Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Dickinson research center analyzes livestock ID tags

Dickinson research center analyzes livestock ID tags

Chad Smith, left, a research specialist at the Dickinson Research Extension Center attaches a high frequency identification tag to a cow while Garry Ottmar reads the low frequency tag, which was put on a month ago, during a field test Nov. 8, 2007, at Stockmens Livestock Exchange in Dickinson. (AP Photo/The Dickinson Press, Stefanie Briggs)

Nov 20, 2007 - 04:03:46 CST

DICKINSON (AP) - Researchers have been testing radio identification tags on cattle, to see which frequencies work best.

"Other research centers and agencies are studying different frequencies, and we are in the position as one of the leads at this point," said Mick Riesinger, a livestock and biosecurity specialist at the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Center.

The animal ID system is aimed at protecting against the spread of disease.

Larry Schnell, an owner of the Stockmen's Livestock Exchange in Dickinson, said the program, though not mandatory, is not popular with cattle producers.

"It's a pain and fairly expensive - and the cost is all on the producer," Schnell said. "It's just another job they have to do."

Riesinger tells ranchers that the goal is to track only the origin of the animal.

"All we're doing is tracking the animal ID for animal health," Riesinger said.

The low frequency ID tag does not register far, with a reading distance from 3 inches to 3 feet, he said.

"For low frequency tags, the animals have to be moved individually and restrained to get a 100 percent reading," Riesinger said. "The high frequency allows you to read at a distance from 6 feet to 20 feet away."

The high frequency tags were tested on animals in 10 different lots, with anywhere from two to 62 animals in each lot.

"We averaged .338 seconds per lot per reading," Riesinger said.

The tags used now are prototypes that are big and awkward, he said.

"What we were trying to do is take that tag and build it up to being a smaller tag," Riesinger said.

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Comments

Abigail wrote on Nov 20, 2007 5:39 PM:

" "Riesinger tells ranchers that the goal is to track only the origin of the animal." is incorrect. The NAIS will track animals through its lifetime via databases that contain information regarding premises identification, dates of sighting, movement–in, movement–out, etc. The entire system is clearly being set up to track commingling, not merely the origin of the animal. "

Henwhisperer wrote on Nov 20, 2007 10:56 AM:

" "The animal ID system is aimed at protecting against the spread of disease." I surely wish this bs would stop. NAIS is not anything about protecting disease. How could it when an ear tag isn't going to stop any disease and the USDA is allowing imports of beef over 30 months into this country without any sort of inspection. How many times do you all have to keep repeating the lie? If anyone would take the time to read the User's Guide or any other of the documents you'd learn the real plan, which is to make NAIS mandatory. Educate yourselves for crying out loud before we end up with a system of errors like they have in Australia. NoNAIS.org is the best place to start. "

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