Welcome to the Drovers Animal Identification Resource Center, sponsored by Tri-Merit. Our goal for this site is to provide beef producers with practical information on how to use animal identification, and associated records for age, source and process verification, to improve management, marketing and profits. Check back frequently as we’ll be adding new articles as well as the latest news on COOL, animal disease traceability and USDA marketing programs. We also would appreciate your feedback as we work to continuously improve this resource. Please send any comments or suggestions to jmaday@food360.com.

Latest Postings

Joint NIAA, USAHA forum on animal traceability (Animal Disease Traceability)   
This is your opportunity to be a part of the discussion on animal disease traceability. 
 
Traceability: Trials and tribulations (Animal Disease Traceability)
Does it seem like we’ve been discussing and debating animal traceability for a long time?

Go online for premium cattle (Management)
Gone are the days when cattle buyers selected animals based on breed or lineage. Today, they're looking for stock that comes with a database of information.

CattlePost now free for Igenity customers  (Management)
Igenity— a division of Merial — and Global Animal Management announced that customers can now post information about upcoming sales on CattlePost.com, giving buyers access to information about sales featuring cattle profiled with Igenity — all in one place, free of charge.

House subcommittee zeros out NAIS funds (Animal Disease Traceability)
The House Appropriations Subcommittee has completed its fiscal 2011 budget and has cut all funding for the voluntary National Animal Identification System.

TSCRA approves policy on traceability plan (Animal Disease Traceability)
The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association last week passed policy regarding the USDA’s new animal disease traceability plan. The policy was passed Friday at the association's summer meeting.

APHIS announces additional traceability meetings (Animal Disease Traceability)
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be holding two additional public meetings on the animal disease traceability framework approach. 

Canadian traceability system goes electronic (Animal Disease Traceability)
Effective July 1, all cattle in Canada must be tagged with an approved Radio Frequency Identification tag prior to moving from their current location or leaving their farm of origin, according to a release from the Canadian government.

NAIS — Passing the Buck (Animal Disease Traceability)
On Feb. 5, the USDA announced that it was discontinuing the National Animal Identification System, based on the findings from its 15-stop listening tour. In its press release, the USDA said it met quite a bit of resistance at its tour stops about the program.

Calf nutrition: value-added attribute? (Marketing, source, age or process verification)
Veterinarians and nutritionists have long told us that proper nutrition, including trace minerals, is a key component in a successful health program and long-term immunity.