UC – Davis Dairy adopts electronic animal ID

Dr. Ed DePeters for Progressive Dairyman

Cows, heifers and calves at the Dairy Teaching, Research and Outreach Facility at UC – Davis now have electronic ID ear tags. Students in the university’s dairy production class undertook the process of fitting the dairy herd with state-of-the-art electronic ID tags earlier this year. Funding for the equipment came through a teaching grant from within the university’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Brandt Kreuscher, from Valley Agricultural Software, taught a laboratory session for the dairy production class on electronic ID systems. A class of 18 students inserted the electronic ID tags and learned how to use the software associated with the hand-held axim, as well as the associated software that integrates it with Dairy Comp 305 software. Students also discussed with Brandt how electronic ID technology could be used on commercial dairy facilities to improve management and increase profitability.

At UC – Davis, we believe electronic ID will increasingly become an important management tool on dairy farms. The ability to trace the origin of any food product back to the animal of origin is important to assuring consumers that their food supply is safe and wholesome. It also improves consumer confidence in the export market and enhances our reputation around the world.

What the immediate future holds for electronic ID of animals on commercial California dairies remains uncertain, but the rapid rate of technological advance assures increased reliance on electronic systems by California dairies in the future. It seems clear that regardless of the technology used, individual animal electronic ID will be a part of the future of the California dairy industry. PD