eShepherd Webinar MAR 2025 Episode 3

Meeting notes: (Generated by AI)

• Webinar Introduction: Mark Dempsey introduced the Gallagher eShepherd webinar, welcoming existing and new customers. He explained the purpose of the webinar series, which is to help customers by sharing information and providing training. Mark also introduced the team members co-hosting the webinar, including Andrew Zipsin and Katherine Morgan.
• Rotational Grazing Overview: Mark Dempsey discussed the theme of the webinar, which is rotational grazing. He explained that rotational grazing is a common topic among the eShepherd sales team when talking to new customers. The webinar aimed to cover the fundamentals of implementing rotational grazing using the eShepherd system, with a demonstration by Andrew Zipsin.
• Virtual Paddocks and Scheduling: Andrew Zipsin provided a detailed demonstration on how to set up virtual paddocks and use the scheduling feature to automate virtual fence activations. He explained the process of creating virtual paddocks, extending grazing areas, and using the scheduling feature to move animals automatically according to a grazing plan.
• • Setup: Andrew Zipsin demonstrated how to set up virtual paddocks, explaining the process of creating virtual paddocks and extending grazing areas.
  • Scheduling: Andrew explained the use of the scheduling feature to automate virtual fence activations. This feature allows for the automatic movement of animals according to a grazing plan.
  • Automation: Andrew highlighted the benefits of using the scheduling feature to automate the activation of virtual fences, reducing the need for manual intervention and improving efficiency.
• Transition Between Virtual Paddocks: Andrew Zipsin explained the process of transitioning between virtual paddocks. He emphasized the importance of not turning off the previous virtual paddock manually, as the system will automatically update the neckbands with the new virtual paddock information. He also addressed potential issues with neckbands that stop communicating and how to handle them.
• • Transition Process: Andrew Zipsin explained the process of transitioning between virtual paddocks, emphasizing that the system will automatically update the neckbands with the new virtual paddock information.
  • Manual Deactivation: Andrew stressed the importance of not manually turning off the previous virtual paddock, as this could interfere with the system's automatic updates.
  • Communication Issues: Andrew addressed potential issues with neckbands that stop communicating, explaining that the system will attempt to send instructions to the neckbands and how to handle situations where neckbands fail to communicate.
• Intensive Rotational Grazing: Mark Dempsey and Andrew Zipsin discussed the capacity of the system to handle intensive rotational grazing programs. They mentioned that some customers are opening up small amounts of pasture regularly, up to four times a day. Andrew explained that the system can handle frequent virtual paddock activations, but it is essential to consider the transition time between virtual paddocks.
• • Capacity: Mark Dempsey and Andrew Zipsin discussed the system's capacity to handle intensive rotational grazing programs, with some customers opening up small amounts of pasture up to four times a day.
  • Frequent Activations: Andrew explained that the system can handle frequent virtual paddock activations, but it is important to consider the transition time between virtual paddocks to ensure smooth operations.
• Return to Paddock Feature: Andrew Zipsin introduced the return to paddock feature, which helps animals return to the virtual paddock if they are left behind. He explained that this feature is more advanced and is enabled only after animals have become accustomed to virtual fencing. The return to paddock feature applies stimulus to animals moving in the wrong direction, encouraging them to return to the virtual paddock.
• Legislation and Availability: Mark Dempsey provided an update on the legal status of eShepherd virtual fencing in Australia. He mentioned that the technology is currently legal and available in QLD, NT, WA, and Tasmania. However, it is not yet legal in NSW, Victoria, and SA. Mark encouraged customers to contact their local Member of Parliament to advocate for the technology.
• Q&A Session: Mark Dempsey and Andrew Zipsin answered various questions from participants, covering topics such as the accuracy of neckbands, creating laneways, and the maximum number of animals the system can control. They also discussed the importance of providing a buffer around watering points and the process of identifying defective neckbands.
• • Accuracy: Andrew explained that the neckbands have an accuracy of around 1 to 1.5 meters, which may vary due to satellite movement. He advised against creating very tight laneways, recommending a minimum width of 10 meters.
  • Maximum Animals: Andrew mentioned that the system can handle many thousands of animals, with practical limitations being more relevant for the LoRa system, which may require adjustments in communication cadence for larger numbers of neckbands.
  • Watering Points: Andrew emphasized the importance of providing a wide buffer around watering points to prevent animals from receiving stimulus while drinking, which could deter them from accessing water.
  • Defective Neckbands: Andrew described the process of identifying defective neckbands, suggesting the use of RFID wands to scan and identify neckbands that are not communicating properly.
• Webinar Conclusion: Mark Dempsey concluded the formal part of the webinar, thanking participants for joining and inviting them to stay for additional questions. He mentioned that the recording of the webinar would be available via a link, along with the questions and answers. Mark also encouraged participants to keep an eye out for the next webinar and to contact local business development managers for more information.

Questions from attendees answered

Q: Once a Neckband has been "unfitted" on the web app, can it be refitted again later?

A: Yes, once you have used the "Unfit" action in the Web App, an animal record will still exist in the "Animals" list. You can edit that animal, and choose the neckband. This is effectively "undo-ing" the unfit action. 

Q: What is the precision of the GPS boundary? Lets say I want to fence out a road, how much buffer would I have to include? 

A: The precision of the GPS is approximately 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 feet). Whilst it is possible to 'fence off a road' we do not recommend that you rely on the virtual fence only to keep animals off public roads or highways. We recommend that you maintain good property boundary fencing and use the virtual fences for reinforcement and internal subdivisions only.

To keep animals off your own private roads, we suggest a 2m offset of your virtual fence line from the road.

Q: Has anyone started doing the animal behavior science to see if other animals can be controlled with virtual fencing. If yes, then when will we see this technology on (say) sheep.

A: Yes, we have conducted and are collaborating with researchers to apply this technology to other animals. Whilst sheep can learn and respond equally well to virtual fencing cues, the challenges are around the thick wooly coat to deliver an aversive pulse to deter the animal from crossing the boundary. Another impediment is the (current) cost of the technology - to make this economically viable for sheep, the device cost should be significantly lower, however, all of the same components are required in the device - making it difficult to reduce the cost at this stage. This may change in future with further advancements in technology and very large production volumes.

Q: Can you use virtual fence as  a laneway?

A: Yes you can - we recommend a minimum width of around 6 to 10m {20 to 30 feet).

Q: What is accuracy to the virtual fences? We are located in NZ, and have a 5 ha paddock with trough in middle of paddock, and want to move the mob by 1/2 ha at a time. Similar to techno-grazing.

A: As above, the GPS accuracy is about 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 feet). We see some customers shifting their virtual paddocks by this amount quite regularly. For such applications we suggest that you create a virtual paddock large enough for the number of animals that you have in your mob, and then move that virtual fence boundary as often as required to allocate fresh pastures to meet the feed intake needs for those animal. This encourages animals to graze the fresh allocations, improving utilization immensely.

Q: How do you find a defective neckband?

A: There are several ways to identify a defective neckband on the eShepherd platform.

1) You can navigate to the Animals menu, and sort the list of animals by the 'last updated' column. Defective neckbands typically stop communicating so their last update is much longer than functional neckbands. The defective neckband can then be selected in the list which will highlight its location in the paddock.

2) If a neckband has not communicated for more than 24 hours, its icon on the map will be displayed with a cross through it.

3) If a neckband has not communicated for more than 3 days, it will be displayed in the "Monitor Neckbands" menu.

Updated on: 15/08/2025