After you draw a virtual fence, Pasture.io instantly displays the area (ha / ac) on each side. For example, splitting a 5 ha paddock down the middle shows 2.5 ha on both sides—handy for setting up the physical fence.
Virtual fences—often called break fences, poly fences, or temporary fences—let you divide a paddock into fresh grazing blocks or back-fence previously grazed areas. We use the term virtual fence throughout Pasture.io.
1. Select the Map dropdown arrow. From the dropdown, click Overlays. From the Overlays dropdown, click on Virtual Fence.
2. Select the paddock where you intend your starting point to be.
3. Click the green button Select Paddock.
4. Click the + symbol to zoom in on the map. This will make it easier to see what you're drawing.
5. Click the zig-zag icon at the top of the map.
6. Click on the spot where your first virtual fence post is to be situated. This is represented by a white circle. Note: you can start and/or end finish the fence outside of the paddock without it affecting the area calculation.
7. Click on new spots as needed to place virtual fence posts. Here, I have done a single line across paddock LF. Once. I am shown that one side of the fence is 3.39ha and the other is 5.70ha.
8. Click on the hand icon at the top of the map if you need to navigate to other parts of the farm without placing virtual fence posts.
9. To delete posts or virtual fences, right-click the posts and then left-click the red cross. The numbers will disappear once you refresh the page.
Recap — working with virtual fences
1. Show or hide fences
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Go to Map ▸ Overlays ▸ Virtual Fence to toggle the overlay on or off.
2. Choose the paddock first
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Click the paddock you want, then hit Select Paddock. All add, edit, or delete actions apply only to the highlighted paddock.
3. Draw or adjust
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Use the zig-zag icon to place, move, or extend posts.
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Right-click a post and click the red cross to remove it; refresh to clear the area labels.
4. Check the area split instantly
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As you draw, Pasture.io recalculates the hectares/acres on each side so you know exactly how much feed you’re allocating before setting up the physical fence.