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RFID Tags

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I'm sorry to drop the ball here! It's just that I'm apparently a dolt! I keep seeing this topic come up and it looks like the reply to my post was the last one....then I saw the page 2 icon at the bottom of page 1 and...duh!

Maybe I can answer the questions that Traveler asked.

Speed: We can run cattle through a pretty simple overhead "gate" that can be as wide as 16' (widest I ever did) as fast as they can run and we might miss one out of fifty to a hundred. I've done that dozens of times from California to Pennsylvania and in Alberta and it took no more than 45 minutes to set it up. If someone can tell me how to upload a video I'll happily do that.

Information: That really depends on the producer. I had asked the software guys to set it all up on a permission basis. Lots of ranchers don't want their personal info going to the world so they could share what they wanted, whether it was just the tag number ranging right through to vaccinations, treatments, etc. All was supposed to be in their control. In terms of what they got back, the database was supposed to be "open" on the way back so that when the animal was slaughtered the information would be available without having to wait for a disk or excel file that the producer may or may not be good with. It was all supposed to go into a web-based secure database. The idea was to charge a TINY amount to each organization in the chain so that they could share what they wanted or needed. So, a producer might get charged for the tag, the trucker might pay a nickel/hd., the market another dime, the feedyard pays a dime, and so forth.

However, I had a senior VP from one of the largest feedyard outfits in the country tell me that his company would happily buy all the tags for the producers IF they knew that they could get their cattle into their yards. It's ALL about data for them. Knowing breed (not just color), birth date, health information, etc. Actually knowing it, not just what (some) people fabricate could change their whole operation. Right now they have to manage to the lowest common denominator - with accurate info they can do a much better job.

All the yards I knew were happy to share the performance data back to the producer though they knew it might cost them a bit more for their calves if the producer knew how well they did. The current system really, truly doesn't give the yards much information on what purchase group does very well because few are individually identified. Anyway, I'm probably off track, but hope that helps.

I'll summarize by saying this: though I have huge concerns (and a way around them) with the government knowing all the details on all the cattle in our countries having individual ID and a data stream that works properly could be a huge benefit to ALL producers at all stages of our industry who are really interested in improvement. There is a way to provide full, instant data transparency without a central database, but that's a topic for another day.
 
Angus 62 is right, by the way, all feedyards cut the ranch tags out of the calves at processing. The only exception is program cattle where there is documentation attached to the tag like vaccinations. The reason is always "we've got no reason to keep it in. We'll put our colored lot tag in so at least we a group ID."
 
RSL makes some great points.

The tags and readers I worked with could read from big distances, but the have a focal point so with experience you can actually focus them so you aren't reading every calf in an alley. To be honest, you don't need a big read range in an single file alley unless the cattle are really moving (rarely the case on a ranch).

I could see a couple of great uses on the ranch. First, we found a couple of really light antennas that I wanted to be able to "mount" on either post each side of a gate so that when you were moving a herd through you could get an accurate count of cows and calves and identify pairs. Course you need to have tags in to do that and a lot of big outfits don't tag at birth, but you'd at least have a count.

Another use is for big country. Just before a gather you can mount an antenna at all your water tanks (cause there are never enough tanks) in the pasture and then read who's been there within the last 24 hours (or whatever you choose). Then you have a decent idea of how many you're looking for in each area. Not perfect but a whole lot cheaper than the GPS systems at this point.

Finally, I like the idea of being able to go into my records system and create a list of potential replacement heifers based on momma's past performance (weaning weight, health, her own scores for udder, disposition, etc) and then get in an alley, have the heifers drift (wouldn't that be nice) past my reader, and if she's a potential keeper I can take a look to see if she's as good as the numbers suggest and either keep her or send her past. That way I'm making a quick informed decision without having to check a paper list every time one howls past me in the alley or as I'm wandering through the heifers in a pen.

There are tons of uses for feedlots, but those are the only "on ranch" things I've really come up with. Anything else kind of overlaps into the feedlot functions.

I'll shut up now.
 
In the USA, any sheep over a year old that leaves the ranch needs an ear tag with premise number. I know because I had some ewes on a mixed truckload that made it to the slaughter plant, and a couple didn't have the tags in them and weeks later a USDA dick was drilling me.....in person...
 
I've been a believer in having a tracking system in place since it came into being after the first BSE case we had up here. I don't think that what we have is foolproof or that it cannot be improved on, but I am pretty certain that having this system in place is the reason we saw $1500 + calves the last couple years and the reason we once again have foreign markets. I would really hate to go back about 12 years and be getting billed for selling cattle that didn't pay the fees at the stockyards...

I won't say that every animal on the place has a RFID tag at the moment, but it would be pretty close to all of them. There may be a few older cows that haven't been tagged yet, and the odd one that has lost one. Tag retention I think is pretty good, IF you tag them properly. We tag ALL of our calves at birth, I think last fall out of 150 calve we had 2 that had lost their tags. I don't think that's too bad.

Around our place we've found 2 main reasons that tags get lost. 1. the tag wasn't placed deeply enough in the ear and 2. Twine. Both are a rarity here. 1. I don't care to spend a whole lot of money on tags, so it only makes sense to do the job right in the first place and 2. refer back to #1. And I hate leaving twine laying around, loose twine makes for more problems than just lost ear tags...

Also, we use the RFID # as a backup to an animals herd management tag. Since they are required if you are going to sell an animal, we have gone to tagging every calf, and recording the RFID # of every animal we bring in. I've always had a backup ID, and these server the purpose quite well.

As far as the original posters post, I have not heard anything about having to record animal movements. We are required to have them tagged if they are going to the vet, fair or stockyards, but we can move them between pastures without tags, if we want.
 
randiliana, I agree with you. We tag everything at birth, and brand everything. Both have their usefulness and purpose, which I believe, will only grow over time and benefit all segments of the cattle/beef business, including the consumer. Those who take care of cattle properly, for sure will benefit. And many who currently don't do much to benefit those up the line will be differentiated from those of us who do, to our benefit one way or another, imo.

mrj
 

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