ENTERPRISE - Virtual fencing, some of the latest technology in livestock management, is being rolled out on the East Moraine Community Forest this summer.
Visitors to the Community Forest may notice collars on the mother cows grazing with their calves or the newly installed communication towers on their next hike. With funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and a private donor, along with the cooperation of the Forest’s livestock permittee, cows on the East Moraine will be managed with invisible fences to keep the cattle out of sensitive areas, like wetlands and endangered plant species habitat.
Overseen by OSU Extension Agent Pete Schreder and assistance from the OSU Experiment Station in Union, the Community Forest’s management committee is eager to see how this pilot project will play out.
Virtual fencing technology, also known as “vence” is catching on throughout the west and Schreder said is evolving so quickly that some of the equipment, namely the collars, are rented instead of purchased.
Schreder said, “This technology will change how we manage livestock on our grazing lands.”
The Forest is fenced around its perimeter, but volunteers removed most of the dilapidated interior fencing over the past two summers. Fencing is expensive, inflexible and requires significant maintenance, so Schreder was asked to develop a plan. Virtual fencing can be monitored with a cell phone and fence lines moved in a matter of moments.
Wallowa Resources helped secured the grant funding for the virtual fence. Executive Director Nils Christoffersen, who serves as the Community Forest’s chairman said, “This has the potential to bring significant benefits to range and livestock management, and wildlife. It could save money and labor, and improve outcomes.”
Besides being able to move cattle remotely, fewer fences means less infrastructure on this picturesque property. Without having to scale fences or open and close gates, it also makes hiking, riding mountain bikes and horses more enjoyable – and it’s good for wildlife.
Community Forest Manager Katy Nesbitt said, “We manage this property for multiple use and want to ensure the safety of our recreationists as well as allowing the cattle to graze the ample grass available. I look forward to showcasing this technology and educating the public about how we manage the property with a light hand.”
The Community Forest is owned by Wallowa County and was purchased through the fundraising effort of the Wallowa Land Trust, Wallowa Resources, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Wallowa County. These four entities comprise the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership, and a member of each organization serves on its executive committee. An additional plot of land was granted by Oregon Parks, and the total property is now 1,835 acres managed for timber, livestock, wildlife habitat, cultural resource conservation, and recreation.
Wallowa County Commissioner John Hillock said the Community Forest is managed as it has been historically.
“We promised our constituents that the property would be managed just as it had been under private ownership, while conserving the wildlife and plant habitat and allowing recreational use,” Hillock said.
Several cattle producers, organizations, and agencies, including Oregon State University, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and The Nature Conservancy, have successfully used virtual fencing in Oregon. It is also being used for the first time in Wallowa County on private grazing land and on a livestock allotment managed by the U.S. Forest Service,
For more information email knesbitt [at] co.wallowa.or.us (knesbitt[at]co[dot]wallowa[dot]or[dot]us).