New cattle procedures?

[TSIPP]

Cows are tagged with a number that disappears in two years so that kinda sucks but the biggest problem I have is the useless government overreach, some people are fine with government overreach and some aren’t. I’m not really sure what’s the deal with missing tags but fences and bushes are probably some of the problem and some of the problems might be crap tags.

[littledoggie]

Strings on bales.

[littledoggie]

We background our own calves and never put tags in until they are going on the bus.

[TSIPP]

Strings on bales.

Not many guys have strings anymore but in my case nothing is fed with string or net wrap still on.

[littledoggie]

Oh, and the gov`t can`t keep track of illegal aliens but wants to keep track of our cattle!

[shtferbrains]

You're going to have to sort and run them before the trucks come every time to replace the ones lost anyway.

[TSIPP]

About 10 years ago I sold 24 calves and every one had a button and didn’t retag anything that day but I did get charged from the auction to replace 3 buttons, think it was 60 bucks a button, I always wondered if those 3 calves lost buttons or someone else calves got sold under my name, I’ve got a feeling traceable wasn’t working.

[GDR]

Tsipp,
A few years ago I hauled calves to a presort and went in to watch them weigh and have lunch, about half a dozen of my calves went through and got sorted before I heard one of the staff mention the consignors name....and it wasn't me. I stopped them and took them 15 minutes to find my manifest to continue. 4 or 5000 head moving through hundreds of pens by multiple people is a mix up waiting to happen. Wasn't at all intentional but if I hadn't of been there who knows how my cheque would have been influenced. Maybe I would have sold 300 weight longhorns instead of 600 weigh blacks. Also had a friend last year get paid for one extra calf, he questioned the mart and they couldn't figure it out so told him just to keep it.

[GDR]

I echo the tag retention, I lose somewhere around 10%/yr, nothing gets replaced until it gets sold but do tag at birth to make it easier come fall sale time.

For the most part nothing new is really being talked about with the tags. Movement is already supposed to be recorded. We all had to age verify for a few years until it got forgot about. The problem isn't the rules so much more the enforcement. No I don't want any more paper/computer work but have no issue having some level of movement records from owner/farm to owner/packer etc. Would be kinda silly tracking moving to pasture etc as for some would be quite in depth. I have neighbours with a feedlot who use the original rfid tags as management tags, they can tell you a whole lot of things from a tag number.

[Blaithin]

Retention has always been hit or miss. Realistically if a cow has her personal tag and loses her button then just record any necessary movements to her tag that’s linked to the button - it’s still known who she is. If she loses her tag but still has her button then you know who she is, retag her.

If and when it’s necessary put a new button in. Not like a cow out in pasture is A) going to easily be checked for a button or B) able to prove she lost the button yesterday or two years ago. If there’s records to her tag then the paper trail is there.