Ranch It Up Radio Show & Podcast

Episode: Ranching Headlines Of 2025: Part 2
Hosts: Jeff “Tigger” Erhardt & Rebecca “BEC” Wanner (Tigger & BEC)
Air Date: December 28, 2025

Overview

This episode of Ranch It Up Radio Show recaps some of the most talked-about ranch management trends and challenges of 2025, focusing on two headline topics:

1. The adoption of virtual fencing technologies in cattle management.
2. The implementation of electronic identification (EID) tags for cattle.

Expert guests Gary Tiller (Vance Virtual Fencing, Merck Animal Health) and David McElhaney (ID Infrastructure Specialist, Merck Animal Health) join the show to explain these technologies, tackle common producer concerns, and offer practical advice. Market updates and industry insights round out the episode.

1. Virtual Fencing: The Evolution of Cattle Management

Guest: Gary Tiller, Director of Commercial Operations, Vance Virtual Fencing, Merck Animal Health
Segment: [00:02] – [08:06]

What is Virtual Fencing?

• Key Concept: Virtual fencing uses collars with GPS and behavioral stimuli (sound and light electric impulses) to manage cattle movement, replacing the need to build or maintain physical fences.
  • "Virtual fencing is just the next evolution in fencing whereby we take out all the old rules, we utilize a collar and behavior and stimulus to control the behavior of the cattle versus having to use a physical barrier." – Gary Tiller [02:21]
• Technology Components: Collar with GPS, communication chip, audible signal, and an electric impulse feature.
  • "Our system has three components. One is the collar. And within the collar you have a GPS, you have a communications chip, and you also have the ability to send an audible signal and an electric impulse..." – Gary Tiller [03:22]

Benefits and Flexibility

• Increased Grazing Control: Using software, ranchers can design virtual pastures, schedule automated rotations, and adapt grazing plans as needed.
  • "You can set those pastures up to be on a timer ... the virtual fence will drop, they'll move to the next pasture, the virtual fence comes back up." – Gary Tiller [04:14]
• Less Manual Labor: No need for installing, removing, or moving electric fences.
  • "All of that sort of roll and unroll electric fence ... that all goes away." – Gary Tiller [04:14]

How Do Cattle Learn?

• Training Required: Cattle are conditioned through a process similar to Pavlovian/classical conditioning, initially pairing physical fences with virtual cues, before transitioning to totally virtual boundaries.
  • "Early on in the, in the training phase, you will overlay a barbed wire fence ... set your signal and your pulse so that when the cow come up to, to the hard fence, they will get the stimulus and they will start associating that with the barrier." – Gary Tiller [06:13]

Welfare and Compliance

• Animal Welfare: The system is designed and vetted with animal welfare in mind and has passed regulatory scrutiny in countries with strict standards (Australia, EU).
  • "[These systems] have been researched from an animal welfare perspective extremely well ... we're able to operate in some of the toughest countries when it comes to regulation around electrical stimulation and electrical fencing." – Gary Tiller [07:25]

Notable Quote

• "You're only limited by your imagination in terms of how you create these virtual fences and how you deliver on your grazing management plan." – Gary Tiller [04:14]

2. Electronic ID (EID) Tags: Tracking and Compliance

Guest: David McElhaney, ID Infrastructure Specialist, Merck Animal Health
Segment: [10:54] – [19:04]

Producer Concerns

• Cost & Burden: Many worry about who bears the cost, equipment compatibility, and aggravation around registration and replacement.
  • "Lots of producers are concerned of who's going to have the burden and the brunt and the cost of these certain tags." – Tigger [10:57]
  • Sale barns expressed frustration over the complexity of dealing with tagging systems.

Technology Adoption & Value

• Choice & Fit: EID tags are not one-size-fits-all—the technology may or may not fit every business model, and alternatives remain available.
  • "People have choices. They may or may not, the technology may or may not fit their business model." – David McElhaney [11:08]
• Market Access & Programs: EID tags help meet program requirements (e.g., NHTC, organic) by providing unique animal identification.
  • "The value proposition is ... market channel access, fitting into different programs ... a tool to help people manage their cattle and assimilate data." – David McElhaney [12:17]
• Unique Identification: The unique RFID serial is like an animal’s “social security number” for data tracking.
  • "It's unique to us, it lives and dies with us." – David McElhaney [13:38]
  • Visual panel tags and RFID buttons are matched for better management.
  • Tags are replaceable if lost—producers manage accordingly.

Tag Placement Best Practices

• Where to Place: Between the middle two ribs in the center part of the ear, for readability and survivability.
  • "Proper location is between the middle two ribs in the center part of the ear. That's the ideal location to put that..." – David McElhaney [14:01]

Support for Producers

• Reach Out for Guidance: Veterinarians and company field reps are available as resources ("free help").
  • "Your veterinarian is always going to be that person in the room with you that is going to have that broad base of knowledge..." – David McElhaney [16:59]
  • "We have 90-plus field reps that are out there willing and able to help..." – David McElhaney [16:59]
• Fact over Opinion: Rely on expert advice and factual resources rather than neighbor gossip or social media.
  • "Fact is always better than someone's opinion. Everybody has opinions, but you can never go wrong with fact." – David McElhaney [18:51]

Notable Quotes

• "Numbers don't lie. That's the thing that I really love about this business is it's a benchmark... it's universal. Any language we look at." – Tigger [14:28]
• "If you have a question, ask the question. Don't go on social media. Don't get opinions of your neighbors. Actually seek out the right question and get the right answer because we know how that goes." – Tigger [18:25]

3. Market Recap with Kirk Donsbach, StoneX Financial

Guest: Kirk Donsbach
Segment: [21:14] – [23:34]

Key Highlights:

• Feeder & Live Cattle: January feeder futures up, positive basis; cattle on feed report slightly bullish.
• Cash Trade: Sparse reporting due to confidentiality in the South; noted sales in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa.
• Production Trends: Slaughter down YOY; dressed weights up compared to last year; corn up slightly despite continued soybean drag.
• Advice on Market Volatility: Stick to established marketing plans during volatile times rather than chasing short-term trends.
  • "Don't get worried about all the futures market is up the limit today or down the limit tomorrow. Let's concentrate on the cash market and the fundamentals affecting them..." [Guest excerpt from another podcast, 24:28]

4. Memorable Moments & Listener Engagement

• Tigger encourages listeners to share their experiences with EID tags and virtual fencing (positive or negative).
  • Hotline: 707-RANCH-20 (707-726-2420)
  • Email: ranchitupshow@gmail.com
• Trivia winner Dustin (South Texas) wins a Ranch It Up gear package for knowing the hosts used drones for weed control in 2025 for the first time.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Virtual Fencing Deep Dive: [00:02] – [08:06]
• EID Tags & Producer Q&A: [10:54] – [19:04]
• Market Recap with Kirk: [21:14] – [23:34]
• Volatility-Proof Marketing (podcast excerpt): [24:28]
• Listener Q&A and Trivia: [26:18]

Summary Table: Solutions & Tips

| Topic | Solution/Tip | Contact/Resource | |------------------|---------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------| | Virtual Fencing | Use collars, GPS, and acoustic stimuli; train cattle; software for pasture control | Provider reps, company websites | | EID Tags | Place in ear’s mid-ribs; match visual/RFID tags; contact vet or Merck rep for program fit | Vet, field reps, manufacturer support | | Market Volatility| Stick to established plans over market speculation | Listen to market experts & follow podcast|

End note:
The episode stays true to Tigger & BEC’s practical, good-humored, and solution-oriented tone, helping producers “ranch it up” with facts, not just opinions.

Contact & Show Links:

• Ranch It Up Show Website & Show Notes
• Email: ranchitupshow@gmail.com
• Listener hotline: 707-RANCH-20 (707-726-2420)
• Facebook: @RanchItUpShow

Stay ranchy, and Ranch It Up!