FARM
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44 •
if not decades. In 2003, a disease
known as bovine spongiform encepha-
lopathy, or more commonly known as
mad cow disease, was discovered in a
dairy cow in Washington State. It took
13 days to trace the cow back to a farm
in Canada. Today, RFID technology can
trace the origin of an animal in hours,
not days.
Until recently, the computer software
aligned with RFID tags was complicated.
But, changes in technology, including
tablets and smartphones, have made that
software much more user friendly.
It is not clear if the U.S. government will
make RFID technology mandatory again
but, according to Blampied, the benefits
of this technology are making it more and
more attractive to ranchers.
"The management of data on a ranch
will become much more prevalent in the
future, because RFID makes that possi-
ble," he said. "Having that information
can make ranchers much more profitable
and saving money is what makes RFID
technology so attractive."
F
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Todd Klassy is an agriculture
photographer from Havre,
Montana. He specializes in farm
and ranch photography and
making travel related photos of
the state of Montana. His photos
have been published by American
Cowboy, People, Popular Photography, Sports
Illustrated, Western Horseman and many others.
Louis Dubs opening the hydraulic chute door on his ranch near Bridger, Montana.
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406.231.5114
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406.350.5218
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406.734.5446
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