Electronic tagging gaining headway in the larger ranches

Marking livestock is not new in the United States. Electronic tagging, however, is a new concept.

Where old fashion brands identified the origin and ear tags added new information, electronic tagging allows access to age, disease history and more, tracking the animal from birth to destination.

“The ear tags do fall off,” said Jeff Elsen, a local rancher. “The implantation of a micro chip would be more effective.”

Small to medium livestock producers may not find electronic tagging cost effective but for livestock owners who want to sell their animals overseas this type of tagging is mandatory. Japan requires electronic tagging to show proof of age. Animals must be under the age of two years to limit incidents of mad cow disease.

“Livestock being shipped overseas must have both ear tags and a passport,” reported Dr. Dave Weiderspon of White Bluffs Veterinary Hospital. “If the livestock should lose one of the tags the animal can’t be used for human consumption.”

Electronic tagging can be lucrative in such cases. For Elsen the first two years brought him $20 to $50 extra, per head, thanks to the additional information embedded in the animal. His third year saw a drop, largely because the company he used for electronic tagging moved to Florida and the sale barn brought in fewer agents.

With the cost of each tag at $6 Elsen said, “The overall cost not worth the time.”

Still, such tagging could help keep the food chain clean and control disease by identifying infected animals and tracing their diet, route and areas of contact with other animals.

Mandatory electronic tagging could be on the horizon for ranchers and farmers in the U.S., under the National Animal Identification System. At the present time, however, it remains a voluntary program for those selling domestically.