Approximately 620,000 miles of fence, mostly barbed wire, crisscrosses the American West. While these fencelines keep grazing cattle contained, they can cause problems for wildlife, even injury or death. Alternatives exist, but they can be costly to implement. One conservation organization is now trying a different strategy: paying ranchers to adopt better fencing methods.
The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) has launched the Virtual Fence Conservation Fund, a quarter-million-dollar initiative. The fund would provide grants to incentivize ranchers and landowners to adopt virtual fencing. A relatively new technology, virtual fences can potentially eliminate the problems physical fencelines cause for wildlife while benefitting cattle and livestock owners alike.
A virtual fence operates similarly to an underground electrical fence that a dog owner might install. Cows wear GPS-enabled collars that ping back to base station towers. Ranchers and landowners can draw digital boundaries; if a cow gets too close to the boundary, the collar will respond with stimuli, such as beeps, to startle the cow away from the digital line. If the cow continues forward, collars will be equipped to generate an electrical shock at a much lower voltage than the electric fencing often used around cattle. Livestock owners may choose to turn off the shock option altogether.
Virtual fencing would benefit the cattle, as barbed wire can cause injury. Cattle have also demonstrated the ability to quickly pick up on the cues a GPS collar may provide, learning to steer clear of digital boundaries. Virtual fencing may also benefit ranchers, reducing the time spent checking and repairing fences and the associated repair costs. Wildlife would greatly benefit from the switch to digital, not physical, boundaries, with PERC explaining:
“Virtual fencing offers considerable benefits for wildlife conservation, especially in areas where traditional fencing hinders species movement or causes wildlife entanglements. Migratory ungulates like elk and pronghorn often encounter physical barriers that fragment their habitats, leading to increased mortality and decreased fitness. Birds like sage grouse are also at risk of injury from traditional fences.”
While virtual fencing is an exciting new opportunity for ranchers in the American West, tearing down fences and implementing new technology is time-consuming and costly. Even landowners who deeply care about protecting wildlife might not be able to fully embrace the transition. The Virtual Fence Conservation Fund clears financial hurdles to adopting this technology.
The fund is open to ranchers, agricultural landowners, indigenous communities, and conservation organizations. Applicants must demonstrate a clear conservation benefit, a commitment to monitoring and sharing the results, and a plan for the sustainable long-term use of virtual fencing. Grants between $10,000 and $75,000 will be awarded, and PERC staff will work with accepted applicants to help them successfully adopt the technology.
“This fund is an exciting opportunity for enterprising ranchers to improve their operations while supporting conservation,” writes Mark Eisele, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “PERC brings expertise and support to early adopters.”
The right incentives can advance environmental innovation. With assistance from PERC, western landowners may begin to remove the physical barriers that keep wildlife from flourishing.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
