Project Overview
Commodities
- Animals: bovine, sheep
Practices
- Animal Production: grazing - multispecies
- Farm Business Management: new enterprise development
- Sustainable Communities: quality of life
Proposal summary:
Multispecies grazing has well-documented benefits for pasture and rangeland health, including improved forage utilization, reduced parasite loads, and enhanced ecosystem resilience. However, integrating sheep into existing cattle operations is often challenging, requiring significant investments in fencing and infrastructure due to differences in size, behavior, and management needs between cattle and sheep. Virtual fencing offers a promising alternative, allowing producers to contain multiple species within existing paddocks. Yet, most commercial virtual fencing systems are prohibitively expensive for small ruminant integration.
This project will evaluate the REALM virtual fencing system, a novel patented technology developed at the University of Idaho that is in early manufacturing and not yet commercially available. The units in this project are high-cost prototypes, but future commercial collars are expected to be priced at only a fraction of their cost. REALM uses no GPS and can achieve up to three years of battery life per collar. Sixty Katahdin sheep will test containment, labor needs, and real-time breach detection.
Results from this research could significantly impact the adoption of multispecies grazing in the Intermountain West. Demonstrating a low-cost, practical tool to integrate sheep into cattle operations may lower financial and logistical barriers, encourage diversification of farm income, and support family ranch viability across generations. Additionally, proper multi-species grazing can enhance ecosystem services, including improved forage distribution, soil health, and vegetation diversity.
By the end of the project, findings will be shared directly with producers through a field day, the Sheep and Goat Webinar Series, and dissemination platforms including the Sheep Experimentation Center, Rangeland Center, and University of Idaho Extension. This project seeks to provide actionable, science-based guidance for ranchers interested in adopting cost-effective multispecies grazing strategies, strengthening both economic and ecological resilience of Western livestock operations.
Project objectives from proposal:
Evaluate the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and efficacy of REALM virtual fencing to manage hair sheep within a multi-species grazing system. Specifically, we will assess sheep compliance with virtual boundaries, labor and maintenance requirements, and the system's ability to provide real-time alerts for fence breaches, generating practical knowledge for ranchers interested in integrating sheep with cattle