LONDONDERRY, Vt. (WCAX) – Farm animals are breaking down barriers and joining the workforce with the help of new tech.
For hundreds of years, Vermont farms have used physical fencing to contain their animals.
Now, a brave few are trading chain links for tech and finding surprising opportunities in the open pastures.
Solar-powered GPS collars – the first in the state – could be a golden ticket for Vermont farmers. This May, Slippery Slope Goats owner Aimee Braxmeier’s 110 goats became guinea pigs.
They’re testing out a digital fencing system using collars that connect to cellular networks to create virtual boundaries for livestock. “I went out and bought 30 more bred does to double my herd so that I could try and fill every collar,” said Braxmeier.
Vermont nonprofit Agritech Institute for Small Farms is experimenting with the collars on sheep, cows, and goats at six farms across the state.
They use cellular networks versus popular wifi collars with less range.
What’s more, Agritech cofounder Dan Smith says the flexible boundaries could boost sustainability by replacing weed whackers with animals that eat invasive plants. “Can we seed additional markets for operators, goats for milk, goats for meat, goats for hide in addition, goat operation for vegetation management,” said Smith. Using an app, Braxmeier plots out where she wants her goats for the day.
Then, they’re on the job clearing out a mile of brush underneath powerlines owned by Stowe Electric Department.
Their collars will keep them contained — beeping in warning when they near the edge and zapping like an electric fence if they cross it. Braxmeier says the collars open doors to business opportunities that would’ve been tricky or impossible with physical fencing — like clearing entire ski mountains. “This allows me to go to places where I couldn’t get before, like places that I couldn’t get the fencing in, like ledgy areas, you know, over obstacles such as, you know, downed trees and that sort of thing,” said Braxmeier. Braxmeier says there are some kinks to work out, like collars rubbing fur off goats’ necks and occasionally losing connection, leaving her to track down a wayward goat.
But she says the manufacturer is quick to support her and she plans to use the collars for good.