By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Those who think underground electronic fencing is just for pets, think again. Controlling where cattle roam may soon get much easier.

Most livestock fences are wooden, metal, or electric, and they’re not easy to move, but a farmer with a virtual fence could change boundaries daily. Animal science researchers with The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will be testing a virtual fence for cows and other livestock this summer.

It’s similar to an invisible fence for a dog, triggering a harmless but attention-getting shock if the animal crosses an unseen boundary. According to Anthony Parker, professor of animal sciences and one of the CFAES researchers who will test the virtual fence, each bovine or other animal will wear a smart collar guided by GPS.

Then, using a device called eShepherd, the farmer will be able to remotely monitor the animals’ location at any given time. “It’s not a sharp pain; it’s like a mild punch,” he said.

The eShepherd device was created by the agriculture department of Australia, a country with a lot of livestock. Agersens, an Australian-based company, will be working with Parker (a native of Down Under) and his colleagues to test how well the virtual fence leads cows to the farmer’s desired location.

Any cow that drifts, Parker said, will hear a warning sound first, then if she continues forward, she will feel a shock.

“Even when a farmer is a country away from the herd, he or she will be able to move the fence, redrawing the line on a laptop screen,” he explained.

The invisible-type fence uses an underground wire that uses radio signals to activate shock collars worn by the animals. Parker believes since cattle can be trained to stay inside a single strand of electrified fence wire, they should be able to learn to respect a fence that they cannot see.

Part of his task will be to determine whether the shock is sufficient to keep cattle in line. To figure that out, researchers will place hay and additional feed just outside the boundaries of the invisible fence. Then they’ll watch to see how many shocks, if any, a cow will endure to reach the food.

Parker said if an animal gets past the shock and keeps going, another shock is issued a few yards away. But even after that second shock, a cow might continue walking.

“It may not work on some cows because anyone who’s been around livestock knows that some may not be compliant with the system,” he said. “Not all animals experience sensation in the same way, so the same shock might not be enough to deter all of the livestock from straying.”

If eShepherd is a success in moving and containing livestock, the device could help farmers keep a field more evenly grazed. It can also help keep the animals and their waste far from streams and rivers.

“Cattle tend to graze in low-lying areas, avoiding slopes,” Parker noted. “With the virtual fence, farmer could move the herd onto slopes or other areas and away from the banks and streams and creeks.”

The collars are lightweight and solar-powered. The cost is estimated at $90-$100 per collar. Farmers would need a base station, with an installation cost of around $2,000-$3,000, depending on internet and power access.

“How quickly the cows will adapt is uncertain,” said Kirsten Nickles, a CFAES graduate student who will be working with Parker to test the device. “The learning curve might be shorter for calves if they see older cows cross a barrier and get shocked. I know if I see a person get shocked, I’m not going to do what they did – but with cattle, who knows what they’re thinking?”

Some research has already concluded that the collars will not yet work on sheep as they are too heavy, their wool gets in the way, and more research is needed to see if they can be taught to respond to the system.