along streams
structure traditionally used and rivers, it may be viable
in ranching,” Reuter said. technology you can use.”
“We’re looking at how virtual Oklahoma State
fencing and other precision
technology can improve pro- University
duction and the environment
and save on labor and equip-
ment costs to make ranching
life easier, less stressful.”
GPS collars may not be
the most practical or cost-ef-
The Midwest Cattleman · August 5, 2021 · P19
FLY CONTROL
continued from page 15
50% less control. In a forced that can be used to apply an
used setting, they offer good individual capsule of insecti-
control, but require time cide to an animal. This meth-
checking and repairing bags. od can provide horn fly con-
Feed additives, such as trol for 21–35 days, but it has
oral larvicides and insect limitations for large herds
growth regulators (IGRs), and retreatments.
pass through the animal’s di- Insecticidal ear tags con-
gestive system and prevent tain an insecticide that moves
horn fly larvae from devel- from the surface of the tag to
oping in the manure. While the coat of the animal. They
these additives are effective are easy to apply and can be
in reducing the number of effective; however, there is a
larvae, this does not neces- history of horn fly resistance
sarily correlate to a reduc- to the active ingredients used
tion in the number of adults, in some tags. Products vary,
since flies will migrate to and but some general guidelines
from neighboring herds. Also, are listed below.
it is difficult to control intake •Tag animals as late as
of these feed additives, and possible to ensure maximum
some animals may not eat effectiveness when horn flies
enough of the feed additive are present. Do not tag earli-
for the insecticide to be effec- er than June 1.
tive. •Tag mature cows and
Sprays and pour-ons re- weaned calves. There is no
quire applications every need to tag nursing calves,
two-to-three weeks, which as horn flies typically do not
may not be feasible for some bother them.
producers’ summer grazing •Remove used tags at the
situations. Another option is end of the season. This will
the VetGun, which is a device
similar to a paint ball gun continued on page 26
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