Foraging Ahead: Virtual Fencing

Hello everyone,

This is Jody Osmund -  the Midwest (WI, IL, IN, MI, & OH) FACE Ag Leader. I’m from Ottawa, IL, and have operated a meat and egg CSA for nearly twenty years. I was excited to be selected as one of the original FACE leaders, and have been thrilled to watch the whirlwind of growth since the network launched six months ago. In that time we’ve been responding to policy wildfires left, right and center, including the abrupt pullback of funding for USDA Local Food Purchasing Agreements, major cuts to conservation funding, and repeated attempts to negate state level humane standards through the Save Our Bacon Act. With the help of many FACE members, along with food and farming allies, we’re continuing to beat back against those attacks - and that’s worth celebrating!

We still have much to do to get a Farm Bill that fully supports humane, local, and independent farmers. Fortunately, we’re building a network of farmers and ranchers committed to bringing positive change. Over the coming weeks I will be sharing more good and uplifting news around the People, Policy, Organizations, and Resources out there working for humane livestock producers in the form of a new weekly roundup, Foraging Ahead.

This week, I want to tell you about both a good policy and a good person. 

On most Wednesdays, I have dinner at a farmer friend’s house. It’s a get-together designed to recharge over home-cooked local food, and is attended by a rotating cast of friends, neighbors, and the occasional new guest, all spending time together in conversation and community. 

Last week we happened to be joined by Erez Brandvain, the District Conservationist at our local NRCS office. Erez has helped farmers in our community successfully secure EQIP - the USDA’s flagship conservation program - funding for various projects on their farms. Erez is from Michigan and, in the small world of sustainable farming, is good friends with the farmers at Whitney Farmstand. I recently represented the FACE Ag Network on a farm tour for Michigan state legislators, hosted by Whitney Farmstead and highlighting the benefits of their regenerative cattle and sheep operation in comparison to CAFO models of production. 

After realizing our shared connection, our conversation steered towards talk of livestock and grazing. Erez shared photos of current and potential EQIP projects he was facilitating, as well as how many farmers are hesitant to invest upfront due to high costs and delayed payoffs coming years (and decades) into the future.

Erez was particularly excited about a recent (March 2026) EQIP rule change that altered the Fencing Conservation Practice to allow for cost share (75%-90%) funds to be applied to the purchase of virtual fencing equipment like base stations and collars in the first year of an approved EQIP contract. Additionally, this change increases the funding rate for the Prescribed Grazing Practice in years 2-5 of contracts, offsetting ongoing virtual fencing software subscription fees. 

Key benefits of virtual fence collars and software include: 

‍Reduced labor and material costs - Eliminates the work of building and/or moving cross fences for managed grazing paddocks and the need for posts, polywire/netting, posts, and fence energizers. Moving livestock becomes a matter of redrawing paddocks on an app. Wildlife can move freely eliminating fence break throughs and time consuming repairs.

Adaptable grazing management and paddock design - Paddocks can be drawn on a smart phone or tablet from anywhere at any time. A virtual fence system allows you to optimize animal shifts, forage rest times, and animal impact. This flexibility can be extremely valuable in times of intense weather (storms, fires, floods, etc.), when field access may become limited. 

Protection of sensitive ecosystems - Exclusion zones are easily drawn for stream banks, wetlands, and riparian areas. Erosion prone cow paths are virtually eliminated.

Continuous herd monitoring and health data collection - Virtual fence collar  will send an alert to your phone if an animal leaves the containment area, or has interrupted or erratic movements that may indicate a health issue. The software can generate a grazing “heat map” that indicates forage being over or under utilized. This data guides management choices including location and availability of water and shade, as well as identifying forage quality/palatability. 

There are several companies currently offering virtual fencing in the United States:

‍Vence - A division of Merck Animal Health

eShepherd - A Gallagher Animal Management company

Nofence - The only company to offer collars for cattle, sheep, and goats

Halter - This company specializes in using virtual collars to actively guide cattle to and from grazing paddocks 

If you’re interested in securing EQIP funding for a virtual fencing project, the best way to get started is to contact your local NRCS office and speak with the District Conservationist. (You may encounter issues due to ongoing NRCS staffing shortages, but hopefully you connect with someone as helpful and personable as Erez!) Please note that late summer/early fall is the best time to apply for EQIP grazing contracts, with projects approved and funded in the spring. If you miss the application window, you may have to wait an additional six months for the next funding batch. Also, it’s critical that you do not purchase equipment until you have a fully signed grazing contract, as costs incurred before contract completion will not be covered by the cost share funds. 

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PS - If you have “good news” story idea about people, policies, resources, or organizations in the humane and regenerative ag space in your regions that you would like highlighted in future editions of Foraging Ahead, please shoot me an email at midwest@faceag.org