Technology Meets Tradition
From drones to virtual fencing, ranchers are embracing cutting edge technology to enhance their traditional methods of raising and growing beef here in the PNW. Learn more about how the technology of virtual fencing is opening the gate to even more strategic stewardship of both cattle and land, improving the health of ecosystems in forests and grazing lands in Washington State.
Virtual FencING // Real Ranching
Sustaining healthy ecosystems is a primary goal for beef farmers and ranchers here in Washington. Like many ranchers, Kyler Beard of Ellensburg, has embraced new technology to enhance his more traditional management practices. Learn more about how he merges cutting edge tech with traditional low-stress animal stewardship in a joint effort to enhance the sustainable health of the Teanaway Community Forest.
IT Starts With Community
It is common practice in the West for cattle ranchers to work collaboratively with public agencies and private land owners to graze the grasses and forage that grows in abundance across our bountiful open spaces. Through forests and across prairies, up coulees and along ridges throughout the western U.S., cattle spend most of the year grazing away on the native forages that thrive where typical food crops can not be planted. So it's no surprise to see cattle in Washington making a meal of our local grasses anytime after the snow melts in the spring until it falls again in late autumn. What may come to mind is cattle grazing on bright green grass in a big pasture lined with a classic barbed wire fence. Your vision isn't wrong, that's certainly one way cattle graze. But Kyler Beard's partnership with the Washington State Departments of Natural Resources and Fish and Wildlife, as well as the Forest Service and the local community looks a little different this year. They are working on going fence-free in the Teanaway Community Forest, just west of Ellensburg and Kyler's traditionally fenced grazing pastures. Why Teanaway, and why no fences? Well, the community and Kyler have a lot they want to achieve.
"I think taking care of public ground, or really any ground, is becoming more important all the time becasue everybody cares more about it. Our cattle are here to help keep this a healthy forest that people can come and enjoy."
-Kyler Beard, Pole Barn Ranch
Kyler uses this drone along with the map on his computer to track each individual cow via her collar. With the bird's eye view from the drone he can confirm their location, natural movement and grazing patterns, as well as know when best to move the cattle from one grazing area to another.
The GPS collars worn by the cattle are similar to a very large dog collar and communicate with the base stations mounted across the forest and Kyler's computer, that is often set up like a mobile office in the back of his pick up.
While tech tools provide Kyler more efficiencies, nothing can really replace his dedicated stewardship of his cattle and the land. Kyler rides through the herd almost daily during the grazing season to ensure the health and safety of his herd.
The Teanaway Community Forest is a testament to how conservation, sustainable forestry, and community partnership can come together for one common goal - a community space for all. The forest is nestled at the headwaters of the Yakima Basin watershed spanning over 50,000 acres and contains nearly 400 miles of free-flowing streams and prime habitat for fish and wildlife landscape. It has a rich history of grazing and timber harvests under the coordination of state and local agencies, nearby land owners, and the region's tribes while also offering classic Cascade recreation such as hiking, fishing, camping, biking and trail riding to the public.
Today, the Teanaway Community Forest continues to work with several entities including the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, and Forest Service to sustain the long-term health of what they consider a working forest. Critical goals for those entities are the protection of sensitive waterways and fish habitat restoration zones, maintaining open space for wildlife to roam, suppressing risk of high-severity fires, encouraging native plant growth, and sustaining a well-balanced ecosystem. And they believe that cattle can play a critical role in achieving all those goals.
Enter, virtual fencing. In the Teanaway, Kyler is using this new technology to manage exactly where his cattle graze when traditional fencing is not an ideal option. Using a software system on his computer, Kyler is able to plot out specific boundaries, just like a real fence, to keep his cattle busy grazing where they're needed but away from where they're not. This way the cattle focus on eating over grown grasses or shrubs that could present wildfire threats, but stay away from areas where the native grasses need time for re-growth and newly re-established and sensitive fish habitat. An additional benefit of the virtual fence is that there's no fence limiting the natural movement of wildlife through the seasons. All of these critical benefits result in sustaining a diverse and thriving ecosystem of plants and grasses, keeping the Teanaway Community Forest healthy for generations to come.
There's more to the story
The Teanaway Community Forest collaboration has a lot of goals. First and foremost is developing a sustainable, coordinated plan for the long tern health and vitality of this working forest in the Cascades. Here's how cattle are helping to make that happen.
Recreation ready
Protecting Habitats
Regenerative RangeLand
Virtual Fencing // Real Ranching
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