New cattle procedures?

[TSIPP]

She gets a button as a calf and if she looses it she doesn’t get another till she goes to town.

[TSIPP]

GDR, I had something similar happen about 20 years ago, I sold 16 steers about 800 pounders and I was paid for 500 pounders, went and asked at the auction and nobody cared, never sold at that auction again. 4800 pounds of beef went towards someone else, pretty big hit when you’re starting out with mad cow and 4 hungry kids.

[Hamloc]

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.

Blaithin here are my thoughts.
I used to age verify all my calves, I no longer do so as there is no financial benefit.
As far as tag retention in the breeding herd, certainly an issue. I tend to lose both ID tags and rfid tags. I probably re-tag 5-10% of my cows yearly. If a cow is missing both her original ID tag and her rfid tag no way to identify her original identity. I used to tag all my calves with ID tags and rfid tags at 1-2 days of age. I had one producer suggest that in the future rfid tags should only be applied when the cattle are prepped for sale whether they be calves or cows. There would be no tags and or tag movement to therefore report until day of sale. A perfectly logical reaction to rules which are too onerous and not necessary.

[littledoggie]

Blaithin here are my thoughts.
I used to age verify all my calves, I no longer do so as there is no financial benefit.
As far as tag retention in the breeding herd, certainly an issue. I tend to lose both ID tags and rfid tags. I probably re-tag 5-10% of my cows yearly. If a cow is missing both her original ID tag and her rfid tag no way to identify her original identity. I used to tag all my calves with ID tags and rfid tags at 1-2 days of age. I had one producer suggest that in the future rfid tags should only be applied when the cattle are prepped for sale whether they be calves or cows. There would be no tags and or tag movement to therefore report until day of sale. A perfectly logical reaction to rules which are too onerous and not necessary.

In our experience, the only way we have been able to keep track on individual cows in our relatively "closed" herd is with a Ketchum steel tag that has a number stamped on it. Since we have been using them (~25 years) we have lost only one.

[bucket]

GDR, I had something similar happen about 20 years ago, I sold 16 steers about 800 pounders and I was paid for 500 pounders, went and asked at the auction and nobody cared, never sold at that auction again. 4800 pounds of beef went towards someone else, pretty big hit when you’re starting out with mad cow and 4 hungry kids.

A scale is one things on the list for this farm. Even just to see how close the shrink is or to put an even load together. And for checking gains.

[TSIPP]

But if the auction doesn’t fess up for their mistake it won’t help much, I guess it’s my fault for not being a little more diligent but all I know is my 8X24 trailer holds 24 at 500 pound calves and 16 at 800 pound calves, I had two more loads of 800 pound calves that day but I’m glad I didn’t haul them.

[mcfarms]

We already have the system in place that has everything the CFIA wants,
Verified beef production plus.
Yet that system is failing we rarely see a payout from it. End users aren't willing to pay even a 20 dollar per head payment for our time and effort into that on a 4000 dollar calf.
So now the CFIA wants to move us down the path of the eu passport system.

[bucket]

But if the auction doesn’t fess up for their mistake it won’t help much, I guess it’s my fault for not being a little more diligent but all I know is my 8X24 trailer holds 24 at 500 pound calves and 16 at 800 pound calves, I had two more loads of 800 pound calves that day but I’m glad I didn’t haul them.

Don't know where you are but I watch my calves go over the scale at auction. Two reasons.

1. I get to see how our calves compare with others for the sale.
2. If they wait too long to scale I can ask for a reduction in shrink.

[TSIPP]

Like I said, I guess it’s my fault for not being more diligent.
Im south of Moose Jaw the calves went a short distance north.

[DaneG]

Ccia tags were forced upon the cattle industry on the pretence of traceability and disease outbreak mitigation! Well we all have seen how well they worked through the BSE years, 10 years of terrible prices, missed two peaks in the cattle cycle. And now that cattlemen are enjoying a cycle peak the CFIA/gov’t sees fit to add another layer of bureaucracy, expense and wasted time to the cattlemen’s life!?