The high-tech collars are produced by farming technology company Halter.
An app allows farmers to create virtual fences, remotely move mobs with GPS-collars to new grazing breaks or the milk shed and view their location.
The technology creates virtual boundaries by guiding cows using sounds and vibrations to go left or right.
Team members began using the collars on two farms in February and were impressed with the results during the tail end of the season.
The Halter app allows them to do multiple shifts a day.
The cows quickly learn to follow the collar’s instructions, with younger cows keeping within virtual lines from day one.
Farmers visiting Te Whenua Hou at a field day during meat company Silver Fern Farms’ Christchurch conference were riveted by the technology.
Rising two-year-old cattle kept to their allocated break on a dairy support farm without a fence in the immediate area.
They were feeding contentedly at Maukaatua farm, which is part of a regenerative trial where the results of synthetic fertilisers are compared with non-synthetic fertilisers such as fish waste on pastures with a blend of herbs, legumes and a variety of grass species.
More than 30 farms are understood to be using the collars in Canterbury and demand is high for them.
