eShepherd Webinar SEP 2025 Episode 9

Recap

New Feature Overview – Drawing Virtual Fences in the Mobile App

The session opened with a walkthrough of the new “Add VP” (Virtual Paddock) feature in the eShepherd mobile app.

Customers can now:

• Use the location arrow to show their current position (blue dot).
• Tap Add → Add VP to create a new virtual paddock directly from the field.
• Drop the first point on their location or anywhere on the map.
• Drag fence points to draw their boundary.
• Rename the virtual paddock and save or activate it on the spot.

This update gives users far more flexibility to build and activate fences while standing in the paddock.

Customer Experience – Kev (Western Australia)

Operation Background

Kev runs a Limousin breeding herd in southwest Western Australia, managing two home blocks and a leased block. His area has:

• Very sandy soils
• A mix of breeding cows and yearling heifers
• A regenerative system integrating cattle and chickens

He began using eShepherd earlier in the year on his breeding cows.

Fitting and Training Cattle

• Reactions to neckbands ranged from no response to a short bout of bucking, but all settled quickly.
• Older cows especially showed very calm behaviour.
• Cattle adapted to the audio cue immediately—no formal “training” was required.

Grazing Management & Calving

• Cows calved from March to June while wearing neckbands with no issues.
• Virtual fencing allowed Kev to see when cows separated from the herd, often signalling calving.
• If intervention was needed, he could locate animals immediately using the app.
• Calves gradually roamed further as they grew, sometimes 150m away, without causing cows to breach the fence.

Rotational Grazing & Land Improvement

Before eShepherd, Kev had never practiced rotational grazing.

Now he is achieving:

• Consistent high-quality grass
• Longer rest periods and better regrowth
• A strong pairing of cattle grazing followed by chicken manure, boosting soil fertility
• Grass recovering to shin height within 3 weeks in growing seasons
• Excellent control of wet, boggy areas via virtual boundaries

Kev says their cows and calves have never performed as well as they have since adopting rotational grazing supported by eShepherd.

Ease of Movement & Laneways

Kev routinely uses virtual laneways (25–30m wide) to:

• Funnel cattle to yards
• Guide animals safely over wet ground
• Make mustering almost effortless
• Move stock without motorbikes or stress

Leaders in the mob quickly detect new grazing areas, followed by the rest of the herd.

Using Virtual Paddocks Across Multiple Blocks

Kev uses the system across:

• Two sandy-soil home blocks
• A northern leased block with older fencing

eShepherd keeps all animals contained—even areas previously prone to escapes.

He prefers:

• The mobile app for turning fences on/off
• The web app for drawing fences due to its precision

Technical Performance

Connectivity

• Receives one bar of 5G coverage and has no communication issues.
• The system updates virtual paddock settings on animals within ~10–15 minutes.

Battery

• Neckbands operate 1–2 weeks without sunlight.
• Minimises power use when cattle are far from the boundary.
• Customer feedback from across Australia confirms excellent battery autonomy.

Questions and Answers

Q: How long do cattle take to learn the virtual boundary?

A: Almost immediately. Most respond to the audio within the first day.

Q: Can cows calve while wearing neckbands?

A: Yes. Customers use them year-round, including during calving seasons.

Q: Does the neckband interfere with cow–calf interaction?

A: No. Cows mother-up normally. Calves often use neckbands to scratch an itch.

Q: What happens if an animal walks through the virtual fence?

A:

• If fleeing (flight mode), the neckband does nothing for safety.
• Otherwise, it applies audio → pulse up to three times.
• With Return to Paddock enabled, the neckband guides the animal back by discouraging movement further away, while allowing it to walk back freely.

Q: How accurate are the neckbands for locating animals?

A: Very accurate—within half a meter.

Kev easily finds lost neckbands using the phone’s tracking.

Q: What cell coverage is needed?

A: If your phone can send a SMS, eShepherd typically works.

Where coverage is poor, Gallagher assesses whether a LoRa base station is required.

Q: Will virtual fencing work during wet seasons or in boggy terrain?

A: Yes. Users can draw exclusion areas or avoid wet zones entirely.

Q: Does rotational grazing really improve grass growth?

A: Kev reports a surplus of grass for the first time ever, with strong regrowth and healthier soil.

Updated on: 19/11/2025