Gallagher eShepherd™ Explained
How virtual fencing and eShepherd work
Short, plain answers for anyone who wants to understand virtual fencing, the eShepherd neckband and what happens on the farm. No account needed.
Three steps, every time
Draw
The farmer draws a virtual paddock on a map in the eShepherd app and assigns it to a mob.
Send
Neckbands pick up the new boundary over the mobile network, or through a base station where there is no coverage.
Cue
At the line the neckband plays a tone. If the cow turns back, that is it. If she keeps going, a mild pulse follows.
The basics
What virtual fencing is, how eShepherd does it, and what you get.
What is virtual fencing?
Virtual fencing keeps cattle inside a boundary drawn on a map, using sound cues from a GPS neckband instead of posts and wire.How eShepherd works: draw, send, cue
Every virtual fence follows three steps. You draw the paddock, the neckbands receive it, and a tone at the line turns cattle back.What's in the kit: neckband, app, base station and pause device
The system has four parts, and most farms need only two of them. Here is what each part does and when you need it.Is eShepherd right for my farm?
Four questions decide whether virtual fencing fits your place, from the job you want the fence to do to the state of your boundary fences.
Cattle and training
How cattle learn the fence, and what keeps them safe.
How cattle learn a virtual fence
Most mobs learn the virtual fence in 7 to 10 days in a simple training paddock. Here is what happens, and what the farmer does.Sound first, pulse rarely: the cues and the welfare safeguards
A tone always comes before any pulse, and trained cattle respond to the tone alone. Here is how the cues work and what keeps them safe.
Connectivity and power
How a boundary reaches the neckband, and how the neckband stays charged.
Mobile network or base station?
Neckbands get their boundaries over the mobile network, or through an on-farm LoRa base station where there is no coverage.Powered by the sun: how neckbands stay charged
Neckbands charge themselves from two solar panels. There are no plugs, but they need regular direct sun, and new ones need a head start.How accurate is the GPS, and what happens when the network drops?
GPS is most precise near a virtual fence, where it matters. If the network drops, neckbands keep holding the current paddock for a set period.
Grazing with eShepherd
Fences that move, and keeping cattle where you want them.
Rotational and strip grazing with a fence that moves
Redraw paddocks for rotation, schedule moves in advance, or let Moving Fence release fresh feed on its own. Your boundary fences stay put.Keeping cattle out: waterways, crops and hazards
An exclusion zone keeps cattle out of an area inside their paddock, from a creek to a crop, without building a fence around it.
Getting started
From quote to first fence, and where to get help.
Where next?
Build an indicative quote in a few steps, or talk to the eShepherd team about your farm.