One of the prices producers pay for hog traceability will be going up 10 per cent. The Manitoba Pork Council said in a notice to producers Wednesday that the Canadian Pork Council will apply a 10 per cent increase to the prices of PigTrace ear tags and accessories, effective Dec. 15. Table: PigTrace ear tag […] Read more
PigTrace tag prices go up Dec. 15
Program costs 'unsustainable' without price increase
Allflex buys RFID reader maker Agrident
One of the world’s biggest livestock identification firms has expanded its share of the radio frequency ID (RFID) tag reader market with a deal to buy German manufacturer Agrident. Allflex, whose parent firm the Allflex Group rebranded in February under the name Antelliq, announced Aug. 21 it has bought Agrident for an undisclosed sum. Agrident, […] Read more
Alberta now home to world-class RFID tag testing lab
Lots can go wrong with plastic ear tags when it’s really cold and the new SAIT lab will help reduce the incidence of tag failure
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta is now home to an internationally certified laboratory for testing the radio frequency identification (RFID) tags used to track livestock across the value chain. The lab, located at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s (SAIT) Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) department in Calgary, is one of only three certified animal RFID testing labs […] Read more
Z Tags owner Datamars reportedly up for sale
Frankfurt | Reuters — Buyout group Columna Capital is preparing its Swiss animal tagging group Datamars for a sale in a potential deal that could be worth as much as over 300 million Swiss francs (C$404 million), two people close to the deal said. The private equity investor has asked investment advisory boutique Evercore to […] Read more
Traceability poised for next step: Auto tracking of cattle
The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) is tapping into new technology to make traceability fast and easy
Reading Time: 3 minutes Automated tracking of cattle may soon be a reality. During the coming year, the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) will be experimenting throughout the province with data loggers installed at farms, feedlots, and auction markets to track cattle as they move through the value chain. “Movement is very difficult to track, especially when animals are […] Read more
Canada’s PSP buys stake in tag maker Allflex
Reuters — PSP Investments, one of Canada’s biggest pension funds, said Friday it had acquired a significant minority stake in Allflex Group, the world’s biggest maker of electronic tags for animals, from private equity firm BC Partners. The purchase was overseen by PSP’s new team in London, led by Simon Marc, and is likely to […] Read more
Tool puts traceability service providers on the map
Traceability Connects has more than 80 locations offering livestock traceability services in Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta livestock owners now have easier access to information and services for the livestock traceability system through a new interactive map called Traceability Connects. The map makes it easier for livestock producers to connect with traceability service providers, said Kelly Corbett, provincial traceability education co-ordinator “The tool identifies over 80 locations province-wide that offer a […] Read more
Researchers using big data to find feed-efficient dairy cattle
The goal is to develop a prediction tool for breeding cows that will eat less with no loss in productivity
Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers at the University of Alberta are looking to give producers a bit of a boost by isolating feed-efficient traits in dairy cattle. “We have an estimate that breeding for increased feed efficiency and reduced methane emission can reduce feed costs by about $100 per cow per year,” said Paul Stothard, an assistant professor of […] Read more
Sherwood Park man invents new cattle tracker with multiple uses
Wireless rumen bolus can track cattle and other livestock and also measure their temperature to predict sickness or fertility cycles
Reading Time: 2 minutes It all started with a simple idea. Neil Helfrich, a Sherwood Park inventor, had a moment of inspiration when his wife brought home a puppy in 2007. The dog had a microchip implant, which identifies the animal but can’t track it if it runs away. A device able to do the latter, Helfrich realized, would […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
