Positive I.D.
US - Local farmers comply with cattle identification program
14 March 2007
1 minute read
Beef and dairy cattle in Michigan are first in the nation to have their own Social Security numbers.
A new animal identification program for cattle became mandatory in the state March 1. All cattle must wear a radio frequency identification device on their left ears. The RFID contains 15 numeric characters with the first being a country code. The code for the United States is 840.
St. Joseph County commissioner Monte Bordner of Bordner Farms in Fawn River Township said there are good reasons for an animal identification system.
"If there's a sick cow, you can trace its movements to locate other cattle that may have been exposed to a disease," Bordner said.
He said other countries have even more sophisticated systems.
Source: Sturgis Journal
