Join us for an insightful afternoon at West Range Station to learn how virtual fencing technology is helping improve profitability, grazing management, and farm efficiency in a large-scale sheep and beef finishing operation.
West Range Station is a fourth-generation family-owned sheep and beef finishing property operated by the Chamberlain family. The 2,300-hectare farm includes approximately 1,900 hectares of effective grazing land, 300 hectares of forestry, and 100 hectares of rough blocks.
Cattle finishing is the core focus of the business, with large numbers of bulls carried across a range of age and weight classes and a target of finishing approximately 3,000 bulls annually. The family's focus is on maintaining a simple and flexible farming system that maximises liveweight gain and feed utilisation while minimising labour and infrastructure requirements.
A key component of this strategy is the use of Gallagher eShepherd Virtual Fencing. The technology is used across pasture, winter crops, and rougher grazing areas, providing greater flexibility for grazing management and stock movement while helping improve feed utilisation, grazing rotations, winter crop allocation, and overall management efficiency.
Field Day Objectives
The field day aims to:
- Share the Chamberlain farming operation’s experience with virtual fencing — including why the technology was investigated, the supplier selection process, implementation, and practical lessons learned.
- Demonstrate Gallagher’s virtual-fencing technology in practice — with Gallagher technical representatives explaining the system, its capabilities, operation, integration with existing farm infrastructure, and practical considerations for farmers.
- Explore the agronomic and pasture-management implications of virtual fencing — with PGG Wrightson providing practical insight into pasture utilisation, grazing management, stock allocation and potential impacts on pasture performance.
- Assess the practical and economic benefits of virtual fencing — including stock handling, labour efficiency, grazing flexibility, infrastructure requirements, potential financial returns, challenges and longer-term opportunities.
Afternoon Tea and BBQ at the conclusion of the event supplied.
Sponsors
Registration
Registration is essential for catering purposes.