Rangeland Ecology & Management

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What's in a Name? Standardizing Terminology for the Enhancement of Research, Extension, and Industry Applications of Virtual Fence Use on Grazing Livestock
Author
Ehlert, Krista A.
Brennan, Jameson
Beard, Joslyn
Reuter, Ryan
Menendez, Hector
Vandermark, Logan
Stephenson, Mitchell
Hoag, Dana
Meiman, Paul
O'Connor, Rory C.
Noelle, Sarah
Publisher
Rangeland Ecology & Management
Publication Year
2024
Body

Virtual fence (VF) is the use of a global positioning system (GPS) to dictate where on the landscape livestock can graze without relying on traditional physical fence such as barbed wire. The recent acceleration in the development and adoption of VF technology for grazing management has been characterized by the evolution of divergent terminology. Different research and commercial entities have adopted terms and definitions independently. Some terms and definitions are inherently problematic, while others are more aligned, and the simple fact that differences exist contributes to confusion in communication among scientists, producers, land managers, manufacturers, government agencies, and the public. In this paper, we propose a standard terminology determined during a 2-d in-service workshop at the annual meeting of the Society of Rangeland Management in February 2023. Standard terminology will aid in efficient and effective communication among all entities and interested parties.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Keywords
jargon
precision agriculture
communication