Dr. David Kammel, from the UW Biological Systems Engineering Department stated that RFID technology can benefit the producer and third-party entities in the following ways:

  • Faster cow sorting
  • Value-added source verification
  • It works in harsh, dirty and wet environments
  • The data collected is unique to each animal
  • It reduces the need to restrain the animal for identification
  • It reduces the time the veterinarian needs to be on the farm
  • The software can identify discrepancies
  • It can reduce the time for DHIA milk testing

Looking more closely at how RFID can be beneficial to the third-party entities that visit a farm on a daily basis, according to Craig Walter from Valley Ag Software, there are five advantages of using RFID on vet check day. Those advantages are compliance, accuracy, speed, ease and efficiency.

Dr. Jim Meronek, Area Epidemiology Officer with USDA-APHIS, also discussed how RFID is being utilized for tuberculosis testing. He said it was because of RFID that in the last three years (in Wisconsin), more than 11,500 animals in 13 herds were able to be tested for TB in a timely, efficient manner.

The producer panel discussed the benefits they have seen since incorporating RFID into their operations and all four Wisconsin Dairy

Producers agreed that RFID has increased their data integrity and has also increased the speed it takes them to work through their to-do lists.

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Throughout the day attendees also had the opportunity to visit with the different vendors that were in attendance.

If you were unable to make the educational event, materials that were given out during the event can be found on the WLIC website at www.wiid.org. You can also call (888) 808-1910 or email info@wiid.org to request the information.  end_mark

—Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium press release