Traceability

Why Traceability Matters in the Cattle Industry: Safeguarding Herds, Markets and the Future

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:39:48 GMT

In today’s fast-evolving food system, traceability in the cattle industry is no longer optional it’s essential. Whether you’re a rancher, processor or retailer, the ability to track animals from birth to beef offers more than compliance. It’s a powerful tool for protecting your business, adding value and keeping markets open especially when the unexpected happens.

1. Disease Outbreaks: Traceability is Your First Line of Defense
When animal disease strikes like  Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) ,  Bovine Tuberculosis or  BSE (Mad Cow Disease) , speed and accuracy are critical. Traceability helps track the movement of potentially infected animals quickly, enabling rapid containment and minimizing economic fallout.

According to a USDA economic assessment, rapid traceability can reduce the economic impact of a disease outbreak by up to 90%.

Without it, entire regions may face restrictions, even when only one operation is affected. But with source and movement data, authorities can target interventions and prevent unnecessary herd losses or trade shutdowns.
2. Risk Management: A Plan for What You Can’t Control
Cattle producers already face weather, feed costs and market volatility. Disease outbreaks or regulatory changes only add to the uncertainty. Traceability is a risk management tool that can protect your operation when things go sideways.

If your animals are mistakenly linked to a disease incident or food safety concern, being able to prove your source, handling, and movement records could make the difference between staying in business and being shut down.

Think of traceability as a proactive insurance policy, it won’t prevent bad luck, but it can limit your exposure and help you bounce back faster.
3. Market Access: Keeping Domestic and Export Channels Open
International markets like Japan, South Korea and the European Union require traceability as part of their import protocols for beef. If the U.S. fails to meet those standards during a disease outbreak, billions in export revenue are at risk.

In 2023, the U.S. exported over $10 billion in beef products nearly 15% of total production. Source: USDA ERS

Domestically, retailers and food service companies increasingly demand traceability for ESG compliance, sourcing verification and brand reputation.

After the 2003 BSE outbreak shut down U.S. beef exports, IMI Global developed the first USDA-approved verification programs to meet Japan’s import requirements. Its third-party system allowed packers to source verify cattle without auditing each ranch, revolutionizing traceability and value-added marketing in the beef industry.
4. Value-Added Programs: Traceability Unlocks Premiums
Traceability isn’t just about protection it’s a profit opportunity. Programs like CARE Certified ,  Verified Natural Beef ,  NHTC (Non-Hormone Treated Cattle) , and Source and Age all require traceability as a baseline. Participation in these programs allows producers to capture premiums and access differentiated markets.

Bundling programs can earn an average premium of $74 per head through stacked claims, added trust, and program eligibility.

And with consumers demanding transparency, these programs also support stronger storytelling and brand building.

All of these programs — including age and source verification, CARE Certified, NHTC and Secure Beef Supply planning — can be managed through the  WFCF Beef Passport traceability system , which simplifies the entire process in one secure, streamlined platform. 
5. Consumer Confidence: Trust Built on Transparency
Today’s shoppers want to know where their food comes from, how it was raised, and who raised it. Verified traceability gives producers a platform to meet that demand and stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Learn more about CARE Certified, a sustainability and animal care certification program built on third-party verification and full-chain traceability.

Whether you’re a direct-to-consumer beef brand, a processor serving high-end retailers, or a cow-calf producer selling through programs, traceability is the story behind the steak .

After implementing CARE Certified and source verification, Ribbonwire Ranch  increased its market visibility and consumer trust in premium retail partnership with Wegmans Food Markets. Watch Ribbonwire Ranch’s story to learn more about its operation.
6. Be Prepared: Build a Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan for Your Operation
Even with a strong traceability system, a disease outbreak like FMD could halt cattle movement nationwide. That’s where a  Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan  comes in.

The Secure Beef Supply Plan, developed by the USDA , state animal health officials and industry experts, is designed to help producers maintain business continuity during a highly contagious animal disease outbreak without compromising disease control efforts.

Why It Matters:

Without a pre-approved movement plan, your animals may be stuck even if they’re healthy.
SBS plans give officials confidence that your operation can move animals safely and securely during an outbreak.
It gives you a seat at the table when decisions are made about permitted movement, helping you avoid unnecessary financial loss.

What’s in an SBS Plan?

Premises ID and official premise map
Enhanced biosecurity protocols
Cattle movement logs and traceability records
Employee training documentation
Emergency contact procedures

Start Your Secure Beef Supply Planning

Suggested First Steps

Get a Premises ID Number (PIN) from your state’s animal health authority.
Map your operation, including access points, equipment locations, and animal flow.
Implement daily movement logs and enhance biosecurity measures like designated loadout zones and visitor logs.
Train employees and document procedures for cleaning, disinfection, and animal handling.

Your traceability program becomes the foundation for a compliant SBS Plan. Pairing both adds credibility and helps you qualify for permitted movement in the event of a shutdown.

Plan Now, Stay Open Later

Building an SBS Plan alongside your traceability system is like reinforcing your insurance with an emergency response manual. If a crisis comes, you won’t just be waiting — you’ll be ready.

Where Food Comes From offers support for operations looking to integrate traceability, certification, and risk preparedness. We’re here to help you build a more resilient, future-ready operation.

Next Step in the Supply Chain: Walmart Opens First Owned and Operated Case-Ready Beef Facility

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 20:29:14 GMT

A pivotal step in Walmart’s strategy to build an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef , the company has opened its first-ever owned and operated case-ready beef facility.

“The opening of our new facility in Olathe, Kan., is centered on delivering more of what our customers want — affordable food and quality they can trust,” says John Laney, Walmart U.S. executive vice president, food. “This is the first case-ready facility fully owned and operated by Walmart, and that milestone ensures we’re able to bring more consistency, more transparency and more value to our customers.”

With more customers seeking greater transparency about where their food comes from, this investment demonstrates Walmart’s commitment to delivering traceable, high-quality products while strengthening supply chain resiliency and control.

In 2022, Walmart made an equity investment in Sustainable Beef LLC in North Platte, Neb., as part of its continued efforts in creating an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef. Sustainable Beef’s majority ownership is local and producer-centric, with cattle sourced from no more than a 250-mile radius to the plant in a region that has exceptionally high-quality cattle.

The Sustainable Beef LLC plant processed its first cattle in late May. Once the plant if fully operational, it is expected to process 1,500 head of cattle per day.

Read More: From Seedstock to Meat Case, A Vision Becomes Reality for Nebraska Rancher

The Facility

The 300,000-plus-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art, case-ready facility will package and distribute Angus cuts sourced directly from Sustainable Beef LLC to stores across the Midwest, bringing even greater transparency to customers seeking quality beef options at Walmart stores in the region.

The facility will process fresh beef into case-ready cuts, packaged and ready for retail, which are then shipped directly to Walmart distribution centers to serve stores in the Midwest. The facility is also expected to generate increased business for suppliers and service providers, further amplifying the facility’s effect on the community.

“Kansas has long been at the forefront of the agriculture industry, and Walmart’s investment in Olathe is further driving our success,” says Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. “Through food production and supply chain innovations, we are proud to partner with Walmart to transform how we feed communities across our state and the region.”

The new facility will fulfill demand for quality beef in the region and is creating more than 600 Walmart jobs for Olathe and the surrounding community.

These efforts also support Walmart’s commitment to U.S. manufacturing and pledge to invest $350 billion in U.S.-made products by 2031. More than two-thirds of Walmart’s annual spend is on products made, grown or assembled in the U.S.

Your Next Read: Beef Producers Urge Congress to Vote Yes on Big Beautiful Bill to Deliver Tax Relief

The Time Is Now: Let’s Prepare Before ‘It’ Hits

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:59:39 GMT

Does your farm or ranch have a plan? Are you ready if there is a foreign animal disease outbreak?

The World Health Organization for Animal Health confirmed outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Germany on Jan. 10, Hungary on March 6 and Slovakia on March 21.

FMD poses no danger to humans, but it is highly contagious. It causes fever and mouth blisters in cloven-hoofed ruminants such as cattle, swine, sheep and goats, and outbreaks often lead to trade restrictions.

If the U.S. has a confirmed case of FMD, every second will matter as the industry tries to control the situation and prevent a catastrophe.

Secure food supply resources have been created by industry experts. These resources can help livestock producers develop plans for the continuity of business, movement and marketing of livestock, milk and wool in the unfortunate event of a foreign disease outbreak.

The use of electronic identification is one of the first steps to help prepare for an outbreak. However, privacy and who has access to data is a question that concerns some producers.

One option for participation is working with a third-party group such as U.S. CattleTrace . On March 13, Drovers reported the partnership between U.S. CattleTrace and Where Food Comes From — “ Smart Partnership Strengthens Traceability .” The two organizations are joining forces to unify and support a voluntary traceability strategy and safeguard the beef supply chain in the event of an outbreak.

The collaboration aims to align resources and expertise, improving disease traceability while maintaining producer-driven decision-making, data privacy and data confidentiality.

U.S. CattleTrace collects four data points: animal identification, date, time and GPS location.

CattleTrace will work with any operation in the supply chain looking to facilitate the flow of data for animal disease traceability purposes. The data collected is securely locked up and only used in the case of a disease outbreak, and no other identifying data is included.

Bottom line: Knowledge and preparedness can help producers develop and put plans in place if a disease outbreak occurs. As an industry, let’s not get caught being unprepared. Now is the time to be proactive, not reactive.

Your Next Read: Stopping Flies in 2025: Tips to Battle These Economic Pests

Smart Partnership Strengthens Disease Traceability

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:12:32 GMT

The beef industry is a complex network of stakeholders — seedstock producers, cow-calf operations, stockers, feedlots and packers. With this segmentation comes a challenge: being prepared to act swiftly and effectively if a highly contagious disease like Foot and Mouth Disease strikes.

To amplify traceability efforts U.S. CattleTrace is now partnering with Where Food Comes From . The collaboration aims to align resources and expertise improving disease traceability while maintaining producer-driven decision making, data privacy and data confidentiality.

“This partnership is a collaborative effort to strengthen traceability and enhance the tools available to producers,” says Callahan Grund, U.S. CattleTrace executive director.

U.S. CattleTrace was founded as a voluntary, producer-driven, private-industry, confidential traceability system designed to provide rapid contact tracing. By collecting four key data points — animal identification, date, time and GPS location — the system builds a critical infrastructure for disease response and containment.

Participation is simple for producers. For ranches, backgrounders or stockers, the start is tagging with an RFID tag. Once cattle leave the ranch of origin, U.S. CattleTrace aims to trace an animal through its life cycle at any point of commerce or comingling in the beef supply chain.

U.S. CattleTrace is a hands-free, speed of commerce contact tracing system for animal disease traceability. Utilizing primarily RFID technology, the system collects a minimal four data points any animal that passes through a reader at a facility that works with U.S. CattleTrace.

(U.S. CattleTrace)

U.S. CattleTrace will work with any operation in the supply chain looking to facilitate the flow of data for animal disease traceability purposes. The system collects only those four data points on any animal that passes through a reader at a facility working with U.S. CattleTrace. The data collected is securely locked up and only utilized in the case of a disease outbreak and no other identifying data is included.

“The need for the industry to unite around one effort to accomplish animal disease traceability is paramount to achieving a nationally significant contact tracing program,” says Joe Leathers, 6666 Ranch general manager and U.S. CattleTrace board chairman. “With Where Food Comes From’s long-time leadership within the cattle industry, I’m excited to see the progress we can make together in advancing this important initiative.”

IMI Global , a division of Where Food Comes From, has been providing verification solutions for the beef industry since 1995 ensuring transparency in labeling claims and adding value with product differentiation and market access domestically and internationally.

Highlighting the synergy of the partnership, Leann Saunders, COO and co-founder of Where Food Comes From, explains, “Whether verifying environmental and animal raising claims or tracing cattle movements, the common denominator is animal identification and traceability. Our hope is to reduce duplication for customers that wish to support both efforts, though it remains optional for all Where Food Comes From customers.”

Where Food Comes From will administer the technical aspects of U.S. CattleTrace’s mission while keeping key decisions in the hands of its leadership and board.

“The partnership comes at pivotal moment. We’ve seen the disruption disease outbreaks can cause. Being proactive with traceability is essential to securing the future of the beef industry,” adds John Saunders, Where Food Comes From CEO.

The collaboration helps position the industry to maintain high biosecurity standards, which will be crucial in safeguarding the long-term sustainability of beef production.

“Disease traceability isn’t just a precaution, it’s a proactive strategy for securing the industry’s future,” Grund says. “By participating, producers will not only protect their operations but also contribute to a stronger, more resilient beef supply chain.”

Your Next Read: Foot And Mouth Disease: Producers Should Be Prepared

Speer: We Need Some Common Sense When It Comes to Electronic Identification

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 17:58:03 GMT

When it comes to electronic identification (EID) and traceability, none of the recent rancor is particularly new. After all, the industry has been at this for well over 20 years — starting with the United States Animal Identification Plan (USAIP) back in the early 2000s. Sure, there are some fresh faces, but none of the complaints are unique — the industry has heard it all.

My favorite example of that reality dates back to the 2006 ID Info Expo hosted by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA). I was serving as NIAA’s interim CEO at the time. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns was the keynote speaker at the event, which entailed some special security provisions because of the protests (see photo below).

The 2006 ID Info Expo, hosted by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, required some special security provisions because of the protests.

(Nevil Speer)

How the ADT Rule Fits In

That said, with specific reference to EIDs, there remain a few items that need to be addressed surrounding the forthcoming requirement as part of USDA’s Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) rule .

Most importantly, ADT has been in effect since March 2013. Most producers are familiar with the current National Uniform Eartagging System (NUES) tags — either the orange metal brucellosis and/or “brite” (metal ID) tags. Within that longstanding framework, USDA is simply mandating a transition of current tagging requirements.

AVMA explains it this way : “The 2013 rule instituted visual ID tags for interstate movement. The new final rule switches producers to EID tags.” That is, there’s no substantive change in program requirements, USDA is simply switching to new technology.

That’s an ongoing transition in every facet of life. For instance, I don’t recall anyone squawking about the transition from mechanical scales to load cells and automated scale tickets. Isn’t the principle the same?

4 Points to Remember

The hand-wringing all feels a little like grandstanding given the realities below:

1. The tagging requirement is NOT new; the cattle are already being tagged with NUES tags.

2. EID readers are not mandated — the requirement being the EID tags must also be visually readable (840 + 12-digit number).

3. There is NO feeder cattle mandate. the Livestock Marketing Association explains it this way : “The EID rule does not expand the classes of beef cattle requiring official identification.”

4. Last, producers in the Designated Surveillance Area currently use orange 840 EID tags (which also serves as official identification) in conjunction with calfhood Brucellosis vaccination. (And lest we forget about the heyday of Brucellosis eradication when every heifer calf used to be vaccinated, tagged AND tattooed.)

Undoubtedly, the most ludicrous fear-mongering I’ve heard on the topic involves the government flying drones over your cowherd for inventory purposes. Clearly, those talkers don’t understand the technology.

In short, low-frequency EIDs don’t work that way. The maximum read range is 2 to 3 feet. It’s hard to fathom how a drone would ever get close enough, let alone trying to keep cattle in-place long enough, to get an individual reading of every individual tag. That’s just not going to happen.

It’s hard to avoid the irony of all the hyperbole. After all, the people shouting the loudest about EIDs (i.e. technology) are dependent on technology (phones, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) to voice their opposition.

In the Words of Greg Henderson

To that end, the day before he passed , Greg Henderson shared with me what was to be his upcoming column for a Drovers print edition. He addressed opposition to EIDs this way:

“Yes, there are many squeaky wheels demanding an end to this mandatory EID nonsense. But are they a vocal minority? Are the opponents of modern traceability systems shouting over those who see the value in such a system? Drovers’ readers think so. At least, a solid majority of them believe there is value in animal ID and the number of users is increasing. In our annual survey for Drovers State of the Beef Industry Report, we asked: “To what extent do you agree that an industry-wide traceability system is needed?” The “somewhat agree” and “strongly agree” group totaled 65% of respondents. The “strongly disagree” and “somewhat disagree” responses totaled 15%.”

Drovers State of the Beef Industry 2024 Report

(Farm Journal)

Greg’s column then concluded with this thought: “And I’ll double down on another not-so-bold prediction from six months ago . You want to voluntarily opt-out of traceability? Fine, the industry’s big players — your customers — can opt out of buying your cattle.”

TSCRA Hosts Educational Webinar About USDA's Final Animal Disease Traceability Rule

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 15:47:49 GMT

The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association will host an educational webinar Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. to discuss the newly finalized animal disease traceability rule.

Featuring a panel of livestock industry experts and cattle raisers, the webinar will answer important questions about requirements for electronic identification of various classes of beef and dairy cattle in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) final rule for animal disease traceability that goes into effect Nov. 5.

Topics to be discussed include:

Impacted classes of livestock
Electronic identification tag requirements
Industry responsibilities for implementation
Data and program security
Resources for cattle raisers including how to access free tags

Panelists include Dr. Alex Turner, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, director of national animal disease traceability; Austin Brown III, Brown Land & Cattle LLC, Beeville; Sigrid Johannes, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, senior director, government affairs; and Ken Jordan, Jordan Cattle Auction, San Saba.

The webinar is open to the public. To RSVP, tscra.org/upcoming-livestock-electronic-tagging-requirements-webinar/ .

Global Insights: Exploring Cattle Practices Around the World

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:21:28 GMT

“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not things to show.” – unknown.

This is exactly how Andrew Uden spent the early days of his career. While growing up, Andrew worked on the family feedlot and ranch. The values of the beef industry and a desire to continuously learn stuck with him through his college years. This mindset and passion have taken him all over the world to learn about the beef industry in various countries and compare them to what the cattle producers in the United States have built. These experiences have given him a great sense of gratitude for America’s beef industry, but also great respect for the entrepreneurial spirits he sees going to work across the globe.

Scotland
Uden’s first experience in Scotland sparked the fire for him to continue traveling. While he was in Scotland, he enjoyed learning about the history of Aberdeen Angus and attending cattle shows as someone who grew up showing cattle.

“I noticed that showing cattle was completely different in the United Kingdom. There weren’t any club calves. They simply showed to display their best genetics and it was really cool to see bloodlines displayed on screens that went back 600 years,” Uden says.

This international experience was the start to an eye-opening career for Uden.

While it was enjoyable for Uden to learn about the history of the breeds he grew up around and experience a different culture around showing cattle, he also came to appreciate the freedom of the United States.

“European cattle producers are still independent, but they all have quotas for what they are allowed to produce. If your quota is so many animals a year based on how much land you own, you’re going to breed monstrously big animals to make up for selling beef by the pound. If your quota is milk fat, you’re going to breed tiny, little efficient cows that have huge milk fat. Nobody ever really takes into question, are these the right cows for my environment, because the government dictates what you can produce,” Uden explains. “Being able to raise cattle that match the environment and natural resources we have is something to be appreciative of.”

Australia
After his time in Scotland, Andrew spent 7 months in Australia split between two internships. One of his internships allowed him to work on a large seedstock operation that practiced intensive grazing. The second internship was on a large collection station. Between these two internships, Uden was amazed at the small amount of people that were able to take on large amounts of work.

“You are kind of doing twice the workload of a cowboy in the United States. The difference is they built the infrastructure in a way to make it easy for you to mentally switch back and forth and be as efficient as possible,” Uden says. “For example, 4 people were managing around 5,000 head on a seedstock operation and moving mobs of 600 animals every 48 hours.”

One of the differences Andrew appreciates between the United States beef industry and other countries is the quality grading system.

“We built a quality grading system that is second to none in the world. Because of how we sort carcasses on the hook, we get really consistent product for how we sell to create a better experience for the consumer,” Uden says.

Uden also mentioned that Australia’s beef producers still have a lot of independence, but largely are more corporate with how they do business compared to the United States.

Russia
After finishing his internships in Australia and his Animal Science degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Uden’s next step was to go to Russia for three months to assist with an intensive breeding program. While the landscape reminded him of his family’s ranch, the pace at which work was done and how cattle were handled were learning experiences. Uden’s job was to assist in breeding heifers. He recounts that while he was AI’ing, there were other employees building the paddocks that these heifers would be moved to the next day. Additionally, Andrew came to appreciate his training with Beef Quality Assurance.

He says, “In the United States, we take BQA for granted. I was used to seeing an occasional animal with an abscess. In Russia, I’d see 200 calves with neck abscesses because the same needle might get used for all the calves regardless of if it was bent or not.”

Not only was Uden learning from his employers and co-workers, but he was also able to teach them more effective management practices too.

Africa
In addition to Scotland, Australia and Russia, Uden has also experienced the beef industry in Africa. His time in Africa emphasized the importance of animal health and disease traceability as every animal had to be tested for Brucellosis and other diseases. It was rare to find a clean herd and when you did, it was extremely valuable. This experience has shaped Uden’s perspective about traceability in the United States.

Uden says, “If we go down a route where each state is making their own traceability regulations, we are going to see pockets of beef production change fundamentally. If things start to isolate, I don’t think that’s good. I think the collaboration we have from coast to coast and north to south is good for our industry.”

His time in Africa was also inspiring as the people have an entrepreneurial spirit like no other to make the most of what they have while working toward improvements.

While these experiences are only the surface of what he’s seen and done, they were greatly impactful in shaping Uden’s view of the United States beef industry. He’s grateful for the freedom we have when it comes to marketing cattle and the access we have to natural resources just to name a few things.

Uden would like to remind cattlemen and women to get involved on local, state and national levels to have a say in any regulations that are or are not made. Additionally, travel the world and learn from others. Uden wraps it up best by saying, “A lot of my travel made me who I am today. It affects my management decisions and helps me come up with new ideas all the time.”

Link to the podcast: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/casual-cattle-conversations-podcast-shownotes/andrew-uden-travel

Blackshirt Feeders: Closing the Loop

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 12:41:58 GMT

Despite the smallest U.S. cowherd in 73 years and corresponding tight feeder cattle supplies, the largest cattle feedyard north of the Rio Grande is under construction in Nebraska. When complete, Blackshirt Feeders near Haigler in the far southwest corner of the state, will have a capacity of 150,000 head, all standing on a concrete pad covering a full square mile, replete with an accompanying biodigester.

None of that previous paragraph defies logic, provided you know the track record of the principals involved and understand the growing beef-on-dairy (BxD) phenomenon that has captured the attention of stakeholders throughout the chain — feedyards, dairies, backgrounders, seedstock providers, feed companies and packers. In short, the BxD segment has provided a new profit opportunity for cattle feeders and seedstock suppliers, a lifeline for some dairies, and promises to revolutionize the way the beef industry accepts, captures and uses animal ID and the data it provides.

CLOSED LOOP

The BxD production model offers a unique opportunity for innovators to utilize every available tool and management practice to foster improvement. Specifically, this new model links the semen provider to the dairy to the feedyard in what is called a closed-loop system.

“We’ve long dreamed about this type of system,” says Lee Leachman, CEO of Leachman Cattle, now part of the URUS group of companies. “We supply the semen, and Alta or Genex distributes it to a dairy, then the dairy signs a contract with GK Jim Farms to sell those calves either as day-olds or after a growing period, then they are shipped to the feedlot for finishing.”

Th e contracts stipulate that every calf is tracked from birth with sire, health and performance data. That information is used to determine future matings to improve performance and reduce undesirable characteristics.

“This is a game changer,” Leachman emphasizes. “This enables progress like what we’ve seen in poultry and swine. If you don’t have the loop with the data you can’t make the progress.”

The closed-loop system is already operational at several U.S. feedlots, including five operated by GK Jim Farms in Colorado and Texas.

(Farm Journal)

Veterinarian Kee Jim, principal at GK Jim Farms, says as his company began expanding their beef-on-dairy model they sought to acquire feedlots, but none were available at the scale they desired.

“Three years ago we began investigating what we believe would be the best site to build a new feedlot,” Jim says. “We looked at availability of grain, the climate, proximity to available feeder cattle and proximity to packers.”

That led to the selection of the construction site near Haigler, Neb., in the southwest corner of the state that joins both Kansas and Colorado.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

Designed to be much more than just a large-scale feedlot, Blackshirt Feeders has several unique features that will make it the “most environmentally friendly feedlot on the planet.” That is how it’s described by veterinarian Eric Behlke who is both a founding partner of Blackshirt Feeders and project leader for its construction.

First among the new yard’s unique characteristics is the compressed rolled concrete that will cover every feeding pen. The concrete offers several advantages but is essential to capturing the manure for the biodigester that will be built adjacent to the site.

“The concrete allows for the collection of the manure without contaminating it with dirt, which is essential for a digester,” Behlke says. “But the concrete is impermeable, which provides superior protection for both the groundwater and the surface water. All of the ponds will be lined with high-density HDPE liner, a synthetic liner which is also impermeable, to prevent leaching of nutrients.”

Behlke says Blackshirt Feeders is committed to leveraging the latest technologies and feedlot construction to make the new yard as environmentally sound as possible.

“These efforts will help change the narrative about beef production and make it a much greener process,” Behlke says.

All of which sounds good, but like most agribusinesses today, finding labor is likely an issue, especially in a remote area. The company is already working to ease that problem, Jim says.

“We have plans to construct housing in Wray, Colo., about 20 miles away,” Jim says. “The first 24 units are under construction now.”

DATA AND SCALE

It can be easy for observers to focus on the massive size of Blackshirt Feeders, but it’s much more than an effort by a large player to further capitalize on efficiencies of scale, though that is important.

“What makes our system unique is that our large and ongoing investments in data collection and analysis are what have allowed us to scale our business,” says Holt Tripp, DVM, MBA, director of cattle operations for GK Jim Group of Companies.

Tripp says the company has used rigorous, large-scale, field trials to better understand the biology of the animals they are feeding.

“In turn, we have been able to make consistent incremental progress that allows us to make calculated bets on how, when and where to deploy risk capital in our system,” he says. “We are not using data to describe a system that has already come to scale — we are using data to get to scale. In our minds, anything else would be putting the cart before the horse.”

It’s ironic that an offshoot of the dairy industry might be the catalyst that could drive the beef industry toward expanded use of animal ID and data capture.

“I think eventually these (beef-on-dairy) calves may be better than the average beef-on-beef animals,” Leachman says. “AI’ing millions of dairy cows is a big advantage. We get so much selection pressure. If we don’t have a data feedback loop on beef-on-beef calves, then it will be harder to keep up. If we don’t have data feedback, we won’t be able to make progress as rapidly on the most important traits. Having ID and feedback on economically relevant traits is critical.”

The closed-loop system will eventually find its way to the native beef-on-beef segment.

“Cattle feeders will likely increasingly want to adopt that sort of model,” says Nevil Speer, industry consultant based in Bowling Green, Ky. “Knowing more about the feeder cattle they purchase and subsequently also providing feedback (and payment incentives) based on cattle performance (both in the feedyard and on the rail).”

Data, of course, is the key driver. “There’s more opportunities all the time for beef producers who are willing to embrace participating in a specified supply chain,” Speer explains. “It means giving up some independence, and it requires more accountability, but ultimately willingness to do so will likely also establish new opportunity to maximize the value of genetic and management inputs made at the ranch.”

APHIS To Require Electronic Animal ID for Certain Cattle and Bison

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:29:58 GMT

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has taken another step toward limiting the impact of an outbreak of foreign animal diseases by amending and strengthening its animal disease traceability regulations for certain cattle and bison. By requiring electronic animal identification for certain cattle and bison, APHIS put into place the technology, tools and processes to help industry stakeholders quickly pinpoint and respond to a foreign animal disease outbreak.

“Rapid traceability in a disease outbreak will not only limit how long farms are quarantined, keep more animals from getting sick, and help ranchers and farmers get back to selling their products more quickly – but will help keep our markets open,” said Dr. Michael Watson, APHIS administrator.

APHIS said one to the rule’s most significant benefits for farmers and ranchers will be the enhanced ability of the United States to limit impacts of animal disease outbreaks to certain regions, which the agency called a “key to maintaining our foreign markets. By being able to readily prove disease-free status in non-affected regions of the United States, we will be able to request foreign trading partners recognize disease-free regions or zones instead of cutting off trade for the entire country. Traceability of animals is necessary to establish these disease-free zones and facilitate reestablishment of foreign and domestic market access with minimum delay in the wake of an animal disease event.”

The April announcement enhances a rule finalized in 2013 for the official identification of livestock and documentation for certain interstate movements of livestock.

The final rule applies to all sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older, all dairy cattle, cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo or recreation events, and cattle or bison of any age used for shows or exhibitions.

The rule requires official eartags to be visually and electronically readable for official use for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison, and revises and clarifies certain record requirements related to cattle.

“USDA’s final traceability rule updates the existing requirement for animal identification that has been in place since 2013, switching from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Mark Eisele, a Wyoming rancher.

“Many producers are already familiar with using these visual tags and under the new rule, they will instead use electronic tags. NCBA has worked hard to secure $15 million in funding for producers to reduce the cost of implementing this change. We also remain committed to safeguarding producers’ private data and continuing to reduce the cost of ear tags for farmers and ranchers. Our industry faces a tremendous threat from the risk of a future foreign animal disease on American soil. To avoid devastating financial losses during a potential outbreak and to help producers quickly return to commerce, we need an efficient animal disease traceability system.”

USDA said it is committed to implementing a modern animal disease traceability system that tracks animals from birth to slaughter using affordable technology that allows for quick tracing of sick and exposed animals to stop disease spread. USDA will continue to provide tags to producers free of charge to jumpstart efforts to enable the fastest possible response to a foreign animal disease.

To obtain electronic ID tags at no cost, APHIS directs producers to contact their State Veterinarian.

A copy of this rule may be viewed at the APHIS website, and the rule will be published in the Federal Register in the coming weeks. This rule will be effective 180 days after publication in the Federal Register.

To learn more about animal disease traceability and how APHIS responds to animal disease outbreaks, visit www.aphis.usda.gov.

Data Capture Adds Value

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 14:45:59 GMT

Farm Journal’s Smart Farming Week is an annual week-long emphasis on innovation in agriculture. The goal is to encourage you to explore and prioritize the technology, tools and practices that will help you farm smarter. Innovation today ensures an efficient, productive and sustainable tomorrow.

By Megan Edwards

Cattle producers in the U.S. have access to multiple technologies and measurements to improve cattle and beef quality and performance, yet price discovery remains locked in an antiquated system that often leaves buyers and sellers frustrated.

The developers of BlockTrust Network, for instance, call the cattle industry one of the few large industries in the world still unable to share critical production data.

That could soon change if the promise of blockchain technology delivers on an industrywide basis as those tech-savvy entrepreneurs believe it will.

Launched in 2016, BlockTrust Network was designed to help create more transparency in the livestock market. Last year a pilot project was conducted with Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) members to demonstrate how blockchain technology could help leverage voluntary capture of data moving through auctions.

BlockTrust uses electronic identification tags (EID) on cattle and tracks cattle as they move through each industry sector. The data capture can be as much or as little as a producer desires, but examples of valuable information would include vaccinations, health events, nutrition or genetics.

Blockchain technology can capture organically generated data in an “unchangeable string of entries,” says Mike John, principle of Health Track Beef Alliance, formerly of MFA Health Track, a partner with Blockchain Trust.

Each time an identity tag is scanned, and the user is a subscriber to BlockTrust, the information of that animal can be uploaded with APIs (application programming interface) so that the data is only entered once. That data is then part of BlockTrust’s web portal, MarketTrust, and the data can then be viewed by buyers.

Market Value

Kristen Parman, vice president of LMA Membership Services says, “Through this pilot project, we established what data capture and technology would be necessary to utilize a program such as BlockTrust, and we believe we proved that the auctions can, if there is a market driven demand, help our consigners to better leverage their data.”

Blockchain technology allows the sharing of data up the supply chain, with the potential of creating an added market value for the cattle. During the project, feeder cattle at a series of special auctions were voluntarily tagged with an EID, and attribute data was collected for each consignment. Most of the calves tagged during the project were tagged upon arrival at the auction, which proved to be problematic.

“As the temperature rose and total sale sizes increased, we had to make the decision to tag fewer animals, otherwise it presented too great a risk to the animals and auction staff,” Parman explains. Heat, stress and additional handling can cause injuries to both the animals and the workers involved.

The timing for collection of attribute data such as herd management, vaccination protocol and genetic merit were also identified as an area for potential improvement.

“We were better able to inform buyers of the attributes at the time of sale and prepare the data for interface into BlockTrust when the data was collected in advance of sale day,” Parman says. “This is another example of how the auctions and producers can be most effective when they work together to prepare a marketing strategy.”

Despite setbacks, Parman remains optimistic.

“We are continuing to monitor the demand for this data. Consumers want some level of information about where their beef comes from, but others up the supply chain also want the data to improve their own profitability, and producers want to know that they can be paid for their efforts,” Parman says.

Further, the future use of blockchain technology in livestock auctions comes down to relationships. There must be a market relationship that recognizes value for cattle producers of all sizes to expand the technology through all sectors of the beef industry. The auctions will help producer customers maximize the value of their cattle through this or other programs.

“The key is in buyer demand that equals dollars to livestock producers,” Parman says.

Another BlockTrust Network partnership was recently announced by Vytelle, an independent in vitro fertilization company, and curator of the world’s largest feed efficiency database.

According to Vytelle, the partnership gives buyers more insight into the feed efficiency of feeder groups, creating a more profitable and sustainable business. The collaboration connects the seedstock and feeder sectors, enhancing transparency in the supply chain.

“The opportunity to classify cattle individually based on their genetics and performance through harvest will unlock markets and value for smaller producers to participate in quality-driven sustainable supply chains” explains Gregg Barfield, CEO of BlockTrust Network.

Sustainability

The use of blockchain technology can also aid ranchers implementing new management practices aimed at creating a more efficient environment and boosting sustainability metrics.

“When you add the DNA values for performance and carcass quality to the ability to communicate those values downstream, the knowledge of average daily gain, days on feed and carcass quality in a market that will reward methane reduction,” John says.

Being intentional with breeding increases sustainability to a rancher’s operation, allowing the beef industry to be more efficient.

“There is no doubt in my mind the rewards for participating in a blockchain environment will be significant,” John says.

Additionally, John believes the food service industry and retailers are hungry for beef with a quality story. More now than ever, consumers want to know where their food comes from, and having this information creates a higher market value for the seller while creating a more transparent story for consumers.

Lasting Impacts

Industry analysts believe blockchain technology can create a long-term, positive impact. The flow of information from sector to sector creates added market value for producers while helping them choose more sustainable traits to incorporate into their cowherds.

Providing a more transparent story from farm to table will also help build consumer trust and boost demand for beef products. Expanding the use of blockchain technology will create a more efficient and valuable livestock marketing sector, which will continue to benefit producers throughout the chain.

Pork Producers Adopt Enhanced Swine Traceability Resolution at National Pork Industry Forum

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 19:23:43 GMT

U.S. pork producers approved a resolution to enhance the country’s live swine traceability system during the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum on March 7.

“Traceability is a priority for the industry and has been for decades,” Lori Stevermer, incoming National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) president and Minnesota pork producer, said in a release. “These standards will improve our ability to control the spread of a foreign animal disease and lessen the economic impact of an outbreak should one occur.”

A producer-led task force brought together stakeholders throughout the entire pork supply chain in 2022 to identify and address current gaps in the live swine traceability system. This task force offered a series of comment periods for producers to provide input on the enhanced standards, NPPC said in a release.

That process resulted in the following recommendations:
• All swine owners would need to register for a premises identification number (PIN).
• High-risk swine (from a traceability perspective), including cull breeding stock and show/exhibition stock, would be required to be tagged with an AIN (animal identification number) RFID (radio frequency) tag.
• Producers would be asked to record consistent data points, including PIN of origin, PIN of destination, date of movement, animal type, and any official identification that is present. Producers would be asked to record this data electronically within three business days.
• Movement data would be reported to a centralized database following the detection of a trade-limiting disease.
• Semen would require a label with the PIN of the source herd.
• Cull markets and packing plants would use tattoo numbers unique to each facility.

“Industry delegates at Pork Forum took a proactive step to protect animal health and producers’ livelihoods. An outbreak of a foreign animal disease in the United States, such as African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease, would result in the immediate suspension of pork exports from the U.S., which totaled over $8.2 billion in pork and pork products last year,” Scott Hays, NPPC president, said in a release.

Next Steps
What’s next? NPPC said the approved standards will be submitted to USDA for inclusion in the regulations mandating live swine traceability. To view the enhanced standards or learn more, visit nppc.org/trace.

U.S. CattleTrace and IMI Global Announce Strategic Alliance

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:21:29 GMT

In a move to unify the industry behind one effort to accomplish a nationally significant, voluntary animal disease traceability system, U.S. CattleTrace has entered into a strategic alliance with IMI Global, the nation’s largest third-party cattle verification company. This move bolsters U.S. CattleTrace’s mission to build a rapid contact tracing database along with IMI Global’s mission to continue adding value for American beef producers.

“The need for the industry to unite around one effort to accomplish animal disease traceability is paramount to accomplishing our goal of a nationally significant contact tracing program,” said Mark Gardiner, chairman of the U.S. CattleTrace Board of Directors. “With IMI Global’s long history as the industry leader in value-add traceability, I’m excited to see the progress we can make as an industry in accomplishing this important goal.”

John Saunders, CEO of IMI Global, added, “The U.S. cattle industry is unique in terms of animal disease traceability being voluntary across certain sectors, so it is important that leading industry players takes steps to prepare for and effectively mitigate the impact of any future animal disease outbreak.”

The strategic alliance will allow producers to leverage the benefits of value-add traceability opportunities through IMI Global, while also uniquely positioning their operations with the added disease traceability and enhanced biosecurity requirements that will be paramount to business continuity in the face of a disease outbreak.

For more information on U.S. CattleTrace visit uscattletrace.org. For more information on IMI Global visit imiglobal.com.

About:

IMI Global, a division of Where Food Comes From, Inc., is the market leader in third-party verification services, enrolling more than 1.25 million cattle annually in various verification programs. In August 2018, CattleTrace Inc. was formally established as a private, not-for-profit corporation to securely maintain and manage the data collected as part of the disease traceability pilot project. A board of directors with representatives from cow-calf, livestock market and cattle feeding sectors was named to lead CattleTrace Inc. In January 2020, the board voted to change the name to U.S. CattleTrace Inc. to formally establish the multi-state initiative to advance disease traceability.

8 Reasons Why Beef-on-Dairy Makes the Perfect Cross

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:44:38 GMT

The beef-on-dairy revolution is booming. What started as a trend more than a decade ago has quickly grown into a reliable profit stream for dairy farmers across the country. As milk prices continue to sink lower, more and more dairy producers are turning their attention to creating a healthy beef cross calf to generate additional income for their farms.

“Even though we’ve gotten to a position to where beef-on-dairy is becoming more well-known, the reality is dairymen have been beef producers all along – whether that’s been through cull cows are bull calves,” says Dale Woerner, Professor and Cargill Endowed Professor at Texas Tech University. “However, as beef prices have crept up, the beef-on-dairy segment has seen an explosion.”

Just five years ago there were approximately 25.4 million cattle fed through feedlots that were harvested year-over-year, according to Woerner. Traditionally, about 5.1 million of those animals had been purebred dairy heifers or steers. However, this number has seen a drastic change.

“Since 2018, we’ve seen a major shift with beef-on-dairy crossbreds. We don’t know exactly how many of these animals are coming through as crossbreds, but we’re confident that it’s over 3.25 to 3.5 million head of beef-on-dairy cross animals that used to be strictly purebred dairy,” Woerner says.

This proportion has grown tremendously within the last few years, and it is estimated that almost 23% of the total number of fed steers and heifers within the U.S. are actually coming from dairies.

So, what’s the reason for this recent spike? As a result of widespread drought across the mid- and southwest, the beef cow herd has shrunk significantly. However, with more and more dairies relying on beef-on-dairy calves to help turn a profit, these operations have helped fill the meat cases.

“The dairy segment of the beef industry has grown in significance the last few years even more so than it had traditionally,” Woerner adds. “It’s created the perfect storm and that’s why you’re seeing the exceptionally high values.”

As more dairy crossbreds make their way into the marketing chain, Woerner and his research team have closely examined the characteristics of these animals and the products they yield, compared to their full-blood dairy and beef cousins. Their findings regarding major performance and carcass data – via retrospective data evaluation, and their own research -- include:

Feedlot growth – Close-out data evaluations show that the average daily gain and feed-to-gain ratio of crossbreds is significantly better than Holsteins and similar to conventional beef cattle. Woerner said crossbred finishing times that are about 20% faster than Holsteins promote a positive message about sustainability because they produce the same amount of beef in a shorter timeframe and on less total feed.

Quality grade – The Texas Tech researchers found the percentage of crossbreds that grade Choice or higher is roughly equal to, if not better than, conventional beef animals. They appear to inherit the superior marbling capability of their Holstein ancestors but at a faster finishing pace.

Carcass yield -- Crossbreds have a lower dressing percentage than full-blood beef animals, at least partly because they are leaner and thus have lighter carcasses relative to their live weight. They have, on average, an intermediate fat thickness at the 12th rib between that of full-blood beef and dairy animals. Overall, they have higher red meat yield than dairy carcasses, and the best crossbreds are comparable to, or even better than, conventional beef cattle.

Eating quality – A recent study by Woerner’s group showed full-blood Holsteins still take first place in terms of tenderness, followed by crossbreds and then conventional beef. Crossbreds led among the three in terms of superior flavor, with the most “fat-like” and “buttery” flavor ratings. Overall, they were scored the second-most desirable in terms of eating quality behind Holsteins.

Meat color – A major downfall of traditional dairy beef is that it has a darker color and lacks the “cherry-red” appearance of conventional beef, which consumers prefer. The difference is so distinct that most retailers will not market dairy beef and conventional beef in the same meat case. The Texas Tech researchers found that crossbreeding removes the coloring problem, and also results in an additional 12-24 hours of color stability. “This is a huge change in our industry,” Woerner says. “Rather than segregating Holsteins, we can now sell crossbreds together with conventional cattle.”

Muscle shape – The smaller, narrower, and more angular shape of finished Holstein loins has long been a drawback for dairy beef. The Texas Tech researchers found that crossbred longissimus (loin) muscles are larger and rounder than Holsteins, and that consumers could not distinguish their shape compared to those from conventional beef cattle.

Consistency – Dairy animals produce a consistent supply of offspring year-round, which helps improve market stability. Today’s dairy cattle also are highly consistent genetically, creating potential for excellent offspring consistency with correct sire matings.

Traceability – “Record-keeping on U.S. dairies is superior to most conventional beef operations,” Woerner says. “That information on birthdate, performance data, and sire identification is highly valuable for branded beef programs and international markets.”

For more on beef-on-dairy, read:

Navigating Structural Changes: Rabobank's Insights on Challenges and Opportunities in Global Animal Protein Markets

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:15:46 GMT

From pork to beef to poultry and all other animal protein sources, the diversity of animal protein options creates a dynamic marketplace across the globe.

Rabobank recently released its 2024 outlook for global animal protein —focused on animal protein markets and production throughout the world.

Production

Overall, Rabobank believes animal protein production will keep growing in 2024, but at a slower pace. Specifically, beef, pork and wild catch seafood will see a decrease in production, while poultry and aquaculture show the strongest growth.

Drought leading to a massive U.S. herd reduction , high input costs and low profit margins have played a large part in the production slowdown of beef and pork especially over the last two years.

Rebuilding the herd looks to still be an expectation—not reality—heading into 2024. This will continue beef’s production decline into next year.

Pork has been through a challenging year, and Rabobank expects production to contract modestly in 2024.

Finding a silver lining, Rabobank experts believe some market conditions may improve as input costs ease for producers.

Structural Changes

Some opportunities and risks may also be on the horizon as changes in market conditions are structural rather than cyclical—adding ongoing costs and changes, Rabobank explains.

Specifically, Rabobank encourages animal protein companies and producers to take stock on their strengths and prepare to transition their business to an operating environment with high costs and tight margins.

These structural changes include, but are not limited to:

- Demographic Changes: tightening labor markets which leads to increased production costs, reduced population growth which may slow consumption growth

- Investment Needs: funds to improve productivity and to upgrade production systems to meet emerging market and regulatory needs and consumer preferences

- Higher Prices: consumers are adapting to higher prices and are showing a willingness in some markets to pay a premium for better quality products

For animal protein companies and producers, now is the time to consider productivity improvement efforts, review the portfolio, strengthen partnerships, consider investment needs and opportunities, and adjust pricing strategies to the higher cost base.

Consumption

The increased costs of goods and services is weighing on consumers as incomes stagnate and a recessionary threat looms.

Rabobank expects inflation among the world’s top animal protein-consuming countries to average more than 3% next year, but that represents 15% to 20% higher costs compared to pre-pandemic levels, says the report.

Meanwhile, high production costs and tighter supplies will support animal protein prices and constrain global consumption in 2024, Rabobank explains.

Overall, consumer decisions at the meat case are shifting as budgets tighten, as well as more emphasis on food nutrition, quality and convenience helping sway purchasing patterns.

Outside Pressures

Disease, such as African swine fever (ASF) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), are major health challenges in global animal protein production that continue to drive production loss, create uncertainty and affect trade, Rabobank explains. While more localized, foot-and-mouth disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), and lumpy skin disease also have an affect on production and market access.

Heading into 2024, these disease risks remain top of mind. While surveillance and prevention is still important, Rabobank says efforts in 2024 will focus on biosecurity and traceability, regionalization and producer compensations models, vaccines and the use of advanced genetic technologies.

Weather patterns, such as the shift to El Niño, could also bring consequences for global animal protein. In general, El Niño conditions lead to driers conditions in northern Brazil, Australia and Asia, while there tends to be more rainfall in southern parts of Latin American and the U.S., Rabobank explains.

The growing idea of sustainability and its reliance on traceability also adds pressure to the market. Connections throughout the supply chain, from retailers all the way back to the farm or ranch, will be the most effective way to measure progress in this area.

Rabobank also expects animal protein supply chains to begin exploring product claims and labeling alongside emissions reduction progress.

Both dynamic and resilient, the animal protein sector is likely heading into another challenging year. However, it’s important to understand and consider the potential opportunities that could help operations survive or even thrive in the years to come.

Read More:

2024 Pork Industry Outlook: Finding Opportunity Through Challenges

Industry Faces Financial Challenges: Glimpse of Hope in Inventory Strategies

Prepare for a Changing Beef Industry

Gardiner, Leathers Elected To Lead U.S. CattleTrace Board

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 16:14:36 GMT

Mark Gardiner of Ashland, KS, has been elected as the new chairman of U.S. CattleTrace. He began his one-year term in the volunteer position during the organization’s annual symposium November 14-15 in Kansas City. Joe Leathers was elected as the chair-elect. Gardiner and Leathers will lead the organization during the next year.

Gardiner’s roots in the cattle business trace back to 1885 when Gardiner Angus Ranch was established. He graduated with a degree in animal sciences and industry in 1983 and came back to ranch with his father and brother, Greg, who had already returned to the ranch. In early 2000, he took over management of day-to-day operations managing both a commercial cowherd and an Angus seed stock business.

Gardiner’s commitment to the industry extends beyond U.S. CattleTrace. He played a pivotal role in the creation of U.S. Premium Beef, contributing to its viability for nearly 20 years as the board chairman. Additionally, he has served in various leadership roles, including NCBA seedstock chairman, on the American Angus Association board, Irsik & Doll board, along with serving on his local school and church boards.

Having been involved in U.S. CattleTrace since its inception in 2018, Gardiner expresses excitement about bringing the system closer to full operation. Coming from a seedstock background, he sees the interconnectedness of all segments in achieving common goals. Gardiner believes in a collective effort to make the cattle business better and more resilient for future generations.

Joe Leathers of Guthrie, TX, brings decades of experience in the cattle industry. Embarking on his cowboy journey at the age of 19 laid the groundwork for his entry into the 6666 Ranches in 1998. Within the ranch, he has climbed the ranks, advancing from ranch foreman to taking on the position of general manager in 2008.

Much like Gardiner, Leathers servant heart to the industry has led him to volunteer in many capacities and organizations. His involvement with CattleTrace began in 2011. Recognizing the benefits of electronic IDs, Leathers has been actively engaged in the pilot programs and, subsequently, the formation of U.S. CattleTrace. As a member of the board, he emphasizes the importance of a producer-driven approach to developing a voluntary, viable and efficient traceability program.

For more information about the U.S. CattleTrace board of directors, visit uscattletrace.org.

Registration Open For 2023 U.S. CattleTrace Symposium

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 18:49:41 GMT

Registration is open for the 2023 U.S. CattleTrace Symposium, which will be held November 14 and 15 at the American Royal Center, Kansas City, Mo. With an emphasis on collaboration, education and execution, the symposium allows attendees the opportunity to learn more about current animal disease traceability response tools within the U.S. and help provide input on how a voluntary contact tracing tool can enhance potential responses in the future.

There is no cost to attend the symposium, but it is important that attendees register in order to provide adequate meeting materials and to have accurate meal counts. Attendees can register online and reserve a room at www.uscattletrace.org/2023symposium .

If you have questions about the 2023 U.S. CattleTrace Symposium, contact the U.S. CattleTrace
team at (785) 821-1082 or email info@UScattletrace.org.

About CattleTrace Inc.
In August 2018, CattleTrace Inc. was formally established as a private, not-for-profit corporation
to securely maintain and manage the data collected as part of the disease traceability pilot
project. A board of directors with representatives from cow-calf, livestock market and cattle
feeding sectors was named to lead CattleTrace Inc. In January 2020, the board voted to change
the name to U.S. CattleTrace Inc. to formally establish the multi-state initiative to advance
disease traceability

MyAnIML Expands Predictive Health Platform Using Muzzles To Detect Disease

Wed, 10 May 2023 14:22:06 GMT

To better enable early disease prediction in cattle, agtech startup MyAnIML™ announced today a hardware update designed to support the implementation of its AI-enabled predictive health platform in commercial feedlot and dairy operations.

MyAnIML’s newly released Bluetooth-enabled cattle ear tag integrates geolocation and tracking capabilities with its powerful predictive health modeling technology to help producers manage the productivity and welfare of their herds cost-effectively.

MyAnIML’s patent-pending technology employs artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict a broad range of total health indicators using the industry’s first cattle facial - specifically muzzle - recognition library dataset, designed and built by MyAnIML. Together, the hardware and software stack offers the global beef and dairy industries a more precise method of herd health management when profit margins continue to be razor thin and the cost of meat, dairy and other food products remain high.

Based on a comprehensive analysis of cattle lost to diseases, cost of medical treatment and low productivity impacts, MyAnIML estimates the U.S. cattle industry loses approximately $200 billion annually. For example, just one disease, Bovine Respiratory (BRD), costs the U.S. feedlot industry up to $900 million annually in treatment costs although recent reports indicate that total industry losses from BRD are actually much higher when productivity losses are factored in, according to the American Society of Animal Science .

The MyAnIML platform successfully predicts cattle infected with BRD two to three days before visual symptoms are observed, allowing producers to isolate the animal and start earlier treatment. BRD is just one of many diseases and health metrics MyAnIML identifies days before other health technologies, using subtle changes in a cow’s muzzle as a health indicator.

“We know from advances in human biometrics and deep-learning technology that the face can be a reliable predictor of disease. Using the same concept, we can now “fingerprint” an individual cow’s muzzle to monitor its health and predict a variety of issues days in advance,” said Shekhar Gupta, MyAnIML’s founder and CEO, who discovered and commercialized the first-of-its-kind technology solution in animal agriculture. “By addressing symptoms early, we can better ensure the health and well-being of the entire herd for a more reliable and efficient food supply chain.”

Predictive Analytics Reduces Antibiotics Use and Creates More Resilient Supply Chains

In addition to preventing economically significant disease outbreaks, MyAnIML helps cattle producers use antibiotics more efficiently, reducing costs and inhibiting the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a rising concern amongst human health professionals.

More than 70% of all medically important antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in livestock production. The cattle industry takes up the bulk of that demand, using antibiotics to treat sick animals and as a preventative measure. A typical 5000-head feedlot spends $250,000 annually on antibiotics just to preemptively treat calves for BRD, Gupta said.

“Antibiotics have been a powerful tool to keep U.S. herds healthy, but by identifying infected animals days earlier in the disease cycle, producers can use antibiotics more efficiently when they need to support a sick animal and reduce the need for preemptive antibiotics. It’s a win-win for producers and consumer health,” Gupta said.

AI and Bluetooth Ear Tags for Animal Agriculture Offer Immediate Benefits for Ranchers

MyAnIML’s bluetooth ear tag was developed specifically to help large-scale commercial feedlots and stockyards implement the MyAnIML predictive health technology into their day-to-day operations.

Unlike other ear tag technology in the marketplace, including RFID tags, the MyAnIML tag helps pen riders quickly find a specific animal in a pen simply by using their mobile device, saving hours of labor time and more rapidly removing sick animals from the herd.

“In a large-scale, or even small-scale system, being able to accurately predict a sick cow is a huge benefit. But the follow-up of finding that animal can be a huge problem,” said Nathan Leiker, a northwestern Kansas cow-calf and feedlot operator using the MyAnIML technology since early 2022. “MyAnIML’s Bluetooth ear tags connect the dots between disease prediction and animal identification. All I have to do is push a button on my phone and it takes me directly to the cow I want. It’s the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack with a magnet. “

How it works:

Cameras strategically mounted take multiple images of a cow’s muzzle daily, monitoring for changes.
These images are analyzed using AI and machine learning against a library of health indicators.
The rancher is emailed a health alert report, with ID specific to each animal flagged with a muzzle change.
Producers open the app to find a predicted sick animal’s location and once within 20 meters, use the app’s directional arrow and buzzing noise to lead them directly to the target animal.

Commercially available in the U.S. since 2022 with multiple large installations and pilot projects underway in 2023, MyAnIML has attracted interest internationally and plans rapid scale-up in the coming years. Ranchers or dairy producers interested in implementing the technology can visit myaniml.com for more information.

About MyAniML

MyAnIML, an AI startup for animal agriculture, invented and commercialized the first-of-its-kind platform for early disease prediction in cattle using facial recognition technology focused on a cow’s muzzle. The initial discovery is the product of intense curiosity and a sense of purpose by the founder, a computer scientist, and his wife, a physician. Founded in 2021, MyAnIML’s mission is to help ensure the health and well-being of cattle while ensuring an affordable and safe food supply. Partnering with veterinarians, land grant universities and ranchers, the company’s experience developing and scaling data platforms for other industries is now being applied to animal agriculture. For more information www.myaniml.com .

NCBA Files Comments on USDA Traceability Rule

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 18:29:08 GMT

Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) filed comments on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule “ Use of Electronic Identification Eartags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison ” to emphasize the importance of electronic animal identification to protect the cattle industry from the threat of a foreign animal disease. USDA’s proposed rule would apply to cattle 18-months or older only when moving interstate.

“An outbreak of a foreign animal disease in the United States, like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), would be catastrophic to the cattle industry and our way of life,” said NCBA President Todd Wilkinson, a South Dakota cattle producer. “Traceability is about risk protection and ensuring we have the tools to quickly identify and respond to an outbreak while strengthening consumer trust in our high-quality beef. Our comments emphasize the importance of protecting the U.S. cattle herd from the threat of a foreign animal disease while also protecting producers’ private data, limiting the cost of tagging devices, and operating at the speed of commerce.”

Without a national traceability system in place, the impact of a foreign animal disease outbreak would be magnified. For example, an FMD outbreak in the United States would lead to an immediate stop of all livestock movement for at least 72 hours. Most major export markets would close to U.S. beef and the estimated economic impact could be as high as $228 billion.

A traceability system supports cattle producers quickly returning to normal operations after a disease outbreak. Traceability data would allow producers in low-risk areas to resume transporting cattle, while helping animal health officials stop the spread of disease in high-risk areas. A traceability program also helps expedite the return to an FMD-free designation, which is beneficial for trading relationships and consumer trust in beef.

View the full comments here .

Background

As a grassroots organization, NCBA’s perspective on traceability has been developed by cattle producers who serve on the NCBA Traceability Working Group and by grassroots members who voted on traceability policy at the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention. NCBA believes that any traceability system:
• Is industry driven.
o To serve the needs and interests of beef cattle producers.
o In coordination with current and future federal, state, and tribal government animal disease traceability programs.
• Is capable of being managed and overseen by private entities that address animal disease traceability needs of the beef cattle industry in coordination with government, state, and tribal disease tracing mechanisms.
• Maintains producer data privacy.
• Is equitable to all industry sectors.
• Is compatible with common industry practices.
• Operates at the speed of commerce.
• Is credible in domestic and international markets.
• Uses electronic identification devices and electronic data transfer.

View NCBA’s grassroots policy on traceability here .

Why Animal Disease Traceability Matters to Cattle Producers

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 22:20:41 GMT

Question of the Week: Who is on your team?

I like to think of people working on or for cattle operations as members of that operation’s team and it is imperitive that all members of the team work together for the best interest of the ranch.

That team can consists of employees, veterinarians, nutritionists, accountants, bankers, other ranchers or anyone else who helps drive your ranch forward.

Do you have a list of who is on your team and are they all on the same page with the direction you want the ranch to go?

Why Animal Disease Traceability Matters to Cattle Producers

Callahan Grund is a cow-calf producer in Kansas but is extremely passionate about his day job with U.S. CattleTrace. Grund is the Executive Director for this non-profit company that focuses on building a nationally significant traceability system for animal disease in the beef industry. Grund shares what traceability and biosecurity are, why they matter to all cow-calf producers in the United States and some potential solutions being explored to create an effective traceability system.

What is Traceability?

Traceability, the quality of having an origin or course of development that may be found or followed. This is the definition of traceability provided by Google. This is a broad definition of a word that can be used to describe consumers’ desire to know where their food comes from, marketing cattle in a way that allows feeders to know the genetic basis and origin of cattle and the ability to track the origin of a disease if there is an outbreak. When you think about all the different buckets of traceability, the United States already has a partial system. The use of EIDs and RFIDs and the use of value-added programs has created a degree of traceability starting in the cow-calf sector. However, when it comes to disease traceability; there is not a complete system in place. Grund said, “Having 70% of the industry participating in a traceability system would be nationally significant.” He hopes to see the industry there in the next 10 years, but there is still some work that needs to be done.

Why Does this Matter to Beef Producers?

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is currently in two-thirds of the world. Even though FMD hasn’t been seen in the U.S. since 1929, it is something beef producers need to be cautious of. If you are wondering why beef producers need to be concerned about FMD even though it isn’t in the United States, it is because of the economic impact it could have on individual ranches, rural communities and the entire beef supply chain.

Grund said, “We do need to be prepared because we’ve seen other segments of the protein industry impacted by animal diseases. The swine industry was faced with African swine fever and the poultry industry with high-path avian influenza. These diseases are real and they’re detrimental to business. We can all see that with the price of eggs right now. The price increase is not just because of inflation, that is because of high-path avian influenza. So you know, trying to work on those traceability systems and those tools is really important. It will allow us to be on a level playing field with the rest of the world and be able to continue to be a leader like we are in the protein segment across the world today.”

The other aspect cattle producers need to understand about animal diseases is how quickly they can spread. “Think about the tip of a ballpoint pen as Foot and Mouth Disease. If I stick it in the water at a feedyard, that’s enough variant to affect 10,000 head of cattle. So, think about how rapidly that can spread. If those 10,000 head were in a pen right beside a road and a truck drives by, they’re shedding enough virus at that point to infect a truck that is 20-30 yards away from them at that point. So, it spreads literally like wildfire. That’s why it’s important to have a system that could quickly and accurately trace it, to be able to isolate those diseases,” said Grund.

Now, what happens when FMD or another major animal disease occurs in the United States? Ultimately, things need to be shut down to stop the spread of the disease and find the source. Without a traceability system, there is no telling how long this would take but we do know that halting business would be detrimental to cow-calf producers and economies that rely on agriculture.

Biosecurity & Traceability Solutions

Currently, the United States has done a great job improving the education component of this industry challenge. However, we still have a long way to go. Grund likes to think about traceability from the perspective of each state. “The reason I talk about it from a state perspective is I think in the U.S., that’s where traceability and disease preparedness and response really start and end. You know, USDA is a good support function in that realm, but the states are kind of the leaders as it regards to traceability, and how that works for not only the beef cattle industry but other segments of the agricultural industry too,” said Grund.

Traceability looks different in each country, but where other countries have an advantage on the United States is that they have more tools in the toolbox to create a bookend system if needed that can track cattle from birth to harvest and through ownership changes.

Grund said, “You know, thinking about some of the other countries from a traceability perspective, that’s a tool that’s not currently in our toolbox today. We have the ability to do some bookend traces, and we have a system that works pretty good for cattle over the age of 18 months. But if you look at our whole food supply chain, there’s a really big piece of the puzzle missing, and that’s feeder cattle. You know, they’re the cattle that move the most and provide the most meat into our supply chain. From a food security standpoint, that’s something that we need to take a hard look at is how do we start incorporating that class of cattle into a traceability realm to allow our animal health officials to have the opportunity to be just as good as every other country out there from a traceability perspective, trade perspective and a business continuity perspective if we ever get into a disease outbreak?”

The use of EIDs is one opportunity to create a bookend traceability system in the United States. Cattle would have to be assigned one of these tags once they leave their ranch of origin or before to make this system effective. The cost of EID tags ranges from $2-$6. These prices are slightly higher when compared to the price of a regular dangle tag that is already being used but does not include the price of any software or other readers to go with them. Grund encourages cattle producers to think about how using EIDs and software that goes with them can help them be better managers through data collection and analysis along with being a part of the animal disease traceability solution.

At the end of the day cattle producers need to understand what would happen if a disease outbreak would occur and think about how that would impact not only their livelihoods but also the economic impact it would have on their rural communities. It’s not so much a matter of if it happens so much as when. Ask yourself, how can you do your part to prepare your operation, state and country for such a scenario.

USDA Extends Comment Period on APHIS's Traceability Regulations Proposal

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 20:51:18 GMT

The comment period on a proposal to amend the animal disease traceability regulations and require electronic identification for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison has been extended 30 days, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced late last week.

According to the release , the proposal, originally announced Jan. 18 of this year, will “strengthen animal disease traceability regulations” and will require official eartags to be visually and electronically readable for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison, as well as revise and clarify record requirements, including the requirement of official identification device distribution records to be entered into Tribal, State and Federal database and be made available to APHIS upon request.

Additionally, changes have been made to a prior APHIS plan, with the agency now using the term electronic identification (EID) tags instead of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. APHIS said that is to accommodate the potential for future technologies other than RFID relative to the tags.

Ethan Lane, vice president of government affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), said the proposed system is a nod to ever-evolving technology and will be a “better” tool than RFIDs.

Read More: USDA Proposes Amendments to APHIS’s Traceability Regulations

The EID system is aimed at helping the U.S. cattle industry deal with the emergency response to animal disease events, with APHIS concluding that while foot and mouth disease (FMD) and other diseases have been largely excluded from the U.S., “exclusion of every high impact disease through every pathway of introduction is likely an unachievable task.”

APHIS is asking the public to provide comments on how the proposed rule would impact the regulated community and how APHIS might assist with implementing the changes.

All comments must be received by Apr. 19. Visit the Regulations website to submit a comment or view the proposed rule.

Two-Thirds of Consumers Deem Transparency Very to Extremely Important, Survey Finds

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:06:24 GMT

Two-thirds of consumers say transparency in animal protein is extremely or very important, says Merck Animal Health, as part of the company’s results in its first consumer transparency research study.

The study focused on gauging consumers’ growing interest in transparency in animal protein and its importance in their purchasing decision and brand trust. Specifically, the study explored the consumers’ perception of industry transparency when to comes to animal welfare and sustainability and the crossover between transparency, traceability and their willingness to pay for transparency label claims.

Surveyed consumers were given the following definitions:
Transparency: knowing how food is grown, raised and made
Traceability: know where foods come from, or more specifically, being able to follow the movement of food products and ingredients through the supply chain

Study Results

Capturing the opinions of over 1,000 consumers who represent the U.S. shopper, highlights of the study’s results include:
• 66% reported transparency in animal proteins (meat, fish, eggs and dairy) as extremely or very important; reasons were considered personal, such as health and nutrition
• 86% of consumers who reported transparency as important also rank traceability as extremely or very important; 40% of those consumers also want to know where the livestock comes from
• Over 50% reported they were willing to pay a 5% premium for transparent labeling
• 55% reported environmental sustainability as very to extremely important
• 66% reported animal care and treatment very to extremely important

“The survey results tell us consumers want more information than ever in order to make informed decisions about the food they put on their dinner tables,” says Allison Flinn, DVM, executive director of value chain and consumer affairs at Merck Animal Health.

Merck Animal Health describes the company’s DNA TRACEBACK platform as one example of an animal protein traceability solution to accurately trace meat and seafood from farm to table that helps build trust in food labels. Utilizing “nature’s bar code”—DNA—this technology assigns a unique barcode number at slaughter to each animal that can be traced through the supply chain from the farm gate, to the processing plant and to the restaurant plate.

Sustainability, nutrition, food safety and animal welfare are all topics consumers want to know more about, and greater transparency builds trust, Flinn adds. This research also provides insights into how farmers, ranchers, food brands and allied industry partners, like Merck Animal Health, can collaborate to meet their expectations.

USDA Proposes Amendments to APHIS's Traceability Regulations

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 20:04:19 GMT

USDA published a proposed rule which would amend U.S. animal disease traceability regulations to require eartags in cattle and bison that are both visually and electronically readable — electronic identification (EID) tags.

Some changes have been made to a prior APHIS plan, including now the agency using the term EID tags instead of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. APHIS said that is to accommodate the potential for future technologies other than RFID relative to the tags.

Industry Responds

Ethan Lane, vice president of government affairs at NCBA, broke down the timeline for the transition to EID tags in Thursday’s AgriTalk.

“We currently have the RFID tag rule that we saw at the end of the Trump administration that took a three or four year period to ramp up and transition to,” Lane says. “This EID tag will go live as soon as it is finalized, which is likely to be a year to 18 months.”

What’s at Stake

The EID system is aimed at helping the U.S. cattle industry deal with the emergency response to animal disease events, with APHIS concluding that while foot and mouth disease (FMD) and other diseases have been largely excluded from the U.S., “exclusion of every high impact disease through every pathway of introduction is likely an unachievable task.”

Kent Bacus, NCBA’s executive director of government affairs, echoes APHIS, saying FMD is one of his association’s biggest concerns.

“We haven’t had a case of FMD in the U.S. since the 1920s, and there hasn’t been FMD in North America since the 1950s,” he says. “We have a very naive herd that would be devastated by FMD, as would other hoofed livestock.”

Disease management tactics aside, Bacus says the domino affect FMD would have on the supply chain that is continuously being soddered and broken would be “catastrophic.” He points to highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and African swine fever (ASF) as examples.

The Gameplan

Under the proposed rule, APHIS would require tags to be used that are both visually and electronically readable for interstate movement of cattle and bison six months after a final rule is published in the Federal Register.

Comments on the APHIS proposed rule are due Mar. 20. There is not yet a definitive date when the plan will finally be in place.

2022 U.S. CattleTrace Symposium Slated for Kansas City

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:05:52 GMT

The 2022 U.S. CattleTrace Symposium, will be held November 17 and 18 at the at the American Royal Center in Kansas City, MO.

The U.S. CattleTrace Symposium will bring together cattle producers, industry professionals and technology manufacturers to learn and discuss animal disease traceability and value-added opportunities.

Participants will learn more about U.S. CattleTrace and its operations, hear from leaders in the technology and animal industries, and have a seat at the table of animal disease traceability discussions related to value.

“Last year, the input we received from producers located around the country assisted our team in making the many developments achieved possible,” U.S. CattleTrace Executive Director Callahan Grund said. “Building on our previous events, participants will come together to explore a unified voice for industry-led animal disease traceability in the United States. When we come to the table as an industry, anything can be accomplished.”

Registration for the symposium will remain open through November 15. To stay up-to-date about news regarding the U.S. CattleTrace Symposium, including speaker announcements and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.uscattletrace.org/2022symposium .

USDA Hands Responsibility of RFID Traceability Efforts to APHIS

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:19:45 GMT

There are new developments in the rules and tracing of cattle via RFID tags, AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths reports. The USDA has announced it will not finalize a plan introduced by the Trump Administration to approve Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags as the official ear tag for interstate movement of cattle.

Instead, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will use the rule making process for future actions on RFID tags. APHIS has said this means all current approved ID methods can be used until further notice but adds the RFID tags provide the “best protection against the rapid spread of animal diseases,” Griffiths says.

Easier Said ... But It Must Be Done

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 16:13:01 GMT

As many, if not all, in animal agriculture can attest, conversations, meetings and research around traceability, information systems, animal identification and sustainability have been happening for several decades. So, why does the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) and Farm Journal sense now is the time to foster a more robust conversation?

Because if we, who believe strongly animal-derived proteins are good for people, do not share animal agriculture’s story, those who wish to diminish or eliminate animal agriculture from today’s food system will lead the conversation. Sadly, in several cases, they are already forming the narrative.

Mission Critical

Farm Journal and NIAA are both internal animal agriculture organizations. As a leading voice in the swine, beef, dairy and veterinary sectors, Farm Journal’s mission is to purposefully share relevant content with you, its readers, as well as listen. After all, today’s communication model is more two-way than one-way.

NIAA’s mission is to convene animal agriculture experts and allies to explore, discuss, learn and develop knowledge that fosters interdisciplinary cooperation. Since 1916, NIAA has been focused on the continuous progress of animal agriculture.

Staying true to our missions, neither of our organizations are in spaces that engage with shoppers, influencers and others affecting the social license of animal agriculture. However, we can foster conversation and exploration that provides for well-informed decision-making by those in animal agriculture and those who engage with shoppers and influencers — checkoffs, trade associations and allied industries.

Two-Way Communication

Let’s start with a more robust dialogue that focuses on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats at the intersection of traceability, information systems, animal identification and sustainability. We will explore and learn through research insights, case studies and point-counterpoint-style deeper dives. And we most certainly want to live up to today’s two-way communication model. Feedback and dialogue are encouraged and, quite frankly, required for success, whether through email, webinars or in-person gatherings.

Our work is not to advocate for a certain outcome or decision. As the facilitator of this conversation, we might introduce research or insights that challenge our thinking. We might allow for threads of conversation to be fully explored before moving on to the next. But no matter, we always want to ensure we live up to the expectation our stakeholders have come to expect — a place where tough issues can be explored and discussed in a collaborative manner.

Advancement is Necessary

It has been said there is no issue so great that reasonable people cannot come together to solve it. We will identify and bring those reasonable people in our industry together.

It also has been said that humankind has yet to develop a technology or innovation that is not used. While some innovations might be replaced by more advanced systems, it is hard, if not impossible, to identify advancements that have been “shelved” simply because we’ve decided not to use them. Just like communities went from communicating with letters and postcards to telegraphs then the telephone and onto email and text messaging, there are numerous examples in animal agriculture of similar advancements.

In the coming months, Farm Journal and NIAA look forward to exploring the intersection of traceability, information systems, animal identification and sustainability with you.

Farm Journal and the National Institute for Animal Agriculture Team Up to Help Animal Ag Share Its Story

Tue, 24 May 2022 19:55:11 GMT

“Everybody works for somebody. Me, I work for everybody in these United States that steps into a butcher’s shop for a T-bone steak, and you work for me. There’s not much difference.”

In the 1963 western movie McLintock!, G.W. McLintock, played by John Wayne, shared that succinct description on how the protein value chain works with a ranch hand. However, like many aspects of business and life, we know ensuring a safe, wholesome, affordable food supply is a bit more detailed and intertwined than McLintock describes.

(Farm Journal)

Not to make this too convoluted but each of these factors is a proverbial onion with many layers — and the more you peel the more you might experience a bit of discomfort before you reach the glorious result. You might say it’s like caramelized onions on a juicy steak or chop – representative of consumer trust in animal-derived proteins and animal agriculture’s social license to operate.

Now, add one more layer to the onion – the one pertinent to this discussion. How does animal agriculture collectively ensure we meet shoppers’ and buyers’ increased interest in and demand for greater transparency about the meat, poultry, milk, eggs and fish they choose for themselves and their loved ones?

While more complicated than this, consumer trust and social license are preserved and enhanced with data points that when aggregated and looked at holistically “tell” a story — a story of a protein-rich food that is delicious, nutritious, sustainable and accessible. Farm Journal and the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA), in a newly formed program that explores the intersection of traceability, information systems, animal identification and sustainability, believe these four areas can guide animal agriculture to its “story.”

As leaders from Farm Journal and NIAA first began discussing this collaborative initiative, foundational research was conducted of farmers and ranchers raising beef and dairy cattle and pigs. Many data points from this inaugural research when combined with consumer/shopper research indicate there are many reasons it is time to more fully explore how animal identification, information systems and traceability contribute to the sustainability – environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic viability, of animal agriculture. The below data points are of particular interest.

(Farm Journal)

In their annual Power of Meat study , the Food Industry Association (FMI) and the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) continue to find consumers believe “meat/poultry belong in a healthy, balanced diet” – 76% agreed with this statement in 2020 and 73% in 2021.

Permission to Consume

Insights from the same studies demonstrate to animal agriculture the need to give consumers “permission” to consume animal-derived proteins. The need for “permission” stems from increased interest in how animal agriculture affects health and wellness, environmental stewardship, animal welfare, worker health and safety, and more. To provide this “permission,” animal agriculture needs to share its story, which must include robust data points.

Through this collaboration, Farm Journal and NIAA will:

Explore and dive into the market conditions affecting beef, dairy and pork, such as foreign animal disease landscapes; export demand and opportunities; consumer trust; and on-farm and ranch management.
Provide a platform to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to greater connectivity among traceability, information systems, animal identification and sustainability – providing examples of lessons learned and best practices.
Highlight management practices and technology from aspiration to action.
Build consensus within animal agriculture.
Benchmark annual research exploring farmers’ and ranchers’ attitudes and practices affecting traceability, information systems, animal identification and sustainability.

Over the past several years, conversations about animal identification, sustainability, traceability and information systems have occurred sporadically and, for the most part, in silos. Today, individuals and organizations from around the globe are having a constant conversation about these four areas and how they relate.

Google trends indicate the rising interest areas within animal agriculture are climate change, meat as a food and greenhouse gasses. A Google Trends search for “meat” shows on a scale of 0 to 100 with 0 signifying little interest and 100 maximum interest, “meat” interest went from 24 in January 2004 to 73 in March 2022. For comparison, “alternative protein,” scored a 18 in January 2004 and a 76 in March 2022.

Monitoring the public’s interest in alternative proteins can indicate their attitudes about animal-derived proteins as both plant and cell-cultured proteins rely on environmental stewardship and social responsibility claims to compete with animal-derived proteins. While shoppers might not significantly switch from animal-derived proteins to alternative proteins, their interest can lead to greater rules and regulations that affect animal agriculture’s social license.

Together, Farm Journal and NIAA believe animal agriculture leaders need to come together to be a leading voice in these conversations. After all, if animal agriculture does not lead conversations, it will be “on the table, not at the table.” There’s a difference.

The time is now for this more robust and meaningful conversation. Are you ready to be “at the table” or “on the table”?

Cattle Traceability Encourages Collaboration to Improve Transparency

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:57:39 GMT

What does traceability mean for your operation? The U.S. CattleTrace Annual Symposium in Wichita, KS, Nov. 19. concluded with a panel to answer this specific question for attendees.

The panel was moderated by Justin Sexten, Vice President of Strategy at Performance Livestock Analytics. Panelists were Race King, TR MT Land and Cattle LLC Ranch Manager; Jerrid Hermann, Cherokee Sales Co. LLC Owner; and Bob Sato, Feedyard Operations Director for Friona Industries.

Traceability can be seen as just another task for many cow-calf operators however, the technologies provide many benefits to the operation to improve management and using the data to make a more uniform calf crop. The data has a strong impact on management decisions as well as offering the mechanisms for disease traceability. Auction markets get a lot of pressure concerning traceability from many sectors of the beef industry.

Traceability can improve accuracy and efficiency in all day-to-day sale barn operations. Commercial feedlots have experienced the many benefits of traceability technologies, using the data received in their operation to make decisions concerning operation management and when purchasing calves. Traceability is a capital investment but the advantages the data gives allows for efficiency and profitability.

“Less than 5% of calves coming into our feedyards are ID tagged straight from the source,” said Sato.

Traceability adds value at the operations level across the beef industry. Sharing data allows the industry to get better together by collaborating to make decisions that improve beef production. Traceability increases the transparency which allows the beef industry to gain trust from the consumer.

“The value is in the data capture. We can know how animals perform at certain times of the year and allows us the improve production efficiency. The data tells us what went into the animal from a nutrition and disease standpoint,” explained Sato.

A large concern of traceability is what happens to animals with lost tags? The panel unanimously agreed that lost tags are going to happen, but one form of identification is never enough. Having multiple forms of identification for each animal improves accuracy and transparency across each sector of the industry.

Traceability means the U.S. beef industry getting better together by collaborating to improve production efficiencies from the cow-calf producer and until the beef product reaches the consumer’s table. Most importantly, traceability increases transparency and trust for the U.S. beef industry which benefits both the producer and the consumer.

Traceability

Why Traceability Matters in the Cattle Industry: Safeguarding Herds, Markets and the Future

1. Disease Outbreaks: Traceability is Your First Line of Defense

2. Risk Management: A Plan for What You Can’t Control

3. Market Access: Keeping Domestic and Export Channels Open

4. Value-Added Programs: Traceability Unlocks Premiums

5. Consumer Confidence: Trust Built on Transparency

6. Be Prepared: Build a Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan for Your Operation

Plan Now, Stay Open Later

Next Step in the Supply Chain: Walmart Opens First Owned and Operated Case-Ready Beef Facility

The Facility

The Time Is Now: Let’s Prepare Before ‘It’ Hits

Smart Partnership Strengthens Disease Traceability

Speer: We Need Some Common Sense When It Comes to Electronic Identification

How the ADT Rule Fits In

4 Points to Remember

In the Words of Greg Henderson

TSCRA Hosts Educational Webinar About USDA's Final Animal Disease Traceability Rule

Global Insights: Exploring Cattle Practices Around the World

Blackshirt Feeders: Closing the Loop

APHIS To Require Electronic Animal ID for Certain Cattle and Bison

Data Capture Adds Value

Market Value

Sustainability

Lasting Impacts

Pork Producers Adopt Enhanced Swine Traceability Resolution at National Pork Industry Forum

U.S. CattleTrace and IMI Global Announce Strategic Alliance

8 Reasons Why Beef-on-Dairy Makes the Perfect Cross

For more on beef-on-dairy, read:

Navigating Structural Changes: Rabobank's Insights on Challenges and Opportunities in Global Animal Protein Markets

Production

Structural Changes

Consumption

Outside Pressures

Gardiner, Leathers Elected To Lead U.S. CattleTrace Board

Registration Open For 2023 U.S. CattleTrace Symposium

MyAnIML Expands Predictive Health Platform Using Muzzles To Detect Disease

NCBA Files Comments on USDA Traceability Rule

Why Animal Disease Traceability Matters to Cattle Producers

Question of the Week: Who is on your team?

Why Animal Disease Traceability Matters to Cattle Producers

What is Traceability?

Why Does this Matter to Beef Producers?

Biosecurity & Traceability Solutions

USDA Extends Comment Period on APHIS's Traceability Regulations Proposal

Two-Thirds of Consumers Deem Transparency Very to Extremely Important, Survey Finds

Study Results

USDA Proposes Amendments to APHIS's Traceability Regulations

Industry Responds

Read more: JEV: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

What’s at Stake

Read more: Spike in Illegal Pork Brought in by Travelers in Taiwan Prompts Warning

The Gameplan

2022 U.S. CattleTrace Symposium Slated for Kansas City

USDA Hands Responsibility of RFID Traceability Efforts to APHIS

Easier Said ... But It Must Be Done

Mission Critical

Two-Way Communication

Advancement is Necessary

Read More

Farm Journal and the National Institute for Animal Agriculture Team Up to Help Animal Ag Share Its Story

Farm Journal and the National Institute for Animal Agriculture Team Up to Help Animal Ag Share Its Story

Permission to Consume

Cattle Traceability Encourages Collaboration to Improve Transparency