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Landline
TV series · documentary · 55 min episodes · 1 season
Landline is an Australian national rural issues television program broadcast on ABC1. Presented by Pip Courtney, the program discusses rural issues regarding farming, mining and fisheries from around Australia. Each week the show wraps up with an update on commodity prices for livestock and mining, and detailed national weather rainfall reports. The program premiered on Sunday 2 February 1992 at 12:00 pm and has remained in that timeslot throughout its entire run. The program is also repeated the following Monday at 11:00 am. Landline was the first program that broadcast on ABC2 when the channel was launched at 6.35 am on 7 March 2005. On the newly launched channel, the program is broadcast on Mondays at 6:25 am, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 9:15 pm. Previous presenters include Deborah Knight, Ticky Fullerton, Anne Kruger and Sally Sara.
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It's staged shocking also - cows first hear beeping / buzzing, followed by mild shocking - less than a regular electric fence, then a greater shock.
It also reduces physical fencing costs and adds the ability to herd by "moving" the virtual boundaries so that cows can be moved from pasture to pasture.
There's more on this on Landline
* https://www.thetvdb.com/series/landline/episodes/11325308
* https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/programs/landline/2025-09-26/fenceless-farming:-managing-cattle-with-virtual/105827982
The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Australia) is still reserving judgement on this, so far in seems that in "normal operation" animals recieve less shocking than with trad roll out electric fence lines (which are mostly a visual bright white tape cue that often are unpowered once animals "learn") .. BUT there's also a question of "how bad can this get in fail conditions".
Solar farms, in Australia at least, work both as providers of solar power and as "better than an empty paddock" livestock and feed farms.
Solar panels provide shade, retain soil moisture better, and grow better feed crops for sheep and other animals to graze on while acting as living lawn mowers.
(2022) Solar farm trial shows improved fleece on merino sheep grazed under panels - https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-05-30/solar-farm-grazing-sheep-agriculture-renewable-energy-review/101097364
and more recently
(2025) Landline: Episodes 17 & 18, June 8th & 15th
https://www.thetvdb.com/series/landline/episodes/11160565 https://www.thetvdb.com/series/landline/episodes/11160566
https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2404Q017S00 https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2404Q018S00
ie. In actual practice they're very much the opposite of "ineffcient".