The cattle are out. The horses are loose. It’s all hands on deck trying to get them safely back in.

Bill Brown is just a farm kid trying to keep the cattle in. He grew up on 700 acres and 150 head of cattle in Northwest Iowa, and his wife Sue grew up on a dairy farm nearby.

Like countless other farm kids, they walked the fence lines to check if their electric fence was live. When the animals got out, it was like a fire drill — all hands on deck.

The task of checking their electric fences followed them into adulthood. When one of their horses got out and was hit by a car, after the initial shock wore off, Bill thought: There’s got to be a better way.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just look to see if the fence was hot?

In 2018, Bill and Sue founded Insulights, a company dedicated to keeping livestock and crops safe through their patented electric fence monitor. By simply looking down the fence line, the flashing indicator shows that the fence is live.

No walking the lines. No checking with pliers. It’s also designed as a wildlife deterrent, with blue plastic, a color known to deter deer, and red flashing light, which mimics a predator’s eyes at night.

Tested in the harsh Iowa weather, which can fall to -15 degrees in the winter and reach 120 degrees in the summers, Bill and Sue stand behind the Insulights electric fence monitor with a 1 year warranty and satisfaction guarantee.

Insulights can now be found on ranches, farms, and orchards in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and South Africa.