Here’s why cows are wearing electric collars to boost potato yields

A pilot project on P.E.I. is testing electronic collars on cows with the goal of boosting potato yields and pastures. (CTV News)

A pilot project on P.E.I. is testing electronic collars on cows with the goal of boosting potato yields and pastures.

By controlling where cows graze and leave their manure, farmers hope to put nutrients and organic matter back into fields and build healthier soil that holds moisture in dry years.

“In a perfect world, we’d see a significant bump in organic matter and a significant bump in yield,” said Chad Mooney of Arthur Mooney and Sons Farms.

Rotational grazing, sometimes called mob grazing, keeps a large group of cattle in a small area for a short period, Mooney explained. In this case, about 100 animals are held in a two-acre section, then moved every few days through a 100-acre field.

The herd grazes alfalfa down to a level that allows it to regrow, while manure is spread across the whole field, instead of piling up in one part of the pasture.

The electric collars, or e-collars, create virtual fences that hold the herd in place. If an animal approaches the line, the collar emits a tone - an audible warning - and most turn around. If they keep going, the device delivers a brief shock.

“Very seldom (do) they actually get a stimulation from the shock,” Mooney said, adding the animals learn fast and the voltage is less powerful than the fence around the field.

The project offers benefits to both potato farmers and beef producers, says Ryan Barrett, research and specialist with the P.E.I. Potato Board. For cattle owners, partnering to share fields can be more cost-effective than buying land. For potato farmers, it brings rental income and returns nutrients to fields.

“I think most farmers would think that’s a win-win,” Barrett said.

Each e-collar costs a few hundred dollars, and the project is partially financed by the On-Farm Climate Action Fund, an initiative through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, distributed locally by the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture.

Researchers with the P.E.I. Potato Board could begin seeing preliminary results next year.

“Maybe we won’t see so much in terms of the potato yield,” Barrett said. “That’s too early to tell. But hopefully we’ll start seeing some difference in maybe some of the soil testing metrics, that sort of thing.”

Mooney adds that meaningful change takes time, saying P.E.I. fields generally range between two-to-four per cent of organic matter, depending on whether they are old pasture or heavily farmed ground. Potatoes, in particular, deplete organic matter.

“Ultimately, changes like this are generational,” he said. “Over 12 years … we may see a significant bump ideally.”

Even if yields don’t shift in the short term, Mooney says returning organic matter to the soil is something to celebrate.