Lely's Voyager keeps cattle grazing in the right direction

We wouldn't normally think that cattle farming would be the easiest, cleanest profession out there, but considering the wireless tracking gizmos, robotic milkers, and RFID tattoos that are now available, we're startin' to think these guys / gals have it made. Aside from dodging cow pies, farmers can now look forward to one more robotic innovation making things better, as Lely's automated strip grazing system, dubbed Voyager, "utilizes two robots to move an electrified fence-line at a pace that ensures that the sward is completely grazed." The "frontal grazing" approach purportedly maximizes grass utilization and keeps ungrazed areas from being "contaminated by manure," and moreover, the machines are solar-powered, automatically keeps the wire taught at all times, and communicates with one another via Bluetooth. Don't think that installing robots to do your dirty work will run ya cheap, however, as the Voyager system will only be available in limited quantities for around £15,000 ($29,664).

[Via TheRawFeed]

[The Infamous @ Apr 4th 2007 9:37PM]

wouldnt it make more sense for the robotics to communicate through that wire that is strung between them...or at least a tag a long wire that is hung from it...bluetooth seems a little redundant...not to mention with fields about a football field wide wouldnt bluetooth fall a little short?

[t-bone @ Apr 4th 2007 10:55PM]

According to the article linked by the blog this blog linked to, the wire is up to 200 yards long. Class 1 bluetooth can reach 300 meters. This is easier than trying send a signal composed of electrons across a wire that is already carrying an electron stream.

Suppose you did hire a rustler instead for $20,000/year. After only 2 years, you've already spent $10,000 more than the cost of this system, which would presumably last at least 2 years.

[Bruce Allen @ Apr 4th 2007 11:04PM]

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but this is some kind of weird moving electrified fence? What if the cows want to rest and the fence moves over them? Does it keep shocking them? I guess you could say the same if you had a bunch of humans poking the cows to keem them moving, but it still doesn't seem very polite. If they tried to do that to humans they'd revolt... oh, hang on, that's why there is a convenient moat in the drawing protecting the machines from the things they're herding.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

[Fustanella @ Apr 5th 2007 7:14AM]

So what is the wire taught? Are textbooks used, or sleep-learning? Can it retain what it learns? o.0

[KentuckyJones @ Apr 5th 2007 11:42AM]

Interesting, but I'd like to see how long it takes for one of the cows to bust through it.

[Gavin S @ Apr 7th 2007 1:56PM]

I for one welcome our new robotic cow herding overlords.

[mrsalty @ Apr 7th 2007 8:27PM]

Ok, this is the stupidist concept. First off, I could hire a rustler for about 20,000 bucks a year to take care of 400 head of cattle. there is no way that line could be pulled taught enough. the graze area for one acre is about 5 cows a day. So, you would have to have that wire(they make them out of cloth with thin wire filaments now) stretch and be taught for about 500 feet without sagging, you would need about 5000 pounds of force pulling on each end!!! Secondly, heck never mind this must be an April fools joke, no rancher would do this, just stupid...but this just made me think of a simpler $500 option that would actually work. Think rolling wheels, hollow tbar, winch and pulley, gate and track and diesel engine. WEHOOO

[Dan @ Apr 4th 2007 10:48PM]

Ya said,"First off, I could hire a rustler for about 20,000 bucks a year to take care of 400 head of cattle."
No..you couldn't. A starving wrangler, maybe. A rustler's gonna take your dough and sell the cows somewhere they don't look at ID marks/tags.

[Drew @ Apr 4th 2007 11:54PM]

What wire do you get thats made of cloth? I've put up plenty and its all plastic. These things are cool, but I would be worried about guide wires. Deer and elk love to jump into fencing, and if you take that guide wire, wouldn't it let all the cows out and the robots could go off course. For that kind of cash, I would love for there to have four of these movable posts that could be programed to run a determined area, use GPS to stay in that area, and also move in a way to not go over the same place twice (given a large enough area, of course). I could big ranchers dropping 30 grand on something like that.