Virtual Fencing
Virtual fencing is good for ranchers, wildlife, and wildfire resilience
Virtual fencing is helping ranchers throughout the West stay nimble, recover after wildfire, and adapt to changing conditions.
Together, we are producing high-quality food in ways that support nature, people, and jobs.
What Is Virtual Fencing?
Virtual fencing uses GPS-enabled collars and signal towers to create “invisible” boundaries for cattle. The technology gives ranchers the power to move herds remotely and monitor their locations in real time—all without the cost and labor of installing miles of barbed wire.
A New Tool for Resilient Rangelands
While virtual fencing will never replace the skill and knowledge of a good rancher, it’s proving to be a powerful new tool for rangeland management, and early adopting ranchers are at the frontlines of discovering the benefits. Virtual fencing has shown it's usefulness to:
Recover faster after a wildfire by being able to graze around areas of high burn severity and provide needed rest.
Protect migrating wildlife by replacing barbed wire with GPS boundaries.
Safeguard sensitive riparian areas by more easily being able to exclude cattle out of streams and wetlands during critical times and track movement in critical areas.
What Is Sustainable Northwest Doing?
Sustainable Northwest is working with ranchers throughout the Northwest to explore how virtual fencing can support both ranching livelihoods and landscape health. Together, we’re building a future where technology and stewardship work side by side to protect the places we all depend on.
“Virtual fencing presents the perfect opportunity for ranchers to improve their grazing strategies and reach management goals for the land they care about”
