Katrina BRANDON
TECHNOLOGY is (almost) everywhere.
Farmers across the state are taking advantage of opportunities to make farm life easier and more productive, using collars, tags, fencing, and other products that have now entered the technological world.
Bena dairy farmer Bruce Glasgow is one of the first in Victoria to take the step towards virtual fencing, with the collars being on the farm since March this year.
Mr Glasgow milks about 300 cows and has a seasonal calving herd, which is half jersey, half friesian. Mr Glasgow is also a fourth generation farmer, with around 120 years of his family being on the land.
Over time, Mr Glasgow introduced heat detection while working with his father on the farm.
“Most of us in previous generations (of my family), mainly my dad, have always been pretty early adapters of technology,” Mr Glasgow told the Gippsland Farmer.
“I remember when I was a kid, Dad was one of the first farms in the area to put automated cup removers in the dairy.”
Now having advanced the farm further along to Halter collars, Mr Glasgow said that the advancement has made a huge difference in a lot of ways, including animal-welfare and pasture utilisation.
Due to already experiencing heat collars, the cows were quick to pick up the cues from the new collars.
Drawing a line in the paddock from his phone, Mr Glasgow said that the technology has been a game changer with endless possibilities. With his phone, he said that he has been able to bring cows in when the weather starts to turn much quicker with the technology, as well as early detection during calving.
In the first six months of use, he said that they were able to tell when calving was about to start within 10 days of the action.
“It’s been amazing how much more reliable the calving alerts have been from that first week that it started,” Mr Glasgow said.
Other observations that he has noticed is the cows being quieter, and rather than associating the quad bike or him with food, the cows have started to associate Mr Glasgow and his family with head and back scratches – keeping them very happy.
Mr Glasgow highlighted that he has also seen a difference production-wise, on land, where hazards have been virtually fenced off, keeping pasture in wet areas protected until drier times, and keeping staff safer.
Lance Creek farmer, Daniel Hales has also introduced the collars to his farm.
Speaking with the Gippsland Farmer, he said that whether it is Halter, Gallagher eShepherd, Nofence, or Allflex’s SenseHub Dairy, these technological advancements are only scratching the surface
of their potential for the industry.
The state government gave the green light for virtual fencing in December 2025.
For more information on virtual fencing electronic collars, go to agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-welfare-victoria/pocta-act-1986/electronic-collars
