Virtual fencing gets fire-related boost

CARMEN, Idaho — High-country rancher Jay Smith grazes his cattle — and finds them — more efficiently thanks to a virtual fencing system he began using a few years ago following a wildfire. He and his wife, Chyenne, used to breed cows for their J Lazy S Angus Ranch in April and welcome newborn calves in January or February. “When you live at the toe of the Continental Divide, that’s not a super fun time to calf, but that’s when we did it for a long time,” Jay Smith said. “Now that we have virtual fencing and GPS location technology, we have the confidence to get those cattle home; we can go get them anytime we want.” The Smiths now work their permitted allotments until mid August and bring them home for calving in September. “Before, it was often November-December with cattle still on the mountain,” Smith said. “We didn’t know where they all were. And now they calve on green grass instead of snowbanks.” Heavy recent wildfire seasons prompted renewed interest in virtual fencing.

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