CALF_News_Feb_March_2019

15 CALF News • February | March 2019 • www.calfnews.net not only uses the CattleTrace system in his lots, but got involved at the ground level as the programwas developing. Why? First, he says, our industry desperately needs a traceability system. If there was ever an FMD outbreak, the U.S. government could intervene and force a government-developed system on producers. The cattle industry needs to develop their own system – one that works – instead of having to use a system developed by non-ag entities. Second, the United States is one of only two major beef cattle exporting countries that don’t have a traceability program in place. This is already com- plicating trade with foreign countries; someday, it may be a crucial point in trade negotiations. Producers are potentially harming themselves by not implementing a traceability system. Depenbusch says that, according to the World Perspectives Inc. report, approxi- mately two-thirds of the U.S. cattle popu- lation needs to become traceable in order for the system to be considered nationally significant. Perfection (100 percent) isn’t the goal. The export market is hanging in the balance. He also emphasizes that data is not shared between producers (cow-calf producers and feedyards, for example). Data privacy is the most important consid- eration in the development of this trace- ability system. Depenbusch encourages the industry to stop and think about ways UHF tech- nology can benefit cattle operations. For example, adding the tag readers and infor- mation into an animal health database, building health history on individuals or groups, and passing histories along from backgrounding yards to the feedyard. There‘s plenty to consider as technol- ogy develops. It’s a job in itself not to get left behind.  Note the tag readers on either end of the alley frame. They are able to read groups of cattle as they move through feedlot facilities. Creative:Clients:Micronutrients:1500-25115 Micronutrients Beef Ads:1500-25115 Micronutrients Beef Ads_Calf News_v07.indd Jan 10, 2018 11:58 AM IntelliBond ® is a registered trademark of Micronutrients, a Nutreco company. © 2018 Micronutrients USA, LLC. All rights reserved. Don’t antagonize me. Antagonists are impossible to avoid in your operation— from water, to feed, to forages—and your trace mineral program could be making it worse. Sulfate trace minerals easily separate and bind to antagonists, reducing the amount of minerals available for absorption, interfering with digestion and even reacting with other feed ingredients. IntelliBond ® hydroxy trace minerals work differently, dissolving more slowly in the digestive process for minimal binding with antagonists and absorption at the optimal point in digestion. www.micro.net (317) 486-5880 Smart minerals, smart nutrition... smart decision Discover the benefits of switching your trace minerals to IntelliBond ® at www.micro.net SULFATE FREE N o C o p p e r S u l f a t e • N o Z i n c S u l f a t e • N o M a n g a n e s e S u l f a t e • TraceMineral MADE IN USA