Subscribe & Save 5% Storewide + Free Item with Every Order of $175+!

Halter Collars

written by

Liz Cunningham

posted on

July 16, 2025

Imagine the American West before fences. Endless grasslands stretched to the horizon, wide open and free. Livestock moved with the rhythm of the land, guided by skilled herders who understood how to work with nature—not against it. There were no steel posts, no wires, no grids—just animals, people, and a shared understanding of movement and timing.

This was the original way of livestock management: intentional, responsive, and deeply in tune with the land. Fences, as we know them, are a relatively modern invention—useful, yes, but they’ve also made us more stationary and more separated from that old rhythm.

At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we’ve found a way to return to those roots—while stepping into the future. We're excited to announce that we’re implementing virtual fencing through a company called Halter.

Using GPS-enabled collars and gentle cues, Halter allows us to move animals exactly where we want them—no wire, no posts, no daily labor of setting up temporary fencing. Instead, we can offer fresh pasture every single day, ensuring the herd always has access to the cleanest, most nutrient-rich feed available.

This also means animals no longer backtrack over soiled ground, which improves animal health, grazing efficiency, and soil vitality. What once took hours of manual fencing can now be done with a tap of a screen—giving us more time to focus on care, stewardship, and improving the land.

See video of us putting collars on our cattle here<<<<

Here’s what this means for you:

  • Fresher feed = healthier animals and better quality meat.
  • Daily movement mimics natural grazing, regenerating the land.
  • Less stress, better welfare for the animals.
  • Greater flexibility to adapt to weather, pasture conditions, and herd needs.

This is a new chapter for us, and we’re excited to see where it leads. We’ll be learning as we go—and we’ll keep you updated as this journey with virtual fencing unfolds.

More from the blog

More on the Big Four: JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef

🧩 “Who Controls Your Beef?” 🥩 The Big Four: 85% of America’s Beef Controlled by 4 Companies 💬 “When just four companies process most of the beef in our country, we don’t just lose competition — we lose connection.” — Liz Cunningham Panel 1: The Players ProcessorOwnership% of MarketKnown ForJBS USABrazil (JBS S.A.)~25%Largest meat processor in the world; ransomware attack 2021 shut down 20% of U.S. meat supplyTyson FoodsU.S.~22%COVID shutdowns led to mass cattle backlogs; ongoing price-fixing litigationCargill Meat SolutionsU.S.~22%Commodity-driven global agribusiness; joint settlements for antitrust violationsNational Beef (Marfrig Global Foods)Brazil~18%Foreign-owned; major importer/exporter balancing U.S. beef and South American supply 📊 Together: 85–87% of all beef processed in the United States Panel 2: The Hidden Costs 💵 Price Control: Coordinated market behavior drives rancher profits down and retail prices up. 🥩 Supply Risk: When one major plant shuts down — like JBS in 2021 — U.S. beef supply can drop 20% overnight. 🌎 Foreign Influence: Two of the four are Brazilian-owned, meaning U.S. beef production decisions are made overseas. 🐄 Lost Independence: Family ranchers can’t compete with massive volume pricing. Processing access becomes bottlenecked. Panel 3: The COVID Reality Check 🚫 Plant shutdowns → millions of pounds of cattle euthanized 🍽️ Empty grocery shelves → record-high prices 🤝 Small processors couldn’t expand due to USDA red tape “It’s not the cow. It’s the how. Our food system isn’t broken — it’s bottlenecked.” — Liz Cunningham Panel 4: What We’re Doing Differently At Cunningham Ranch & Northwest Premium Meats: Locally processed beef from Jordan Valley, Oregon/Treasure Valley, Idaho USDA inspected, small-batch handled Full traceability from pasture to plate  Dollars stay local — supporting Northwest families - Cliff's Country Market is now the home of Cunningham Pastured Meats💚 Food You Can Trust — From Families Who Care Panel 5: What You Can Do 🛒 Buy Local Beef — direct from ranchers and small butchers and locally owned family markets like Cliff's Country Market in Caldwell, ID 🗣️ Ask Questions — know who raised and processed your meat 🤝 Support Legislation — like the PRIME Act that gives small processors freedom 🍽️ Share the Story — because change starts around the dinner table 📍 Learn More at CunninghamPasturedMeats.com

More on How Grazing Got Complicated- it's a "heated" debate

🌾 How Grazing Got Complicated Back in the early 1900s, before federal oversight, ranchers and homesteaders often clashed over access to grazing land. By the 1930s, the BLM was formed to manage who could graze and where. Then came the 1960s — and with it, new fencing requirements, reduced grazing allotments (AUMs, or Animal Unit Months), and tighter federal restrictions. But, this isn't just a difference of opinion, this becomes a "heated" debate when fires are not well managed and threaten our lands and the solution is rooted in good stewardship of the land as nature intended.

Boise's #1 source for 100% Grassfed beef & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild-caught seafood