USDA: New Climate Change Research

Climate change and its impact on the land, crops and animals.

For years producers from livestock to agriculture, have been concerned about global warming, climate change and the effects that it is having across the board. Many times those concerns and voiced alarms had fallen on deaf ears.

Producers of our food chain supply, from meat to vegetables and fruits are the first of all people, who know (Have Known) about the climate changes and its effects. Climate change has had an impact on land, crops, and animals over the last twenty years.

The producers have spoken, and finally it is officially being recognized as a concern. Climate change and its impact is now part of a new national study.

The US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have created a joint research program that designates nearly $50 million to develop climate system models to provide insights on climate variability and impacts on ecosystems across the board.

For years we have all noticed the climate change or global warming, which effects the world, and all consumers who every day buy their fruits and vegetables.

In a year where there is a bad crop, and or low yield, consumers pay a higher price, but ultimately it is the producer who is losing money, as the crops have diminished to low or below breakeven margins, and in many cases has to accept the same selling rate to distributors, and take a loss on additional cost measures to protect their crop.

Same is said for the livestock industry, with rising fuel costs, which affects everything to feed, hay, and machinery needed to provide the needed daily care of livestock.

The USDA, DOE, and NSF will make requests on the proposal for the program in 2010.

This year the NSF will contribute up to $30 million, the DOE will pitch in an approximate $9 million, and the USDA with an approximate of $10 million. With this joint venture between the three main agencies, this will allow for combined funding, and expertise in each of its fields, which they will collectively share.

USDA will support research to develop climate based models that will be linked specifically to crop, forestry, livestock, and aquaculture, to measure the potential management and strategies in the development of the climate change project.

Through federal funding and leadership for the research, education and extension programs, the NIFA will focus on science and solving critical issues which impact daily lives of people, and the nation.

The much needed study on climate change and its impact affects on livestock and agriculture are finally being recognized as a major concern, not only to producers but to the nation and overall population.

Global warming and climate change its impacts on the land, crops and animals is a concern that should be taken seriously by everyone.

© Copyright 2010 Livestock-ID

Read more...

Livestock Premise Identification in Canada

Premise Identification, is a key factor in livestock traceability, along with tagging livestock with RFID ear tags, premise identification (Premise ID) is an important part of the livestock traceability chain. This enables authorities (CCIA) to trace livestock back to point of origin, through RFID cattle ear tags, as well as the farm or feedlot the animal came from.

In short premise identification is the identity of a geographic location, or plot of land, which is quickly identified during an outbreak.

Premise Identification is an extremely important factor in livestock traceability, without a premise id, the traceability systems does not come full circle in the traceability chain.

Premises are the location where livestock are held, this includes farms, pastures, feedlots, auction marts, and veterinary clinics.

In the event of a disease outbreak, the register of premise id provides officials with the exact location of specific livestock. In the event of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak also known as foot and mouth disease, livestock can be first located by premise identification.

The animal traceability system is comprised of three main components, which are premise identification, animal identification, and animal movements. These factors are recorded in the livestock database. (Canadian Livestock Tracking System)

Premise identification is also cost effective, as fewer livestock animals would be affected by an outbreak, and only those specific premise locations, where an outbreak can be traced back, would be affected, and quick action can be implemented to reduce the loss of cattle, sheep or other livestock from that location.

In Canada all livestock operators must have their location registered for premise identification; this is also needed for RFID ear tags, Age Verification and animal movements, as they are allocated to that specific premise.

The Government of Saskatchewan is assisting the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) with the registering of Saskatchewan premises.

To register for premise identification and age verification of animals please see the contact details below.

Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) at 1-877-909-2333 or info@canadaid.ca

  Their website http://www.canadaid.com/

The CCIA’s Canadian Livestock Tracking Systems: http://www.clia.livestockid.ca/CLTS/public/splash.do

© Copyright  2010 Livestock-ID 8Z8JWFMP68BK

Read more...

Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) RFID Pilot

Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) RFID Pilot has begun.

The Canadian Sheep Federation had received over 63 applications for the RFID pilot project.

From the Sheep producer applications, the CSF had selected 25 producers to take part in the pilot project. The producers selected were from BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Maritimes.

The sheep producers range from small flocks, to large flocks. The RFID pilot is to determine the overall costs of implementing RFID for sheep producers. The pilot will also determine the overall benefits of animal identification as well.

The Alberta Lamb Producers have been omitted from the RFID pilot, because they are already in a Pilot, which is in its third year. The Alberta Lamb Traceability Project (LTP).

Sheep producers in Quebec (La Fédération des producteurs d'agneaux et moutons du Québec) have been omitted as well, RFID is mandatory in Quebec and reported to Agri-Traçabilité Québec (ATQ).

The Canadian Sheep Federation has allocated funding to fully refund and cover the costs of the RFID Pilot to the participating producers.

Sheep management software is fully refunded by the CSF at 100 percent, up to maximum of $700.00.

The RFID sheep tags are also refunded 100 percent.

The following is the RFID sheep ear tags being used,  which are the yellow Allflex RFID button tag and the Shearwell Data SET tag with the official CSIP numbers. 
 

Hardware for the RFID pilot is a shared cost of 50 percent between the Canadian Sheep Federation and the participating Sheep producers.

Included in the cost sharing is the following.

Laptop computer up to $800.00

RFID Reader up to $1500.00

Scale indicators and load bars up to $2000.00

The sheep producers in the pilot have a choice of the manufactures and product variations they wish to use within the budgeted limits as indicated above.

© Copyright 2010 Livestock-ID

Read more...

Livestock-ID: Animal Identification Resource

Welcome to Livestock-ID, a blog about Animal identification Resources. Livestock-ID is dedicated to helping producers and professionals with the various types of Animal Identification on the market.

 

In the Livestock market, there is many types of identification, from Tattoo’s, visual ID tags, and EID tags, (also known as ear tags, cattle ear tags).
8Z8JWFMP68BK

Livestock Identification has four main elements, which enables Animal Identification and animal traceability.

Ear Tags.
RFID Readers (Wand, Stick, Ad-on, or Fixed readers)
Livestock Software. (Cattle or Sheep)
Reporting animal births, deaths, and movements.

We will go into thorough details on all the elements that make animal traceability work. We will cover all topics from RFID readers, to cattle software to recommending the most cost effective traceability system.

© Copyright 2010 Livestock-ID

Read more...