Our staff played a key role in the project, working in partnership with Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (Victoria), who initiated the project, CSIRO research scientists, and Agersens, the agritech start-up company commercialising the CSIRO know-how. Funding for Murray Local Land Services’ involvement came through the Australian government’s National Landcare Programme.

Virtual fencing has the potential to revolutionise on-farm stock management. So what is it? And how does it work? 

Cattle are fitted with a collar, known as “eShepherd” that uses patented CSIRO software to train animals to respond to an audio cue signalling the virtual fence boundary. Animals initially receive an audio cue followed by a mildly aversive electrical pulse. 

Research to date has shown that animals typically need only three ‘pairings’ (audio cues followed by electrical pulse) to learn the system and will be guided by the eShepherd within 24 to 48 hours.

The farmer uses an app to create a virtual fence boundary anywhere on their property using a smartphone, tablet or PC.

Instructions are then sent wirelessly to each animal’s GPS, contained within the solar-powered collar, through an internet-connected on-farm base station.

The collars themselves do not require internet connection for the virtual fence to be active and so will continue to work even if internet connection is lost.

Each collar uses a combination of GPS satellite and smart chip technology to monitor animal movement and location.

As each animal approaches the virtual boundary, they receive an audio cue. If they continue forward and reach the boundary, they then receive a single mild, but aversive, electrical pulse (much lower than an electric fence).

If the animal stops or turns away from the virtual fence at the audio cue, the system does nothing more. Our staff tested the collar on their arms and reported that it felt more like a “buzz” than a shock from an electric fence.

The animals learn to locate the presence of the virtual boundary just as they learn to avoid a traditional fence, but through an audio, rather than a visual, cue.

As part of the trial, MLLS staff were involved in fitting and monitoring 'eShepherd' collars on 12 cows on a property near Tumbarumba.

For the first week, the cattle were allowed access to a waterway before the fence was then ‘turned on’. Data being sent from the collars every 20 seconds or so clearly demonstrated that prior to the fence being turned on, the cattle regularly grazed alongside the waterway.

At the start of the second week, the collars were activated and the cattle quickly discovered the presence of the fence and chose not to enter the area.

After 11 days, the fence was turned off and the cattle re-entered the waterway area within a few hours, clearly demonstrating that the virtual fence boundary was working.

How is this different to an electric fence? The obvious difference is that it requires no on-ground materials.

But unlike an electric fence, where animals that manage to cross receive no further stimulus, this system is programmed to re-set the virtual fence line behind the animal and ‘shepherd’ them back to the original designated area.

This was demonstrated during the trial when four cattle crossed the virtual fence to join the neighbour's cattle. Within 20 minutes, all four animals were shepherded back to their designated grazing area.

There are many exciting environmental and production benefits that virtual fencing can offer.

The system is initially being trialled to keep stock out of waterways, thereby eliminating the need for time-consuming and expensive flood fencing.

Other environmental benefits, however, include protecting establishing tree lines, paddock trees and sensitive areas such as hill tops after dry times or low lying areas after wet periods, and reducing deaths caused by wildlife becoming entangled in barbed wire. 

However, it is the potential production benefits that may surprise many farmers.

Rotational grazing is the obvious use, but we envisage this system being used for keeping bulls away from cows, creating separate paddocks for individual bulls and grazing different mobs on the same crop.

It could also help target grazing across the farm, and reduce weaning stress by slowly moving calves from their mothers over a number of weeks while in the same paddock. 

There is also potential for early detection of straying or missing stock, or notification of individual stock in trouble.

This system is also being designed to provide the farmer with alerts if animal behaviour changes – for example, they are exhibiting mustering behaviour (could be being stolen), or an individual has not moved for a period of time.

The system may also help with temporary fencing options after fire or flood. 

eShepherd is expected to become commercially available in 2018 - we will keep you posted.

Genevieve Guest, Murray Local Land Services Senior Land Services Officer (livestock).