“I’m absolutely buzzing about what’s in that box…”

That’s how Chris Woodhead, better known online as The Super Serious Farmer, kicks off his new cattle tech. We’re happy to be working with Chris as he unboxes his new virtual fencing collars from Monil. Technology that lets him draw virtual fence boundaries and monitor his cattle.

No posts. No reels of electric wire. No wrestling with fencing around roads and public footpaths. Just a digital line on a screen, with little green dots to represent his cattle.

Chris farms on estate land that comes with its fair share of grazing challenges: awkward field shapes, public footpaths running through grazing areas, and sections that would be impractical (or expensive) to fence traditionally.

That’s where Monil Virtual Fencing collars come in. We’re incredibly happy to be working with Chris and seeing him thrive using the system.

How does the virtual fence actually work?

Chris couldn't have described it better.

You scan the collar into the app, name it based on ear tag ID (or any other nickname you fancy), fit the collar to the cow, draw the field boundary you desire, the collar syncs to the digital fence.

And…voilà.

When a cow approaches the invisible fence line, the collar emits a beeping sound that gets gradually louder as it nears. If the cow ignores the sound and steps through the boundary, a small electric pulse will be delivered.

Chris addresses the obvious concern straight away:

“It sounds bad that they’re wearing an electric collar, but this is only (one tenth*) of the shock they’d get off an electric fence.”

He also highlights something important: cows are intelligent animals and learn quickly. The goal of the Monil collar isn’t repeated shocks, it’s behavioural learning through sound cues.

Six days until the herd is trained to the virtual fence!

As Chris explains in the video:

“Within about a week, exactly as the Monil team predicted, the cows had worked it out. They genuinely don’t seem worried at all by it; they’re just as relaxed as they’ve always been… I’m honestly really impressed.”

A game changer for Chris

For Chris, Monil solves a real farming problem.

His new estate land includes unusual field layouts, public footpaths, and areas that would be extremely difficult to fence traditionally. Installing electric fencing across those sections would normally mean hours of work, materials, and ongoing maintenance.

With virtual fencing?

“Easy as that.”

Boundaries can be drawn or adjusted in seconds, opening up grazing areas that would otherwise remain unused.

Chris repping his Monil gear. A satisfied farmer, indeed!

The future of farming

For Chris, the Monil Virtual Fence system has quickly become a no-brainer.

He can now manage his herd anytime, anywhere. It has allowed him to graze more widely than if he had to continue with traditional electric fencing.

Monil isn’t designed to replace traditional farming practices. It’s about adding a new tool to the toolkit. One that is built to make farmers’ lives easier by saving time, reducing costs, and ultimately improving land management and livestock performance.

And in his own words:

“Genuinely really impressed with the system and it’s going to completely change our lives.”

Chris shows us how easy it really is.

Farming with people like Chris

We’re incredibly proud to work with a growing community of innovative farmers like Chris who are exploring new ways to manage livestock and land more efficiently.

If you’re wondering whether virtual fencing is worth the investment or whether it could work on your farm we’d love to talk.

Leave your details below and one of our team members will get in touch to discuss how Monil Virtual Fencing could work for your farm.