Transformative virtual fencing technology to be discussed at dairy field day
Virtual fencing technology has the potential to revolutionise the dairy industry, but how much is known about its application in a Tasmanian context?
The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) is hosting a field day at its Dairy Research Facility at Elliott next week (28 February) to share the latest research findings with the dairy industry and interested community members.
Senior Research Fellow at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), Dr Megan Verdon, is investigating the application of Halter virtual fencing technology to manage dairy cows in Tasmanian conditions. She will give a presentation at the Field Day.
“We want to better understand how dairy cows adapt to the virtual fencing technology and respond to being managed in a new and different way. For this latest trial, we focussed on the ability to remotely allocate pasture and herd cows to the dairy using virtual fencing technology, which were the two most beneficial applications identified by dairy farmers,” Dr Verdon said.
“My observations indicate that dairy cows can learn how to respond to a virtual fence within 24 hours and we had animals bring themselves to the dairy after using the technology for just four days. I was actually surprised by how quickly the animals adapted to this new way of being managed.
“It’s amazing when you’re there at 5:30am in the morning, it’s really dark, and you look down the laneway to see a herd of cows coming towards you at exactly the time they’re supposed to be there.”
TIA’s Dairy Research Facility recently underwent a multi-million dollar upgrade to equip the facility to undertake whole-farm systems research using farmlets – an approach to dairy research that is currently not happening anywhere else in Australia.
The farmlet research is funded through a $6.5 million partnership between Dairy Australia and TIA. Leader of TIA’s Livestock Systems Centre, Dr James Hills, will give a presentation at the field day and there will be an opportunity for attendees to view the farmlets and ask questions.
“The focus of the farmlet trial is to find practical ways that farmers can halve the amount of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser used on dairy farms without negatively impacting productivity,” Dr Hills said.
“We are more than six-months into the farmlet trial and have some early observations to share. In particular, dairy farmers will be interested to hear that the farmlet receiving no nitrogen applications has performed similar to the other farmlets.”
Other topics to be discussed at the field day include research to increase the legume component of mixed species pasture, the newly released Tasmanian Agriculture Technology Guide, and a panel discussion about pasture based dairy systems.
How can I register for the TIA Dairy Research Facility Field Day?
Date: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Location: TIA Dairy Research Facility, 124 Nunns Road, Elliott