Working Ranch Magazine - Index

Working Ranch Magazine - magazine - Index

emphasizes, “Use the same brand of
applicator as brand of tags.” Other tips
he suggests: use the correct buttons
(male stems) for 2-piece tags, disinfect
tags before applying and apply the tag
in the correct ear location. “Spending
an extra two minutes to read directions
for proper placement and application
can save potential labor and
frustration down the road,” he adds.
READABILITY
In regards to readability, Rainey considers
custom-marked tags to be the
best. Several companies offer permanent
laser and laser-ink markings good
for the life of the animal.
Custom-markings allow tags to carry
more management information.
Livestock ID companies can tailor tags
to producer needs and many can custom
mark numbers, letter-number combinations,
brands and other images, and
do reverse-side markings. The amount
of management information desired
can often determine the size of tag to
order for readability purposes.
Sequentially pre-numbered tags and
blank tags on which producers can
handwrite numbers can also be found
at livestock supply stores. And with the
emergence of RFID (radio frequency
identification), ID companies have also
come out with visual-electronic ID
(EID) tag sets. These sets allow producers
to easily keep track of both the EID
15-digit number and the in-herd management
number, with or without an
electronic reader.
Rainey advises producers who
already have visual tag systems in
place to use EID tags as add-on tools.
This is the
recommended
placement for
visual and
electronic ID
tags. Proper
placement is
critical for
maximum
retention and
readability.
EID tag placement
is recommended
in
the left ear.
Together the tags can complement
each other, working
both visually and electronically
for enhanced
record-keeping ease, specifically
when it comes to
source and age-verification
programs. Furthermore, in
the event an animal does
lose a plastic ear tag, electronic
tags can serve as a
back-up ID, as can hot iron
brands, freeze brands and
tattoos.
NEXT STEP…
FIGURE OUT A
NUMBERING SYSTEM
Various numbering systems
can be used on visual
ear tags, but the best are
simple to use and understand.
One example utilizes
a three-digit number for
each animal. The first number
represents the year of
birth; the remaining numbers
represent the individual
animal’s own number.
This is the system that
producers Jimmy and Kenny Thomas
use on their commercial Angus females
near Homedale, Idaho. This father and
son produce for the Certified Angus
Beef® (CAB) brand, and herd identification
helps them track genetic progress,
especially on the carcass end.
Red and green tags help Jimmy and
Kenny tell their cattle apart. Under
their ID system, heifer calves are tagged
in the left ear; bulls are tagged in the
right ear and banded. All calves carry
This is an example of a two-piece program tag.
AngusSource is a USDA Process Verified Program (PVP).
Producers who enroll cattle in the program have the option
to purchase visual ear tags with customized in-herd management
numbers or matched-pair sets that include both
visual and electronic ear tags.
COURTESY OF ANGUSSOURCE
their mother’s number. A heifer calf
receives her own permanent three-digit
number when she is confirmed pregnant.
As a second form of ID, every
breeding female is also freeze branded.
TRACK HERD PROGRESS
The Thomas’ retain ownership and
feed their own steers and open heifers.
Their calves are enrolled in
AngusSource®, and also wear a USDA
Process Verified Program (PVP) ear tag.
Both the feedlot and packing plant
use the AngusSource tag for tracking
purposes. Jimmy and Kenny record
the AngusSource tags, and are able to
cross reference these numbers to their
in-herd numbers in order to analyze
individual carcass data. The Thomas
calves averaged 62% CAB-acceptance
in 2007, and made $83 per head.
“It’s real interesting to be able to
look back at the calves, see how they
graded and what cow they were out
of,” Jimmy says. “We can check our
first-calf heifers because we know
what bulls they were bred to. There
wouldn’t be any way for us to track
those first-calf heifers if we didn’t
have them tagged that way.”
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008 | WORKING RANCH | 37