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RFID Tags

I think its a good idea. I have sold my calves with them for three years and tagged all my cows last year because it saves a lot of labor when we have to bleed them now. The paper work is easy and it doesn't cost that much.
 
If YOU can use it in YOUR operation, by all means go for it. As far as any value downstream, not so much. When I get cattle with them in I cut them out and through them in the wood stove. To me they are just ear tags I can't read.
 
As I put on BullSessions:
If this ID thing is so important- than it should be worth it to the buyers to pay more/premiums for them-- and I'm not seeing that happening- anyway in this area...
I've seen a lot of cattle sell this fall- with higher prices given to those with preconditioning shots and signed All Natural affidavits-- but not a penny more for tags...
In fact I've inspected 2 folks herds that were in past years using the ID tags- that this year aren't- and when I asked about it- said it wasn't worth the extra cost/time because they couldn't get anyone to pay any more for them...

We've used a ranch ID tag since the late 60's-(and tattoo the registered cattle) and probably kept as good of record system for 50+ years as most breed registries-- but so far around here the "One World Order Government sponsored" RFID stuff is "WORTHLESS"-- as No one has the readers- and no one is willing to pay extra- and the hot iron brands and hot iron brand inspection are still recognized as the only "legal" means of identification/proof of ownership/change of ownership...

Even tho it was again brought before the State Dept of Livestock board last month to recognize freeze brands- the state- and the state law still recognizes only hot iron brands and subsequent inspections....

Since the Z Tag folks offered their free samples on this site--and we tried their tags with the ranch name engraved- we have boughten and will use Z-Tags with the ranch name- as it is an instantaneous identification of where the cattle are from-- and its visibility in bulls and calves sold has been a selling advertisement...
BUT- why pay way more for the RFID tags- when so far they are worse than worthless :???:
 
MO STOCKER said:
If YOU can use it in YOUR operation, by all means go for it. As far as any value downstream, not so much. When I get cattle with them in I cut them out and through them in the wood stove. To me they are just ear tags I can't read.
Click to expand...

You would most likely go to jail for that here or pay a very hefty fine.. It is illegal to remove any traceback tag ,, especially a rfid tag ..
 
When RFID tags first came out I think they were promoted as if they were going to add value to cattle. Something along the order of the feeder or packer actually demanding those cattle more. For the most part this is false today and was false in the beginning. Feedlots typically manage cattle based on their own feedlot-assigned ear tag and lot number that they will place in the cattle when they arrive. (I'm talking about moderate to large feedlots that have to have a system, not the mom-and-pop guy that feeds two to five pens) The feedlot does not give a hoot about individiual animals except to identify the sick ones and to track withdrawal periods for treated animals at harvest time. If a rancher and a feeder are working together to collect down-stream data on a set of calves then the RFID will work nicely to track individual feedlot weights and carcass data. Many packing plants are equipped with RFID readers now and many feedlots are also. Once again, the usefulness is for the rancher to get the data back, not for the feeder or packer to somehow make more money on the cattle. So the mentality that an RFID tag will make calves sold off the ranch worth more money is a lost cause. I have dealt with multiple feedlots over the past 10 years and I've never had a manager tell me that they would pay more for calves with RFID.


After saying all of that, I am aware that some of the Age/Source verified programs that are offered by different companies require an RFID tag for participation. Obviously those cattle are worth more money because of the Age/Source component, so the RFID tag holds some real value there.
 
After saying all of that, I am aware that some of the Age/Source verified programs that are offered by different companies require an RFID tag for participation. Obviously those cattle are worth more money because of the Age/Source component, so the RFID tag holds some real value there.[/quote]



That is the program I sell my calves in. Just one more marketing tool that enables them to export the beef which in return increases demand and helps everyone get a better price.
 
I'm reminded of the old joke, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". I've helped several different people ship here lately and one man had his calves all tagged and when I asked about the benefits, he said they were going to a buyer who shipped to Japan. The other people I helped didn't use the RFID tags. Most of the cattle out of all of the different bunches were pretty much the same class and weight. Mr. RFID didn't get one cent more for his than the other people who didn't tag. I think its just another way for the government to get into our personal business. If the other countries don't want to buy our products, fine. Let's return the favor and tell them to sell their products elsewhere. We got along fairly well for a long time without globalization. I'm sick of the people in Washington telling me how to run my business. They don't listen to us. And I can't think of any of the DC folks who know shirt from wild honey about ranching for a living.
 
Once again, it's not the RFID that is worth the money. It's the ear tag that is compliant with the Age/Source verification process. Doesn't matter if it's an RFID or other tag. It just has to be compliant.

Nobody is forcing anyone to participate. If you don't want to mess with it, then don't. The Japanese can't import beef that isn't verified under 21 months of age and it has to be done through a USDA-verified program. Period. End of story. It's only worth about $25 to $50 per head between the packer and feeder transaction. Not everyone is adept at getting a piece of that pie between ranch and feedlot, nor is everyone interested. All fine and good. It's still a free country, for now...
 
High Plains said:
Once again, it's not the RFID that is worth the money. It's the ear tag that is compliant with the Age/Source verification process. Doesn't matter if it's an RFID or other tag. It just has to be compliant.

Nobody is forcing anyone to participate. If you don't want to mess with it, then don't. The Japanese can't import beef that isn't verified under 21 months of age and it has to be done through a USDA-verified program. Period. End of story. It's only worth about $25 to $50 per head between the packer and feeder transaction. Not everyone is adept at getting a piece of that pie between ranch and feedlot, nor is everyone interested. All fine and good. It's still a free country, for now...
Click to expand...

I agree High Plains, I use the RFID tags to be program compliant on Age/Source and NHTC programs. I'm not going to get rich on the deal but there's enough in it for me that its well worth it to do it.
 
I've put them in a couple times for the little duroc. He paid for the tags I did alot of paper work for no real price differance.
 
FYI - I posted this on another site Yesterday BUT it fits here also...


View from Across the Pond
By: John Strak
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Who moved my cheese?
(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the author.)
My training in management has been almost as bad as my training for life – definitely a "suck it up and see" approach. But one or two attempts to improve my way of thinking about management (and life) have made an impact on me.
One of them was the (now) famous book "Who Moved My Cheese?" about how to deal with change written by Spencer Johnson in 1998. That book is the best-selling business book of all time. It's sold over 23 million copies world-wide and has been translated into 42 languages.

I was reminded of the messages in this book in the last few weeks when reflecting on what was on show at SIAL – the biannual food exhibition in Paris that has just finished. The show had almost 6,000 exhibitors from 106 countries and around 140,000 professional visitors from almost every country in the world. It is a mega show and a true indicator of what is going in all aspects of the meat and food industry – if you have the energy to get round all the trade stands (and past the French strikers).

One of the most popular halls at SIAL is the Trends & Innovations Observatory. The products in this hall are selected by agribusiness and innovation experts and 400 products were displayed there. Amongst the 15 innovation award winners were; a microwaveable rice sandwich and Croque Monsieur, tea liqueurs, truffle caviar, vegetable biscuits, and meat marinades. But in these awards and the Sial d'Or awards there was hardly a mention of the red meat industry. I found this worrying and it brought me back to Spencer Johnson.

Johnson's message to businesses (and to individuals) was that change is something that we all have to accept and to react positively to when it occurs. That is often easier said than done but the "who moved my cheese?" story is enduring. My conclusion from SIAL 2010 is that the world's red meat industry needs to think a lot more about innovation and about who has moved the cheese and where it is moving to. If someone can think of a vegetable biscuit and get a prize for it where is the bacon or beef equivalent? For pork producers this question is especially relevant because they are increasingly faced with a straight fight with poultry products.

Spencer Johnson didn't quite say innovate or die. But if the cheese moves far enough and innovation doesn't occur it will be life threatening.
 

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