Until the USDA mandates a individual ID program( it appears that is going to happen on Jan 1, 2009) ********so are you going to wait till the LAST minute or the last week,Month,Year or Decade ,Cattleco
their is no value in putting an RFID tag on a calf you are going to market as a feeder. *******I see that the sale markets,feeders and packers have made a move to pay higher prices for source verified cattle with shot and health records .
****If you retain ownership all they way to the kill floor then RFID is a must.Why then,how do you know?
A good visual tag and a good set of records that you can print out or transfer via e-mail is all you need at this time.*********Before I got started with this new system I have,I lost a email of records to a virus worm and it wiped out 4 years of hard work.
You are not going to get paid for the RFID tag at the auction this fall. ********I did last fall and the buyers have allready said they want more of the same.
You will get paid for tagged calves with documented records of source and age.******I agree,and our Michigan cattle where we live have to have RFID tags right to the Auction because of our TB problem in deer.
I would use my veternarian as a third party verifier.******* yup,Our county agents do the same thing.
On another note, a ring full of calves with many different tags and colors really looks bad. *******Then they probably came from a cow jockey.
A set of calves with visual tags all the same type and color makes the group look even.******** I use boluses as they never get lost and I don't have to ever replace them. I Still say that calves with RFID and records in our area bring an extra $9.00 for every $1.00 invested in recordkeeping . I keep these same records with the following requirements too. The cattle have not been:
A. Fed or injected with any antibiotics or ingredients containing possible antibiotic residues.
B. Fed any antibiotic ionophores.
C. Implanted with or fed any synthetic hormones, growth promotants or steroids of any kind.
D. Fed any feed containing protein derived from mammalian tissue.
All my records are in www.scoringag.com as it does the whole works from field to fork.