Farm406

• 43 FARM 406 resistance is under dosing." RFID technology operates wirelessly and has three essential components: a tag (which consists of a microchip and hidden radio antenna), a reader, and a computer. Wireless readers quickly identify and track tags attached to objects. The tags contain an electronically stored ID number and can store additional information as well. Low frequency passive tags, which are the most common RFID tags currently in use in the cattle industry, will collect en- ergy from a nearby RFID reader or wand. Because of this, their cost is relatively low—usually only $1.50 to $3.00 each. High frequency active tags use a local power source (such as a small battery) and may operate dozens of yards away from the RFID reader. Currently, high frequency tags are not used as much in the cattle industry, but some are experimenting with them. In Canada, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is finding exciting new uses for high frequency RFID tags. When it comes time to brand calves in the spring, it is not uncommon to come up a few animals short when rounding up the herd. That cow and calf could be hidden in any coulee on a 2000-acre pasture and it might take a long time to find them on horseback. High frequency RFID tags allow ranchers to launch a drone, equipped with a RFID reader, to quickly find the pair. That same drone technology could also be used during calving season. Imag- ine programming your drone to find cow number 4793 who, according to records, is due to calve that night. A drone, with an RFID reader and infrared camera, could easily find that cow, monitor its status, and beam infrared video back to your computer, tablet, or smart phone while you watch from the comfort and warmth of your home. The read rate for low frequency tags isn't as efficient because they must be read one at a time. Multiple numbers of high frequency tags, however, can be read simultaneously. A herd of cattle entering or leaving a corral wearing high frequency tags can be inventoried quick- ly, thus removing the need for guess work when counting heads. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed requiring electronic tags for all cattle by 2006, but many ranchers resisted. Small ranchers said the requirement was too expensive and large ranchers, who have a long histo- ry of being independent, saw the proposal as being too intrusive. As a result, the proposal died even though the electronic tracking of beef cattle had been required in places like Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil for many years. Similarly, electronic tracking for sheep is required in Europe and Canada. According to those working with RFID technology behind the scenes, however, attitudes are changing. Ranchers are slowly embracing RFID technology because of the cost savings and, in addition to saving money on vaccines, ranchers are using the technol- ogy to cull certain animals from their herd sooner, a money saver as well. Louis Dubs, a rancher near Bridger, Montana said that weighing animals, recording that information, and then analyzing it improves your bottom line. I can easily tell which animals are performing and which animals are not, " Dubs said. "And, information is valuable, especially in ranching. With it, I can change breeding programs and remove certain animals that are under performing." Ranchers are also adopting RFID technology is due to changes in the marketplace. Recent studies have shown that millennials, for example, are willing to pay much more for sustainable, better quality food. RFID technology in New Zealand allows consumers to know the back-story about where a steak came from. Millennials are the first generation willing to consciously spend more money for better quality, for sustainability, and for traceability. Restaurants and grocery stores are willing to pay ranchers extra for that information. RFID technology makes that possible. Ranchers are also realizing that RFID technology can help isolate the outbreak of disease, which could poten- tially cripple an industry for years, Ear tags with a RFID sensor waiting to be added to beef cattle n the La Cense Montana Ranch.

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