Today, Halter announced a new partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its charitable arm, the Foundation for America’s Public Lands (APL), to expand joint rancher and public access to BLM-managed public lands.
The partnership includes $2.7 million in funding to support ranchers using Halter on BLM-managed land.
According to the press release, Halter is the world’s leading virtual fencing and guidance system for beef and dairy cows. As the largest land manager in the U.S., BLM’s collaboration with Halter marks a major milestone in bringing virtual fencing to working ranches, advancing land stewardship and grazing efficiency.
Unlocking opportunities for ranchers
The collaboration brings direct support to ranchers adopting Halter’s virtual fencing technology to improve productivity and sustainability, while providing cost-effective and flexible land management. Virtual fencing also improves pasture management, animal health and environmental outcomes. This partnership acts as a model for how public land management can support both productive agriculture and large-scale recreation.
“This partnership with BLM and APL unlocks a number of benefits for ranchers,” says Andrew Fraser, Halter president. “It also marks a major shift in how virtual fencing technology can be brought to public lands, demonstrating what’s possible when government agencies, producers and technology providers work together. We’re thrilled about this new partnership and look forward to the public opening of a national monument and broader access to this incredible land.”
Innovative virtual fencing technology
Halter explains its technology helps ranchers run more productive, efficient and sustainable operations, while protecting animal welfare. The Halter system includes solar-powered collars for every cow, an app, and towers that provide connectivity. Cattle are guided using sound and vibration. Sound cues keep them within a virtual fence, while gentle vibrations help them move to new pasture. A low-energy pulse is used when cattle repeatedly ignore the cues, which is mostly used during training.
With GPS-enabled collars, ranchers can track where their cattle are and where they’ve been grazing, allowing them to make full use of every pasture. Keeping cattle within virtual boundaries reduces the need for permanent internal fencing and enables more efficient pasture use. This enables ranchers to bolster biodiversity, exclude sensitive land areas and waterways, protect wildlife migration zones, mitigate wildfire risk, and explore carbon sequestration opportunities.
Halter offers a cost-efficient way for ranchers to fence their land quickly and conveniently, freeing up valuable time and labor for other projects while providing the flexibility to respond quickly to seasonal or environmental changes.
Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument
The first ranch to leverage the funds is Cotoni-Coast Dairies in California, where father-daughter duo Wayne and Paige Pastorino manage a beef operation, grazing on BLM land that’s becoming a new national monument.
“This land has a lot more to offer beyond just grazing,” Paige Pastorino explains. “For the past 25 years, it’s given my family a sense of purpose and connection. With Halter, we can manage how we use it more thoughtfully and be part of what the monument becomes over time.”
Located in Santa Cruz County, the national monument runs from the Santa Cruz mountains to the coastal terraces and is expected to welcome 250,000 visitors annually.
A New Era for Public Lands and Ranchers
“We’re excited to celebrate the opening of Cotoni-Coast Dairies, a valuable addition to America’s public lands,” says I Ling Thompson, CEO of Foundation for America’s Public Lands. “As the official partner of the Bureau of Land Management, we’re committed to providing innovative solutions that keep these lands accessible and productive. Our collaboration with Halter demonstrates how partnerships can bring resources like virtual fencing to support land stewardship, modern ranching and keep trails safe and clear for all to enjoy. Virtual fencing helps the Bureau of Land Management to manage these hardest-working lands for multiple uses, ensuring they remain productive and accessible for future generations.”
BLM’s Zachary Ormsby adds: “This partnership is about unlocking the full potential of our public lands. Joining forces with producers and embracing innovative tools, like Halter’s virtual fencing, allows us to create a blueprint for smarter grazing and thriving ecosystems. We’re building a future where healthy landscapes, vibrant ranching communities and responsible land stewardship go hand in hand.”
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