U of A research team studying tech that can corral cattle with the touch of an iPhone

Cattle domestication began some 10,000 years ago. Controlling the movements of the creatures has been a human endeavour for millennia, using all manner of tool from herding dogs to electrified fences.

Now, it can be done with an iPhone.

A University of Alberta research team is looking into how virtual fencing can be used in cattle ranching. By looking at how the technology works and how it may affect production, the hope is to provide relevant, concrete information for producers interested in adopting it.

Virtual fencing is a technology that tells cattle where a virtual boundary is through audio warnings and electric shocks. It's not intended to replace physical perimeter fences but be used as a kind of cross fencing, dividing the main pasture for rotational grazing.

Alex Harland, a graduate student at the University of Alberta studying virtual fencing, said the technology can help farmers save money in the long run.

"Cross fencing is very expensive and moving animals is very labour intensive," she said in an interview last week.

The technology is available through Norwegian company Nofence. A collar resembling a plastic cowbell is put on cattle and powered with solar panels along the sides. Harland said that once equipment is put on and the cattle have been trained on how to use it, all you need is the accompanying app on your phone.

"You basically draw with your finger what you want the boundaries of your pasture to look like, and then that information gets downloaded to the collar."