PSX-12 - Implementation of virtual fencing technology to build resiliency of agriculture systems impacted by wildfire and subsequent flooding

Abstract: The Southwestern U.S. has experienced frequent drought over the past 30 years, and wildfire frequency and intensity has been increasing which threatens western rangelands. In the west, livestock grazing systems often involve a combination of private, state, and federal land, and the grazing managers must comply with designated grazing plans. In 2022, the Black Fire in southern NM was the second largest wildfire in state history and burned hundreds of thousands of ha of rangeland including fencing which impeded the ability to comply with grazing management plans. Local extension agents along with area beef producers and federal grazing managers revealed the largest challenge they faced was lack of fencing and fence damage due to wildfire loss and floods. Labor shortages, replacement costs, and difficult terrain inhibited the ability to replace fences and sufficiently manage cattle. Virtual fencing (VF) technology allows containment of cattle without physical fencing, but the technology has not been evaluated in extensive systems in the SW challenged by large pastures and extremely difficult terrain. NMSU Extension worked with producers and federal grazing managers to evaluate the effectiveness of VF as a response to wildfire. All procedures were approved by NMSU Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (2211000086). Two large allotments (17,233 and 5,776 ha, respectively) were evaluated for cellular receptivity and LoRa WAN connectivity and 2 peaks per allotment were identified for installation of LoRa WAN receiving stations. Two ranchers enrolled in the program and were trained to VF principles and Vence® software platforms. One hundred cows from each rancher were trained to Vence® VF collars utilizing physical fence in conjunction with sound and electrical pulse. After a 4-d training period, cattle were grazed across 2 to 3 large pastures per site. Containment efficacy was evaluated via GPS position data. In allotment A and B, LoRa WAN packet communication was 46% and 37%, respectively. After 230 d of testing, cattle containment using VF in combination with remaining perimeter fence and terrain barriers was estimated at 79% and 94% for pastures A and B, respectively. Producers reported that GPS location data helped reduce gathering time by 1-2 w and increased gathering efficiency by approximately 10%. Results demonstrated that VF technology can reasonably be used in response to partial fencing loss during post-fire recovery and there is a need for Extension to provide support for new technology utilization on ranching operations. Project was supported by USDA/NIFA #2023-68016-38885.