Two Grazing Tools Ranchers Need to Know About
Discover how Ceres Tag and RangeView integrate to help ranchers increase profits because they are becoming better stewards of the land.
With cattle markets on the rise, many ranchers are culling more aggressively. Once the old, open and ornery cows are gone, the question becomes: Which cattle are truly weaning heavier calves on fewer resources?
Two technologies—RangeView by Envu and Ceres Tag—are working together to help ranchers answer that. Combined, they not only track individual animal intake on grazing cattle but also measure forage availability and pasture improvements.
“RangeView is a digital land management platform that is part of Envu’s range and pasture portfolio,” says Justin Hossfeld, national sales manager for range and pasture at Envu. “We can use RangeView to scout and create treatment plans for invasive species, monitor forage and build grazing plans, to name a few features. It’s like having another hired hand checking on the day-to-day details so you can focus on other areas of the ranch.”
Within RangeView, ranchers can also adapt grazing plans in real time. “You can make adjustments based on rainfall,” Hossfeld says. “This helps determine whether you need to move sooner, later or adjust based on percent utilization.”
That’s just the beginning. The data captured through Ceres Tag takes monitoring to the next level.
“Ceres Tag is the world’s first direct-to-satellite animal intelligence platform,” says Shane White, national sales manager for Ceres Tag. “These tags measure dry matter intake in forage settings and show where cattle spend their time grazing and resting.”
The solar-powered ear tag, which has been tested in research trials for more than 15 years worldwide, provides ranchers with near-real-time accuracy. “No one is going to say intake measurement is 100% accurate, but 90% accuracy is far better than assuming every 1,300-pound cow eats the same,” White says.
Location tracking is another advantage. “Peace of mind is a big benefit,” White says. “We no longer have to assume where cattle are on the mountain. High activity alerts can also notify you when cattle are under pressure, whether from predators or theft.”
Ceres Tag uses RangeView as its data hub, giving ranchers more than just intake and movement information. “Dashboards can include local weather, commodity markets and other key data alongside Ceres Tag information,” Hossfeld says. “RangeView brings your most important information together in one place.”
The synergy between these two tools ties land stewardship directly to profitability. “The primary return on investment comes from being better land stewards,” White says. “For years, we’ve used AUMs to estimate intake, but now we can measure the individual grazing cow.”
That data can also strengthen relationships with landowners by providing transparent reporting on forage utilization and grazing days. It can reduce input costs too. “If I take out a cow that eats for two but weans one calf and replace her with two efficient cows, I’ve just created an additional $2,000 calf on the same resources,” White says.
RangeView complements that by integrating other features. “Ranchers like having everything in one place,” Hossfeld says. “Whether you’re checking weather, markets, water systems or forage utilization, it’s all there.”
Still, both White and Hossfeld stress that technology should support—not overwhelm—ranchers. “Technology should work for you. You shouldn’t work for it,” Hossfeld says. “I know it seems intimidating, but embrace it because you need it.”
White agrees. “When ranchers start seeing the animal-level data, they’ll wonder how they operated without it.”
Their advice? Start small. Test the tools. Learn how they fit your operation. As White sums it up: “The technology might feel intimidating at first, but once ranchers see the decision-making power behind it, the benefits become clear.”
