RFID systems

[joe]

Just wondering if anyone has implemented the new RFID programs, as far as tagging, and computer programs, scanners, and so on. Any pros and cons?

 

[Scotty]

Sort of the same I guesse. This is what is required for the sale I sell my cattle at.


Premium Weaned Calf Sales

Allflex EID
The Allflex Electronic Identification System incorporates the most highly utilized Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) System in the world - the TIRIS system by Texas Instruments. The TIRIS system has become a worldwide standard through its widespread use in such diversified systems as automotive security, industrial asset tracking, and transportation. In addition, Allflex/TIRIS technology has been used on more than one million livestock production animals.


800-989-TAGS

 

[Scotty]

Oh ya, pros and cons. Con 1 just another tag to put in, a little more stress to the calve.


Scotty

 

[Dee]

Scotty, that is quite a program your sale barn has. Wish there was something here like that. Some sale barns have a special pre-conditioned sale, where you take your cattle in HOPES they bring more than the guy who just pulled them off the cow and sent 'em to town.

I got a cheap-o "cattle smart" software program, for $30. It's $30 worth and that's about it, but it beats the mess my spreadsheet was becoming. By weaning time I hope to have the BoviTrak system in place. That is from Beef Concepts. I spoke to Mark Schoenfeldt (sp), he came to the place looked at what I had for a computer program, working facilities, scale head, and cattle groups, as far as what I wanted to record info on. He then suggested the type of reader that will work best for me for my cattle chute. At weaning time when I will be tagging the calves and recording info him and another person will come out, and help me work my cattle, tag, record info, etc. So the tech support, or customer service is good. It is rather spendy, but another one of those things that you hope will pay off at sale time. Mark's # is 1-800-504-4562
You can check out the web site at http://www.beefconcepts.com
They will enter your animal data for you if you do not want to purchase the program, and you can lease the readers by day, week, or month, if you do not want to purchase the equipment also. You can get feedlot and carcass data back on your animals for a fee also. He was a nice and patient man, which helps since this RFID thing is as clear as mud to me!

 

[Scotty]

That is the reason why I dont buy many calves out of the everyday sales. Usually I think if the calve is big it is a safer bet but not always. A freind of mine baught a big calve and it died three weeks later of blk leg. he vac. all his cattle but now probly has it on his place for good. I read an article about preconed calves in Drovers. I think it was this months issue. It had some good stats. on calves that were preconed vs non preconed. Definetly worht the extra money in the long run to buy the ones that are worked.



Scotty

 

[buckaroo_bif]

preconed scotty?
as in preconditioned you mean?
what has anyone heard about rfid implants? anything good?

 

[Craig-TX]

I know a man who is pretty involved in some of the early testing. He tells me the technology is working very well but the general concept has a major problem… resistance from certain breeders. A fair number of folks don’t like the idea of nailing hard numbers down on specific animals. It seems that they are worried about the results being out there for everybody to see. Kind of like it was back in the day, there were always a few young men who would strut and talk tough but when it got down to the lick log they were never available to back up their mouth. Ha.

Craig-TX

 

[joe]

At the sale barn a few months ago, an older man said he wasn't getting a premisis id, or RFID ing his cattle because the government would be able to use computers to know where his cattle were and how many he had. I like to think that the government has bigger things to concern themselves with other than where Bud's cattle are grazing at today!

 

[Scotty]

preconed scotty?
as in preconditioned you mean?
what has anyone heard about rfid implants? anything good?

Hear they aren't as reliable as a tag. When I wean I keep the cows next door, calves in a lot that they can't get out of. The basics of water mineral and such. Usually keep them on the creep feed they were eating in the field. Start to switch over to a different ration wiht each days feeding. After a week the cows are gone and the calves start forgetting about them. By week two the hard part is over. I found this was easier on my fences.


Scotty

 

[buckaroo_bif]

preconed scotty?
as in preconditioned you mean?
what has anyone heard about rfid implants? anything good?

Hear they aren't as reliable as a tag. When I wean I keep the cows next door, calves in a lot that they can't get out of. The basics of water mineral and such. Usually keep them on the creep feed they were eating in the field. Start to switch over to a different ration wiht each days feeding. After a week the cows are gone and the calves start forgetting about them. By week two the hard part is over. I found this was easier on my fences.


Scotty

i have heard of fenceline weaning. we're not really set up for it now but hope to in the future. our calves are weaned in october. after a couple of weeks in the pens they go on wheat pasture till early march.
i don't believe in sale barn weaning , or cattle truck weaning like a lot of guys do. even if'n we didn't have wheat pasture i'd have them preconditioned before selling them.
bif

 

[Craig-TX]

From the looks of the other posts I might have been slightly out of context. I was referring to the experimental systems where specific animals are RF tagged and automatically tracked on exactly how much feed each discrete animal eats, then measured by animal to determine how efficiently they convert.

Craig-TX