Developing a multiagent framework to explore the implications of fencing waterways using virtual fencing on New Zealand hill country farms.

Abstract

Hill country farms in New Zealand are faced with having to exclude cattle from waterways to limit their negative impact on water quality. Virtual fencing technology offers the potential to control the access of each animal to its physical environment and, meet the requirement of excluding stock from waterways. Understanding farmer willingness to uptake virtual fencing technology requires exploring farm system changes that would occur when moving from using conventional fences to virtual fencing. This paper describes the investigation of a multiagent framework to explore potential futures that may be created by the application of virtual fencing technology. Compared to conventional fencing, virtual fencing of beef cattle on hill and steep land is a financially viable option to exclude cattle from waterways. Compared to no fencing of waterways, virtual fencing reduced farm annual profitability by 9% and 17% for rolling and steep farms respectively, whereas conventional fencing reduced profitability by 14% and 93% respectively, severely reducing the profit of steep hill country farms. The results from this study used industry sheep and beef production, farm size andstock number averages and therefore are preliminary and indicative only.