Dec 2010 Articles---Three different cattleman magazines.

[SADIE]

THE CANADIAN CATTLEMEN---Dec 2010 Edition:

Lost Tags get more expensive--Increase in monetary fines?????

2011 Ushers in a New Era For Traceability

Community Pastures Put Traceability to the Test.

2)SASKATCHEWAN CATTLEMEN'S CONNECTION Dec 2010

Traceability from down under---Australia's Traceability system is an eye opener.

1)Cattle graze 11 months of the year. No cold weather, Ear tag retention much much higher than Canada.

2)CFIA equivalent in Australia----totally opposite approach----Many forms of education process before any Militant or Gestapo type monetary fines are levied like the Canadian system.

3)Cattle auction in Austrailia very different than the Canadian system.

3)THE GRAIN NEWS---DEC 2010 Lee Hart's editorial---EAR TAG SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN.

Rancher from Eureka River experiences greater than 10 % loss on RFID eartags--REYFLEX because that he is able to access through his ag outlet or veterinarian. He has contacted and written ag personnel, CCIA personnel, and government personnel asking for help on this issue. Not one return phone call.

I do not know how many of these articles are accessable via the internet. With all three magazines in hand very confusing stories coming forward.

[burnt]

So we preg checked today and I am paying the price of not enough bull power. We retagged any opens with missing tags but noticed a nasty problem.

Even those original RFID tags that were still in the ear were not in very good condition.

Most of the button on the back of the ear was gone on many of the tags. They could get pulled out of the ear from the front with very little help, I'm afeared.

The only reason they are still in is likely because they are deep in the ear. I guess I should have spent the 3 bucks and popped new ones in beside the old ones.

What a crock of bullshizen this business has become.

[ALLFARMER]

I am just asking...do what you like but why do you put RFID tags in your cows ears anyway? Why not just tage the culls before shipping?

[ALLFARMER]

you may have a long calving season Burnt just like I did last year...not fun. We had just enough bull power then when we figured everyone was about 2/3 prego 1 bull broke his tool another was lame. We got the young one with the broken tool into the freezer and the other bull back into action, the result. With the new cows from auction and the older cows that were bred late we calved from February (first three froze) to July. We learned babys don't move well with the electric fence moving every day. They get left behind...so small, walk sometimes on purpose through the fence, & get lost in long grass. The last 3 calves born in the far pasture were picked off by the wolves/coyoto's So we bought 3 more bulls and have the newly bought heifers/cows locked in a corral.

How long did you run your bulls with the cows or are they still with the cows? When things got cold here I pulled 4 of my bulls and left the cheapest one with the cows for winter. I figure if he freezes his nuts I have a great reason to get rid of him.

[SADIE]

Allfarmer.

Up ask a very good question. Why do you put the RFID eartags on the cows. Just RFID those going from your premise to slaughter.

Allfarmer---That would be great. I now envy anyone who does have his/her own pasture.

Back in 2009 when the Shit hit the fan. Transporting cow-calf pairs to a PFRA pasture---Pasture of intermingling. Not a tagging facility.

This story has been hashed many times before and will not repeat it at this time.

June 2009 I attented a veterinary conference in Saskatchewan. Practicing large animal veterinarians /who have direct relations as veterinarians within CFIA---announced at that time to me where the next move CFIA wanted to go with Section 176 (movement of cow-calf pairs to pastures)---to include not just intermingling pastures need to have RFIDs but also crossing public roads and to ones own pastures away from home.

Since May 2009 and all what has happened there has been a huge "back off" of CFIA.

Any Cattlemen who does not need a PFRA pasture ---enjoy.

Saskatchewan---around Saskatoon has many PFRA pastures because this is a graining community first. Huge nos of herd dispersal sales and COWS are now gone-Sold. Talked to many of those producers---Am out because of REGULATION and What they Fear is going keep on coming down the pipe on more Regulation.

PFRA pasture managers now crying for cows for spring 2011.

[burnt]

Allfarmer- I would not tag cows again until they leave the farm after this. I'm not sure what my thinking was when I RFIDed them the first time several years ago. As far as the bull problems go, it was a case of poor planning and tight cash flow. Obviously, I should have spent more money on a second or third bull and less elsewhere.

Let it suffice to say that I've made more than my share of mistakes in the past few years and it is catching up quickly . . .