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Still Curious About Virtual Fencing? Here's What the Experts Say

Still Curious About Virtual Fencing? Here's What the Experts Say

We’re back with more on virtual fencing—what works, what doesn’t, and how producers are making it pay off.

Harlan Gunderson & Jerry Gunderson
July 09, 2025

Imagine telling a rancher 20 years ago that cattle would respect boundaries marked by nothing more than a beep and a gentle buzz—no posts, no wire, no gates. They’d probably check you for heat stroke. Yet today, invisible fences are quietly revolutionizing how we manage grazing, turning GPS satellites into ranch hands and smartphone apps into gate latches.

To understand how this tech performs in the real world, we spoke with Dr. Melinda Ellison—an Idaho-based range livestock specialist and researcher. Dr. Ellison works with ranchers across more than 130,000 acres of public and private land, helping integrate virtual fencing into sustainable grazing systems. Her team’s work shows that once cattle adapt (usually in under a week), containment rates often reach 90–100%, and producers report major gains in forage utilization, labor efficiency, and land stewardship.

It’s not all smooth sailing—deep canyons can disrupt signal, and collar losses happen—but overall, the data is clear: virtual fencing is no longer a fringe experiment. It’s a powerful, practical tool with serious benefits for modern ranching.

In today’s issue:

A conversation with Dr. Melinda Ellison – What it really takes to manage a herd with zero physical fences
Best links – AI in grazing, methane targets, and more global ag-tech
And much more…

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BEST LINKS

Our Favorite Finds

Digital platform VetWiz 2.0 launched to diagnose livestock diseases (Vanguard News)
VetWiz 2.0, a new digital platform launched in Nigeria, helps farmers quickly diagnose livestock diseases and access expert veterinary advice, aiming to improve animal health and reduce losses. The tool supports smarter, tech-enabled livestock management across the region.
Nampo Cape 2025 set to shine the spotlight on smart farming innovation (Farmer’s Weekly)
Nampo Cape 2025 is gearing up to highlight the latest in smart farming, with a strong focus on ag-tech solutions that boost efficiency, sustainability, and productivity for today’s farmers. The event will showcase cutting-edge tools transforming the future of agriculture.
Doorcas Africa uses data to help Nigerian farmers prevent livestock deaths (BusinessDay)
Doorcas Africa is using data-driven tools to help Nigerian farmers detect early signs of illness in their livestock, reducing preventable deaths and improving overall herd health. The platform aims to make veterinary care more accessible and proactive through smart technology.
Australian livestock group drops 2030 carbon goal, shifts to methane focus (MSN)
An Australian livestock industry group has dropped its ambitious 2030 carbon-neutral goal, choosing instead to focus more specifically on reducing methane emissions. The shift reflects growing pressure to address the biggest climate impact of livestock production while balancing practical challenges for producers.

BEEFTALK

A Conversation With Melinda Ellison, PhD

Dr. Melinda Ellison is a range livestock specialist and researcher focused on integrating emerging technologies—like virtual fencing—into sustainable grazing systems across the American West. Based in Idaho, she works closely with public lands managers and cattle producers to improve forage utilization, reduce labor demands, and protect sensitive habitats. With a PhD in animal and rangeland sciences, Dr. Ellison has led multiple studies on the effectiveness of virtual fencing and is helping shape how this technology is applied in real-world ranching operations.

What has been your actual cost per head for the complete virtual fencing system, including collars, base stations, software subscriptions, and installation?

We were fortunate to get funding from several sources for the virtual fence projects, which in our case we used Vence virtual fence products. After the Moose fire of 2022 near Salmon Idaho, we were able to get grant funding from the USFS for the purchase of five base stations, a grant from Idaho Cattle Association specific to post-wildfire grazing to pay for part of the collars, a grant from The University of Idaho College of Natural Resources Department to pay for the other part of the collars. This allowed producers to graze first year post- wildfire on USFS and BLM and allowed them to forego deferred grazing that typically occurs on public lands grazing allotments for 1-2 years post wildfire. In the same year, we also received a USDA NRCS CIG grant that was used to pay for a base station and collars for a two-year project on BLM to graze cow-calf pairs. Additional funding was secured from BLM two base stations and collars for grazing in two environmentally sensitive areas associated with critical fish habitats. Base stations cost $10,000 each (7 total) and collars were subscription cost $50/head/year ($40 collar and $10 battery; 500 collars year1 and 800 for year 2). Once the base station infrastructure is put in place on USFS and BLM grazing allotments, the recurring cost would be $50/year/cow. This is typically paid by additional grant funding but can be paid for by producers in some situations.

How reliable has the system been in different weather conditions and terrain types?

We have had no issues with base station failures over the past 2+ years during the grazing season from May to November. Base stations are cellular based allowing communication with the cloud and a LoRa transmission from the base station that communicates with collars and allows for real time tracking of cattle. Radio frequency coverage can be affected by topography with weak to no signal in deep ravines and canyons. For the three public lands allotments we run cattle on, we have radio coverage over 80% of our allotments, approximately 130,000 acres of varied high desert and mountain topography.

What's the learning curve for both cattle and ranch staff?

We train cows to the Vence system 4-6 days in pastures between 100-300 acres depending on the number of cows collared. (please note only cows are collared and not calves). In the first year, we had containment in virtual boundaries between 75-100% daily, which was dependent on prior herd stockmanship and cattle temperament. Some herds had containment of 95-100% over 60 d and 5 month grazing seasons on public lands allotments in year 1. At the start of the third year, most of our herds have reached 90-100% containment inside virtual fence boundaries daily. Vence has a rancher success team that assists producers with learning the software associated with the collars.

How has virtual fencing impacted your grazing management and pasture utilization?

Use of virtual boundaries has enhanced producers’ ability to control animal movement and enhance forage utilization across allotments. It has facilitated moving cows across pastures, decreased time and labor to move cows, allowed for staged grazing from BLM to different sections of USFS allotments. Moreover, once cattle have been moved to new grazing areas, the number of cattle returning to previously grazed areas has decreased dramatically allowing those areas to be rested. Hence, it has assisted in making managed grazing more attainable.

We have been successful in excluding greater than 90% of the cattle from sensitive burn and riparian areas. Although, some exclusions have been less with about 60% exclusion likely due to challenging topography issues. We have been very successful on two fish habitats in excluding cows from these areas. In one location using virtual fence, we have been able to reduce ranchers riding time needed to remove cows from an ESA from 2-3 times a week to zero during a 30-day grazing period during the last two years. As a side note, we have been able to identify wolf activities and other perturbances that have occurred during the grazing season.

What are the hidden costs or unexpected challenges you've encountered?

In the first year we had some issues with decreased battery life and collar loss. As we have progressed to the second and third years, we fewer issues with battery life over the 5-7 month grazing season since cattle have less prolonged interactions with virtual fences, which is the primary drain on battery life. Collar loss has decreased significantly to less than 5% per year as we have learned to more effectively fit collars on cows and Vence going to a more secure collar connection system. We have had some issues with software glitches, but we typically get these issues resolved by communicating with the Vence rancher success team. Cell coverage has been a minimal issue because of the effective job Vence did with base station locations. Using virtual fence can present issues integrating into normal cattle workings on the ranch, but most producers realize the benefits from knowing cattle locations, improved grazing management, ease of locating cattle across allotments, decreased fence maintenance due to wildlife damage or fence lost due to fires, and enhanced time and labor efficiencies are worth the extra time to work cattle.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Key Takeaways from Our Interview with Dr. Melinda Ellison

Cost & Funding

Dr. Ellison works with producers using Vence virtual fencing systems across public and private rangelands.
Many projects were funded through grants from agencies like USFS, BLM, the Idaho Cattle Association, the University of Idaho, and USDA NRCS.
Base stations cost around $10,000 each, with collars priced at $50 per head per year (including battery).
Once the infrastructure is in place, recurring costs are modest and often grant-supported.

Reliability & Terrain

Base stations have performed reliably over multiple grazing seasons.
Coverage reaches 80% of rugged, mountainous allotments totaling over 130,000 acres.
Some signal loss occurs in deep canyons, but most terrain is well-covered.

Training & Containment

Cattle typically adapt to the system within 4–6 days.
Initial containment rates varied from 75–100%, depending on herd behavior.
By year three, most herds achieved 90–100% daily containment.
Only adult cows are fitted with collars—not calves.

Grazing Management Gains

Virtual fencing improves forage use, supports rotational grazing, and reduces labor.
Cattle are moved more efficiently across landscapes, and rest periods for pastures are easier to manage.
The system successfully excludes cattle from sensitive zones like riparian areas and post-fire burn scars—achieving up to 90% effectiveness.
In one case, the need to ride into an ESA to move cattle dropped from 2–3 times per week to zero.

Challenges & Adjustments

Early issues included battery life and collar loss, both of which improved over time with design upgrades and better fitting practices.
Software glitches occasionally occur but are addressed quickly through tech support.
Integrating virtual fencing with traditional cattle handling requires adaptation, but the management benefits outweigh the learning curve.

Bottom Line:

According to Dr. Ellison’s research and field experience, virtual fencing is no longer experimental—it’s effective, scalable, and adaptable. While not without a few bumps, it’s proving to be a powerful tool for improving ranch efficiency, environmental stewardship, and pasture health across public and private lands alike.

WRAPPING UP

Next Week’s Issue: Genetics Tech—Past, Present, and Future

Fencing with GPS might’ve sounded far-fetched twenty years ago—but as Trent Snyder and others have shown, virtual fencing is no longer a pipe dream. It’s a practical, powerful tool already reshaping grazing, labor, and land use across the West.

But if you think that’s futuristic, wait until you hear what’s coming next.

In our next issue, we’re unpacking how genetics technology is revolutionizing cattle ranching—from selective breeding and DNA testing to emerging tools that could improve feed efficiency, reduce methane, and build more resilient herds. It’s not just about pedigree anymore—it’s about precision.

BeefTech.News – Keeping you ahead of the herd.

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