The Minns Labor Government is backing the future of digital agriculture, with a virtual fencing trial in southern NSW showing how the new technology can help farmers manage livestock more efficiently while improving animal welfare.
The Charles Sturt University Virtual Fencing Demonstration Trial, being delivered at the Global Digital Farm in Wagga Wagga, is demonstrating the potential for virtual fencing to give farmers greater flexibility over grazing, reduce labour and input costs, and better manage their livestock.
The NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty recently visited Charles Sturt and inspected the work being undertaken by the team including a briefing from Jon Medway, Charles Sturt’s Head of Sustainable and Digital Agriculture and observing the project’s 50 Black Angus herd.
In December last year, the Minns Government passed legislation to legalise virtual stock fencing in NSW, giving farmers the opportunity to reduce costs and take advantage of new technology and data to better manage their herds.
Until that legislation was passed, researchers in NSW couldn’t undertake this kind of field work, limiting the understanding of how the technology could be used in real farming conditions.
This trial is an important next step, building practical knowledge and giving farmers the information they need to confidently adopt virtual fencing across the livestock sector.
The project brings together Charles Sturt, the University of Adelaide, Meat & Livestock Australia and Gallagher eShepherd following the NSW Government’s support for the approval of virtual fencing technology in NSW.
The system uses GPS-defined boundaries and electronic neckbands to guide cattle movements, reducing the need for traditional internal fencing while allowing producers to quickly adjust grazing areas from a computer or mobile device.
Early findings show cattle are rapidly learning to respond to the system’s audio cues.
Researchers reported that while around 60 per cent of interactions were initially resolved by the audio warning alone, the herd is now achieving approximately 97 per cent audio-only interactions, providing strong evidence of effective animal learning and positive welfare outcomes.
The trial is also examining grazing management strategies, fence design and best-practice implementation to support broader industry adoption.
The trial will run until 2028, with the final report to follow soon after.
Along with productivity gains, virtual fencing may help improve environmental outcomes by allowing producers to establish temporary exclusion zones around waterways, riparian areas, erosion sites and rehabilitation projects.
A second phase of the project is planned on a commercial beef enterprise near Jingellic, where the technology will be evaluated under larger-scale farming conditions, including varied terrain, breeding cattle and riparian management.
The NSW Government is committed to supporting practical innovation that helps farmers adopt new technologies, strengthen sustainability and improve the long-term competitiveness of the state’s agricultural sector.
Minister for Agriculture, Regional and Western NSW, Tara Moriarty said:
“Virtual fencing has the potential to be a game-changer for livestock producers across NSW.
“We’re backing this innovation because it can help farmers improve productivity while maintaining high standards of animal welfare.
“It gives farmers more flexibility to manage grazing, reduce the cost of traditional fencing and respond quickly when seasonal conditions change.
“Most importantly, this research will help give farmers the practical information they need to understand how virtual fencing can work on their own properties.”
Charles Sturt Vice-Chancellor, Professor Renée Leon said:
“This trial positions NSW as a leader in practical digital agriculture innovation.
“Virtual fencing technology has the potential to drastically improve farm productivity, strengthen environmental stewardship and reduce labour pressures.
“The project also provides a platform for broader digital agriculture innovation in Australia, including automated livestock monitoring, health alerts, behavioural analysis and AI-assisted management systems.
“We are delighted with the early results that we’re seeing. It’s a fantastic example of the industry-shaping research that we have underway at Charles Sturt to solve real life problems in regional Australia.”
Director of the Global Digital Farm, Mr Mark Bourne said:
“Monitoring cattle responses helps us refine how virtual fencing can be applied safely and practically.
This project explores virtual fencing’s potential to improve pasture utilisation, grazing efficiency and livestock growth rates.
It will also create a base layer of farm data we can build on, connecting further sensors and systems to give producers a whole-of-farm picture over time.”
