Virtual Fencing for Cattle

LOG · WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES

Virtual fencing works like a dog's invisible fence, for cows. A farmer draws a boundary on a map of the farm to keep the herd in, or to guide it toward the areas they want it to graze. Each cow wears a collar (or, in another version, an ear tag) that warns it with a light and a sound as it nears the boundary; through shock training, the cows learn to link those warnings with the boundary. The collars talk to a base station over LoRa radio. It is part of Cornell's work on low-cost virtual fencing for grazing livestock, with the Bezos Earth Fund.

WHY

A great chance to learn radio communication, and to get exposure to electronics and web IoT communications.

WHAT I WORKED ON

In 2025 I worked on limited aspects of the firmware, as well as electronics testing. Then in 2026 I worked on the gateway fully: electronics, software, LoRa communication, firmware, web app, and mechanical design. Lately I've been mostly working on the web app (private to Cornell).

WHAT CAME OF IT

The project is funded by the Bezos Earth Fund, and the latest round of testing was completed successfully in October 2026. In the summer of 2026 it was also piloted and tested in Paraguay.