Tag ... you’re it (in national i.d. system)
Extension assisting with state’s pilot project

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

Blake Fisher checks a newly-placed electronic ear tag placed in one of the milk cows at the family’s farm. Dr. Michael Tomaszewski (right), Extension dairy specialist, uses a wand device to “read” the number which will be used for more accurate farm records as well as placed into the National Animal Identification System. -- Staff photo by Cope

Oct. 13, 2005 - Dairy cattle at Fisher Farms in Northeast Texas are now among the few U.S. cattle equipped to be tracked in the National Animal Identification System.

Dr. Michael Tomaszewski, Texas Cooperative Extension dairy specialist, brought a variety of ear tags, plus reader wands, to Bryant Fisher’s dairy in southern Hopkins County on Oct. 4 as part of a NAIS pilot project. The milking herd, plus heifers, were tagged, scanned, and computerized.

�I think it�s a great opportunity to expand on what I�m already doing (with computerized records), and it�s something the government is going to mandate,� Fisher said about the pilot project for NAIS.

The NAIS has been under development for several years, with input from nearly 70 federal and state animal health agencies and livestock industry associations. The goal of the system is to track livestock and poultry during an animal disease investigation or when an animal health emergency occurs, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC).

In July, TAHC went from “drawing board to field conditions” for testing components of NAIS. Using U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperative agreement funding, TAHC awarded contracts to four manufacturers of radio frequency ear tags (RFID), five makers of tag “reader” devices, four computer software providers and a data trustee to maintain the computer records.

TAHC has put a few field trials, or pilot projects, in place within the state’s livestock sectors: livestock marketing sale facilities, order buyers, processing plants, and feedlots.

Tomaszewski has already conducted the tagging-scanning-computerizing sessions at five Texas dairies, or some 1,200 head of dairy cattle; and more are scheduled. The goal is to have 15,000 head in the pilot project by December.

�He�s doing a great job with it, and is well qualified to do it,� noted TAHC Kenny Edgar, animal identification coordinator, about Tomaszewski�s efforts with the pilot project.

At Fisher’s dairy on Oct. 4, each cow was caught in a head gate after the morning milking. Bryant’s son, Blake, had the tagging duties, switching between the varied tags provided by the companies. Tomaszewski then stepped forward, waved a reader wand near the cow’s newly-tagged ear, and her identification number came onto the Palm Pilot (pocket PC) held by Tomaszewski. He then keyed in her ear tag number, previously assigned to her by Fisher for his records. The Palm Pilot, which Tomaszewski was using, already had the dairy’s records downloaded onto it.

�How close do you have to get the reader to the tag?� asked Hopkins County Extension Agent Larry Spradlin, who was there to watch the process.

�About six to 12 inches,� Tomaszewski answered. And, he noted, he�s finding a varied range of reading capability from the readers, tags, etc., during this pilot project.

When Tomaszewski tried to key in a cow’s previously-assigned ear tag number, to coincide with her new NAIS number, the Palm Pilot issued a series of beeps. Seems the cow had recently graduated from springing heifer to the milking parlor, so her number wasn’t yet in Fisher’s computerized milk herd information.

�See, that�s good information to know,� Tomaszewski said, �and that the system caught the discrepancy.�

Fisher already uses dairy farm software to manage his herd’s performance, but having the cattle tagged with the electronic device ensures accuracy.

�When we are testing, we can be more accurate,� Fisher said. �We don�t have to worry about missing her ear tag number, or getting it wrong, because of the way this system works.�

�Or we don�t have to try and figure out the number the tester wrote down,� Blake added.

Utilizing the wand to read the cow’s electronic i.d. tag ensures accuracy for the farmer. “How much does it cost to cull the wrong cow,” Tomaszewski answered to the cost of the devices.

Devices used in the pilot project vary. Ear tags are $1 to $2.50 each; the reader wand ranges from $700 to $1,200; and a Palm Pilot is about $300.

�Most dairies already have computerized records,� Tomaszewski said, so the software expense is already incurred.

The dairy specialist said the complete process – from cow to national database – for the NAIS has been completed through the dairy pilot project in Texas. There’s been no serious glitches, yet; but that’s what the pilot project will determine and allow opportunity for correction.

�What if a cow loses an ear tag?� Blake queried.

Tomaszewski said the cow would likely be given a new identification tag and number, but the details of that have not been determined, but the pilot project is working on that.

Included with the NAIS is the plan that farms have a premises identification number by January 2008. Farms can register with TAHC (800-550-8242) for that number. The premise identification number will be listed on a database, managed by each state, and will be accessible only by animal health officials.

Any Texas dairy interested in participating in the pilot project can contact Tomaszewski (979-845-5709). The Extension dairy specialist can show dairymen how the system works “right on the farm,” he said. “You’ll be using the technology to do what you’re going to do any way.”

�This is a great opportunity to do what the customer wants ... and ultimately it pays the bills,� Fisher concluded.