Pilot of virtual GPS collars shows promise for grazing and vegetation work, but cell service and cost remain barriers

Summary

Presenters told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry Committee that a one‑year pilot of cellular-based virtual fencing on Vermont farms and other sites produced labor savings, finer exclusion zones and data on animal behavior, but rollout is constrained by spotty cell coverage, predator risk for small ruminants and upfront equipment cost.

At a meeting of the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry Committee, presenters reviewed results from a pilot of cellular-based virtual fencing used on cattle, goats and other trial sites and described operational benefits alongside limitations.

The pilot — funded in part through legislative support and grants from the Dairy Business Innovation Center and the Linelac Foundation — evaluated the No Fence branded GPS collars on 11 projects across five operators and multiple site types, including pasture, ski‑area vegetation management and solar arrays. Presenters said the collars allowed crews to create virtual perimeter and exclusion zones from a smartphone, track animals’ locations and generate heat maps of grazing patterns.

“I'm not overstating it to say that it proved out better than our expectations,” said Dan (presenter), who described setting up the pilot and coordinating trials. Ben Nauterman, a…

Pilot of virtual GPS collars shows promise for grazing and vegetation work, but cell service and cost remain barriers

Summary

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