University of Idaho Virtual Fence Project

My name is Emma Macon and I am a Rangeland undergrad working on the University of Idaho’s Virtual Fence project. I learned about this project when I toured the university as a high school student back in 2020 and made it my goal to one day be part of the project.

At the University of Idaho, we are taking on a different approach to virtual fence. While all commercial products are currently neck-based devices, UI is working on developing an ear-tag-based approach that is ruggedly simple. Since this is a relatively new concept, little research has been conducted on how much the ear (cow ear) can tolerate to inform us of a target weight for our technology. I had the privilege of developing and conducting a research project to determine if tag weight affects the ear healing process, mobility, or orientation.

I will be presenting my findings at this year’s annual conference in the undergraduate poster session. My hopes with this poster are to expand my public speaking skills while also building relationships within the rangeland community.

Written by: Emma Macon