Ranchers split on use of microchips in cattle

For generations, ranchers have tracked their cattle by their brand. Every year, they corral and rope the calves, and burn the ranch's mark onto them. Now the federal government would like to add a step to the process. Agriculture officials want ranchers to start tracking their animals electronically, using microchips. The National Animal Identification System, which is currently a voluntary program, would follow a cow's every move. But for people like 64-year-old Culver rancher Marilyn Kasch, tracking cattle by their brand, the way she does it and the way her grandparents did it, works. The federal program, she said, would be a logistical nightmare. State Veterinarian Don Hansen said he's heard concerns from ranchers about the identification system, but his priority is finding the most efficient way to control disease. "We're talking about contagious disease, and that is one of the major points of the NAIS system," Hansen said. "It's a system designed to curtail the spread of a contagious disease. It's never been designed to be a food safety tool. It's how do we know where the animals are in case we have a horribly contagious disease that's flying around the country." Bill Moore, the president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, said he's hoping there will be a financial incentive to participating in the program. If cattle tracked by the system become more valuable and ranchers get paid to track them federally, then it makes more sense. "We maintain it should be voluntary and market driven, instead of something made mandatory by the federal government," he said. "The big difference is, with a voluntary system, the market can drive it. You get paid for adding value, for doing the animal ID or tracking ... In a mandatory system, the government isn't going to come up with money, so the entire cost is borne by the cow-calf producer with no help or compensation by the market."...RapidCityJournal