Not if but when

[Spot & Bubby]

I don't know about the rest of you, but my sense of peace is walking through the cows after spending a day in the office. Rattle a bucket or shake a sack and 25 momma's are in the pen. Of course I'm working on 100 acre's not 10k

I'm 100% the same way! I don't go a single day without visiting all of the cows. and only 3 of them are mine. It would be more relaxing knowing the fence is working and everyone was in place before, got there. Virtual Fence would allow me more time with the cows. It won't FORCE you to not go to your cows. Why do so many seem to imply you can't go to the cows if you use a virtual fence. I don't understand.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Yes. Sometimes.
I do it because it's the right thing to do.

You can still "do the right thing" with a drone or whatever other piece of tech. You can still take care of the place and do all the same tasks (checking beavers, weeds, fence, etc). Can still wave at the neighbors on the road. Just that you don't need to walk/ride all over a pasture. You can send the drone up from your front porch and do all the same tasks.

I physically check cows and such 75% of the time. I use a drone the rest. Does that mean I care less? Make me less of a farmer/rancher? Mean I take worse care of my lawn?

 

[Spot & Bubby]

No. What I'm saying is that technically doesn't fix everything and people who count on it will get themselves in a bind at some point.

Checking on cows isn't just checking on cows. I can't tell you how many times I have come across a problem while going to check pastures. Whether it's a dog somebody dumped in the country or an elderly neighbor who got a flat tire or a teenager who drove off the road or helping a landlord who got their lawnmower stuck or finding people who really have no business being where they are and are probably up to no good.

Or if you want to just talk about cattle. Checking fence/ cows isn't just checking fence/ cows. When I go I'm looking for weeds that may need sprayed or if the beavers are starting to dam the creek again or if the float stuck on the automatic drinker and there's a stream running from it. Or more than normal predator signs.
Not to mention checking mineral, checking creep feeders, checking creeks/ponds.

None of that is done on a computer or smartphone, but all of it gets done when I go check fences and cows.

You're making my point beautifully and you don't even know it. Imagine being able to help the widow down the road with her car trouble on your way to your cows already knowing they are where they belong. Imagine knowing that you've already moved the cows from a mud bog created from unexpected overnight rain. Imagine not having to spend time on the fence so you can give 100% attention to the care of your cows and their needs.

Maybe my situation is unique. I have 5 (sometimes six) places to check every morning and have to change vehicles once to get to everyone. I have missed issues that became problems at one set because of the potential fence problem somewhere I haven't been yet. There have been times I indulged myself and a group of calves by sitting on the ground to let them inspect and sniff at me for 10 minutes only to find that the fence was run through by hogs and I have cows out at the next place. Bane of my existence: Fences.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

most cows worked well and they would know which ones didn't respect the virtual boundaries and could be removed from the pasture.

. Like any fence jumper.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

You can still "do the right thing" with a drone or whatever other piece of tech. You can still take care of the place and do all the same tasks (checking beavers, weeds, fence, etc). Can still wave at the neighbors on the road. Just that you don't need to walk/ride all over a pasture. You can send the drone up from your front porch and do all the same tasks.

I physically check cows and such 75% of the time. I use a drone the rest. Does that mean I care less? Make me less of a farmer/rancher? Mean I take worse care of my lawn?

Why don't they understand that VF and drones don't prevent time in pasture or doing the "right thing?

 

[Brute 23]

I can't wait to send my remote control Kawasaki dog and horse to gather cattle from my bean bag chair, in my media room, in the barn.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

How much $ are these virtual fence systems anyone know? Last I looked into it a few years ago they were very cost prohibitive, and had short battery life. I imagine that has changed some.

I don't know cost other than it's cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain than traditional. I found 11 cost share programs in about 5 second.

 

[WAnabee]

I don't know cost other than it's cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain than traditional. I found 11 cost share programs in about 5 second.

I would think if they were cheaper than traditional, we would have seen a little more implementation. I'm not so sure about that.

 

[WAnabee]

I don't know cost other than it's cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain than traditional. I found 11 cost share programs in about 5 second.

This does make me think though. If i am running 3 cows on 10,000 acres, might be cheaper to buy 3 collars rather than build fence on 10,000 acres, but for 40 cows on 40 acres, i would think not.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Imagine being able to help the widow down the road with her car trouble on your way to your cows already knowing they are where they belong.

If I already know the cows are where they belong I won't be in a place to help out cause I'm not going to check on them. Once our cattle go to grass they're self-sufficient. At work they are all fall/ winter calvers. The calves are weaned before the cows go to pasture.
I turn spring pairs out but don't calve on pasture. My falls calve on grass and get checked every day. Other wise my cows are on their own.

 

[Brute 23]

I don't know cost other than it's cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain than traditional. I found 11 cost share programs in about 5 second.

I'm not sure exactly what system you were looking at but the one I googled up online sounded like it used radio collars. You had to pay like $10K for the master antenna plus software. The collars were less than $100 each.

It's a very interesting but still has some growing to do to get it mainstream. One of the downsides listed was there is nothing to actually prevent the cattle from crossing the line. You had to train the cattle.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

I'm not sure exactly what system you were looking at but the one I googled up online sounded like it used radio collars. You had to pay like $10K for the master antenna plus software. The collars were less than $100 each.

It's a very interesting but still has some growing to do to get it mainstream. One of the downsides listed was there is nothing to actually prevent the cattle from crossing the line. You had to train the cattle.

I wouldn't try it without a perimeter fence, for sure.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

I would think if they were cheaper than traditional, we would have seen a little more implementation. I'm not so sure about that.

I've seen videos from ranchers rebuilding after the fires in the Texas panhandle. Several are going or have gone virtual because of cost over traditional. I'll. find some links.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

If I already know the cows are where they belong I won't be in a place to help out cause I'm not going to check on them. Once our cattle go to grass they're self-sufficient. At work they are all fall/ winter calvers. The calves are weaned before the cows go to pasture.
I turn spring pairs out but don't calve on pasture. My falls calve on grass and get checked every day. Other wise my cows are on their own.

I check 365 days a year. Fence issues are my #1time suck.

 

[SBMF 2015]

You can still "do the right thing" with a drone or whatever other piece of tech. You can still take care of the place and do all the same tasks (checking beavers, weeds, fence, etc). Can still wave at the neighbors on the road. Just that you don't need to walk/ride all over a pasture. You can send the drone up from your front porch and do all the same tasks.

I physically check cows and such 75% of the time. I use a drone the rest. Does that mean I care less? Make me less of a farmer/rancher? Mean I take worse care of my lawn?

I don't know if it really matters. Personally I would spend more time cussing and being frustrated with the technology than just going and checking on things myself.

I could care less about my yard. But The big farmers and the wantta be big farmers around here would tell you if you don't have everything perfect all the time you aren't doing a good job of presenting to potential landlords what a good job you do. I think it's stupid, but I get it.

 

[Dave]

I check 365 days a year. Fence issues are my #1time suck.

Here it is open range. Fences maybe get checked once in the spring to repair any winter damage. Cows will end up in somebody's gather and get sorted out.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I don't know if it really matters. Personally I would spend more time cussing and being frustrated with the technology than just going and checking on things myself.

Sounds like a you problem. I can send up the drone in 30 seconds of prep time and check over the entire 300 acres across the highway in less time than I would have to wait for the 4 wheeler to warm up and get the gates opened.

 

[crossbreed]

You can still "do the right thing" with a drone or whatever other piece of tech. You can still take care of the place and do all the same tasks (checking beavers, weeds, fence, etc). Can still wave at the neighbors on the road. Just that you don't need to walk/ride all over a pasture. You can send the drone up from your front porch and do all the same tasks.

I physically check cows and such 75% of the time. I use a drone the rest. Does that mean I care less? Make me less of a farmer/rancher? Mean I take worse care of my lawn?

So you regularly use a drone to check your cows? How many acres do you use this on? I've only got 100 acres so it's a 10-minute job, I want one for the deer lease to get up and see what's moving before I open the blind window LOL. My bones get colder than they used to!

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I do use a drone often. I have about 500 acres of pastures that I check spread out over 15 miles. Much easier to send the drone off the hood of the truck than it is to unload an atv at every pasture and get gates opened up.

 

[Bob Kinford]

All of those can be and already are checked with a drone from a far. If a problem is identified then human action is needed.

Sounds good in practice. Got involved in a little wreck last year where people were doing just that. Turned out, larkspur was growing in shaded areas and suddenly they had 50 dead cows. Fences worked great moving the cows which had collars, but the rest of the herd stayed behind. Took over two weeks to get the mess straightened out. Would have been totally avoided with one rider going in three days a week to monitor conditions and (using good stockmanship) to adjust where the herd was grazing.