Wyoming rancher says blockchain technology offers producers ‘a chance to do COOL on their own merits’

Ogden Driskill is a leading proponent of the BeefChain alliance, designed to bring value back home to Wyoming ranchers. His grandchildren are the eighth generation to ranch beneath Devils Tower in the northeast part of the Cowboy State, and he wants to see their livelihood carry on. Since humans first started accounting for trades in value, be it with hammered metal, cowrie shells or squirrel pelts, the concept of money has continued to evolve. A group of Wyoming ranchers and businesspersons are taking cutting edge trade technology – blockchain management – and envisioning it applied to one of the world's most traditional industries, that of raising cattle. What is a blockchain? Blockchain is a generic term for a connected, unalterable system of data that notarizes when, where and between whom a transaction or action has occurred. Blockchains utilize cryptography (code) that once entered, is unable to be altered. So far, the technology is "unhackable." The first blockchain was developed in 2008 by an anonymous coder to launch the global digital currency Bitcoin, a virtual monetary system that bypassed banks (and pardoned the lives of many squirrels). The vernacular is "the blockchain," however, anyone can apply the technology, and a variety of companies today peddle their versions of blockchain platforms. Theoretically, kids trading marbles could enter transactions into a designated blockchain. Real-world examples of potential uses, though, include digital voting, land and title transfers, tax regulation, medical recordkeeping, or more controversial notions of weapons tracking or workforce regulation. BRANDING CREWS AND RFID In the small town of Devil's Tower, Wyo., where his cattle graze land in the shadows of the national monument, rancher, businessman and state Sen. Driskill envisions the blockchain as a missing link in adding value to Wyoming cattle. Development of blockchain legislation in the Wyoming Senate, along with a separate, but eye-opening, trade mission to Taiwan, spurred Driskill to partner in the startup company BeefChain earlier this year. With the tagline "Wyoming Craft Beef," the alliance includes the owners from six Wyoming ranches, University of Wyoming faculty, traceability solution specialists, and reps from big-hitters like IBM and Microsoft. Their vision is to gain U.S. Department of Agriculture process verification approval and track calves from gate to plate. Ideally, to plates in the Pacific Rim. "We in the U.S. have no idea how much people over there want beef from Wyoming and about a five-state region around here," Driskill said. "If we can verify where our cattle came from and the processes they have undergone in their lives, there is a huge premium to be made. Our goal is to bring home probably $150-$200 per head to enrolled producers." This spring 1,600 calves of Driskill's and partnering ranches were tagged at branding with RFID tags procured from YTex, scanned using Tru-Test technology and entered into the BeefChain system built through Ethereum, a blockchain app platform. The future timeline includes owners scanning these calves again at weaning and transport, where their time, location and ownership data stamps will enter the blockchain. From there, Driskill said a lot of legwork still needs to be done. He and BeefChain CEO Rob Jennings agree success of traceability hinges on participation of all sectors, including the feedlot, packer, and retailer or restaurant. They envision as their end goal diners scanning a QR code while perusing a menu to determine if a particular food story is agreeable to their ethics and desires...MORE