“There are tons of small to midsize livestock farms there,” said Filbert, “and I learned how to manage dairy cows, rotating them properly to manage water quality.

“While I was doing that work, I admired the efforts of Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) as I’m originally from Council Bluffs. I thought it would be nice to apply what I learned in New York to my home state, so I began working for PFI.”

Over time, Filbert has seen more livestock integrated into the Iowa landscape, specifically through the practice of grazing cover crops. “Integrating cattle, for instance, into corn and bean systems in the upper Midwest has a positive effect,” said Filbert, “We know that there is value to cover crops, such as holding soil in place and having nutrient-rich roots in the ground all year long; the value increases when you put those cover crops through a ruminant such as a cow or sheep. Even though there are seed and planting costs, having cattle graze cover crops all year can offset costs of winter feed and hay.”

For farmers already using cover crops, Filbert encourages them to take their practice to a higher level by bringing cattle to the land, rotating them frequently, and managing their grazing in a better way.

-Submitted photo
This illustration shows how the virtual barrier affects the animals wearing a Nofence collar by emitting a series of audio tones that increase in pitch. When the highest pitch is reached, an electric pulse is triggered through the chain around the animal's neck.

“I’ve been speaking to row crop farmers about what it would take to integrate livestock into their system — to get better soil fertility and health,” said Filbert.

“I bet I’ve heard over 1,000 times their main obstacle: they don’t have fence and, if they did, don’t have the labor to move it frequently in order to rotationally graze their animals. Fencing also requires continuous repair and often replacement. More farmers would plant and graze cover crops if there was an easier fencing solution.”

In 2016, Filbert became familiar with “virtual fencing,” and a product manufactured in Norway branded as “Nofence.”

“I was still working for PFI, and we invited the founder and CEO of Nofence to our annual conference in Ames,” said Filbert, “so we could learn more about how their product worked. Farmers’ minds were blown; it was obvious this was a game changer that would bring more livestock to the land.”

Filbert became the first United States employee for Nofence in 2022, saying, “It’s a perfect intersection of my agricultural journey and career passion.”

-Submitted photo
A goat wearing a Nofence collar grazes on a hillside.

The concept is similar to collars that create virtual boundaries for dogs but with some significant differences.

“There is nothing buried in the farmer’s pasture; the virtual fence is 100% GPS created,” said Filbert. “The collar also operates on a boundary that is set on a smartphone app. When the grazing animal approaches the virtual boundary, the collar will emit a series of audio tones that increase in pitch and, when the highest pitch is reached, triggers an electric pulse through the chain around the animal’s neck.

“We find that it takes just a few days to train livestock to stay within their boundaries with just the tones.”

Filbert has 40 pilot projects around the United States and estimates that the Nofence system will be available to purchase in August of this year. More information can be found at https://www.nofence.no/en/.

Filbert states that Nofence is challenging farmers to think in a whole new way about livestock grazing.

“With virtual fencing, farmers are putting livestock in places that previously seemed unachievable,” said Filbert. “I’ve been working with a customer who uses goats to rid fields of invasive plants. With traditional fence, it would take them two hours to set up an acre or two of fencing; now, with their phone’s app, it takes less than 10 minutes.”

With the return of livestock to the land and through proper grazing management, Filbert noted that soil health and farm profitability can improve.

“It’s a real pleasure to see a farmer’s face when a heavy rainfall soaks into the ground instead of runs off. Farmers notice the color of the soil changes over time and when their cattle graze more days throughout the year, the profits add up. Farmers want to be good stewards of the land, and virtual fencing promotes excellent stewardship.”