Trout creek ranch, a 500,000-acre working ranch, will use a new technology called virtual fences to help improve the land and support local communities

Virtual fences are invisible barriers that guide where livestock (like cows) can go, without needing to build real, physical fences. The public benefits of this technology are:1.improving the environment: IT will protect special areas near water (called riparian areas) and help prevent wildfires by better managing where animals graze.2.helping rural communities: by using american-owned farms and ranches, this project will bring money and jobs to local towns.3.following rules: virtual fences can help solve problems related to the rules about where animals are allowed to graze on public land.4.overcoming challenges: IT can also help manage the difficulties of using this technology across very large areas, where IT s hard to build fences and there are few roads.baseline monitoring and assessment of key ecological characteristics of interest with this new system will make the land healthier, reduce the risk of fires, and create jobs, all while using smart technology to manage the land in a way that works for everyone.