eShepherd Webinar June 2025 Episode 6

Watch the recording of this webinar

Recap

Curious how ranchers are transforming livestock management with virtual fencing? In this eShepherd webinar (Episode 6), we heard first-hand from innovative producers across North America who are using eShepherd to simplify grazing, save time, and boost pasture performance. Whether you're new to virtual fencing or already on the journey, this session was packed with practical insights and live demos you won’t want to miss. 

Customer Spotlights: 

• Brandon Arpan – Montana Rancher 
• Managing 725 animals with 713 neckbands. 
• Demonstrated a “bubble training” method for yearlings using a single virtual boundary. 
• Achieved 95–98% containment within 72 hours. 
• Emphasized labor savings: herd management time dropped from 8+ hours/week to under 1 hour. 
• Shared insights on training differences between cows and yearlings, and how untrained animals learned from trained peers. 

2. Mary White – Oklahoma Rancher 

• Using eShepherd across bulls, cows, and yearlings. 
• Transitioned from traditional electric fencing to virtual fencing for regenerative grazing. 
• Highlighted ease of daily strip grazing and improved pasture utilization. 
• Shared success with bulls and cow-calf pairs, even in complex terrain with lease roads. 

3. Thomas & Sarah Judd – Ontario, Canada 

• Operate a diverse farm with dairy cows, crops, strawberries, and CSA veggies. 
• Use eShepherd to manage grazing in sensitive wetland areas. 
• Praised the system’s ability to monitor animals near residential areas and busy roads. 
• Shared how virtual fencing helps mitigate predator risks (e.g., coyotes) and improves peace of mind. 

Be sure to follow eShepherd (@eshepherd.vf) on Facebook and Instagram where we will be sharing customer stories, tips and tricks, product updates and more. 

Questions and Answers

Q: Is it planned that this system can be used with sheep in the future when costs come down? 

A: It’s on the "roadmap"! However, there are some significant challenges with the delivery of the aversive pulse through the woolly coat! There are trials underway on 'shedding sheep' and Dorper's. 

Q: How much per collar for the cellular? And what is the warranty? Any other costs associated? 

A: Costs are provided in the currency of your region - so please reach out your local eShepherd representative. There is an upfront hardware cost and an ongoing monthly subscription fee. Each neckband comes with a 3-year warranty. 

Q: I have 5 cows without collars in a group of 22 with collars. Any ideas how to get the 5 cows out of the collared group? Water is at one end of a 25 acre pasture. The boundary is real fence so would try a virtual cross fence to get them out. But I would like to hear your ideas. 

A: We have been doing this with cows as they calve (moving the new pair away from the cows who haven't calved). We just wait until they separate themselves from the herd that is still in a virtual paddock and then go move them. 

Q: I didn't specify, but the 5 cows I want out do not have collars. 

A: Understand, answer is still the same. We turn off the virtual paddock as they calve, so it would nearly be the same thing. We want the newly calved pair out, and we wait till they naturally separate, then we go out and move them. 

Q: Does anyone have experience with restricting cattle from riparian systems ? If so, how have the collars fared ?  

A: Yes, this is a common application - to keep cattle out of certain areas. This works just as well as keeping animals out of the reserved /available pasture. 

Q: Let me ask again, so Brandon trained the 500 yearlings with virtual fence on the one big side without any previous training?? 

A: Correct, they had physical fence on 2 sides, virtual fence on the other 2 (it was the curved line). No previous training before turning in. 

Q: Is the system set up & cost-effective for smaller hobby farm operations in Australia? ie. <20 head of cattle. Specifically Victoria. Government welfare right constraints at present?

A: The system does work on smaller mobs but the hardware costs are higher for the smaller quantities. Reach out to Mark Dempsey mark.dempsey@gallagher.com  and he can provide more details. 

Q: Has eShepherd been integrated into a dairy grazing system? Able to use to bring the herd back and forth to the milk harvesting platform? 

A: Yes, we have dairy clients using eShepherd. 

Q: Is there a group size which is too small for them to learn effectively 

A: The animals do learn from each other, so there is an advantage in having bigger herds / mobs, but given sufficient time and nice simple virtual fencing scenarios in the beginning, they do all learn how to respond to the audio cues to avoid the pulse. 

Q: Is eShepherd able to muster herd back to yards? 

A: You can use smart virtual fence construction to muster animals over time. Currently, the best way to move your animals is by opening fresh pasture and using feed motivation to move them in the desired direction, closing the virtual fence behind them as they move on. 

Q: How do you ensure the cattle have access to water if there is only one source in a paddock - eg if one escapes the virtual fence how do they get back? 

A: Animals are always free to come back into the virtual fence area without any stimulus / interaction. It is only when they are leaving the area that they are meant to be in that triggers the audio warning and pulse stimulus.  

Q: Connectivity: How reliable is the system in heavily timbered country or where there are hills and valleys e.g. a steep creek 

A: Heavy timber does obstruct and limit the reach of the radio signals. We have some desktop / pc tools to assess each property to estimate how well it will connect. 

A: eShepherd operates through two models: direct-to-cellular and base-station (LoRa) based. The cellular option requires basic cell coverage (1–2 bars) across most of the property. The LoRa system only needs connectivity at the base stations, which can then cover more remote or mountainous terrain via line-of-sight radio. Even if animals leave the coverage area, the neckband continues enforcing the virtual fence using preloaded data. 

Q: What about setting up laneway systems within the milking grazing platform.  

A: It is a way in helping with pasture regeneration. ie maximum 24hrs grazing one spot before locking up for minimum 21days during Spring or 90days during Winter or drought to keep some ground cover for when the dry spell breaks with usually a downpour of 50mm -100mm in 24hr rain event. 

Q: Is there any movement on getting eShepherd into NSW Australia yet. 

A: Beyond the initial announcement that it is coming, we do not know the exact timing. We are hoping it is only a matter of months. Register your interest with Mark Dempsey eShepherd.Inquiries@gallagher.com

Q: Can you run more than one mob off a single base station? 

A: Yes, you can run many mobs of a single base station. For example, you could have 10 mobs with 50 animals in each mob and each mob has its own virtual paddock. No problem.

Updated on: 15/08/2025