WSGA Offers Electronic Animal Identification Program

Cheyenne, WY- The Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) introduced a new service, April 15th, available to cattle producers in Wyoming and across the nation. WYTrax, a herd management program, is designed to assist producers in collecting and warehousing data electronically via an online database. WYTrax may be accessed immediately by visiting www.wytrax.com.

WYTrax is powered by APEIS (Animal Permanent Electronic Identification System,) a Norfolk, Nebraska company that has introduced similar systems in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and South Dakota. “The WSGA leadership looked carefully at several available electronic programs over the past year,” states WSGA Executive Vice President Jim Magagna. “It was the unanimous decision of the officers that the TraxLink software and service offered by APEIS represented a producer-friendly system with the flexibility to meet the future needs of Wyoming’s cattle industry.”

Offering several unique attributes, as well a straightforward system, WYTrax boasts three methods of data entry producers can choose from.

1. A basic data entry method, utilizing printable chute-side forms from the website and entered online manually at a later time, or by using the WSGA data entering service.
2. A PDA collection device that allows for manual entry into a wireless handheld PDA (personal digital assistant.)
3. A PDA with reader capabilities, employing an RFID (radio frequency identification) reader that electronically scans and records EID (electronic identification) tags.

WSGA is offering WYTrax as an ‘electronic individual data system,’ and stresses that this is not the same as the highly publicized USAIP (United States Animal Identification Plan.) “For some producers, WYTrax may be an immediately useful tool in herd management,” explicates Magagna. “For others a review of the system will simply be an education in new technologies within the beef industry.” He further explains, “WYTrax is not a step toward a national animal identification system. However, it does offer the technology to meet the demands of such a system, if adopted.”

WYTrax is relatively inexpensive to implement with a set-up fee of $29.95, and a fee of as little as $3 per head to tag the animal. When producers logon to the WYTrax website they can choose between Allflex and Y-Tex tags. Additional costs will depend on the user and the data entry method they select. WYTrax does not require users to purchase, install, and maintain software for their computer, instead, the TraxLink software is included on a user’s PDA hardware. Other options to purchase include a Bluetooth Wireless EID Tag Reader that will communicate with a PDA and eliminate manual entry altogether.

Once a herd is established in the WYTrax system producers can filter, sort, benchmark against other herds in the data base, and create reports. Data may also be transferred from a seller to a buyer, even if the buyer does not have a WYTrax account. However, all data is securely stored within the WYTrax system and can only be accessed by the producer directly via an ID and password. Because records are stored on a national/international online database and not on a home computer, they can be viewed from any electronic devise that has access to the internet.

In announcing the new program, WSGA President Philip Ellis of Chugwater, stated, “WSGA is excited to serve our Wyoming cattle producers by offering electronic animal identification. While this won’t serve every operation, I’m glad we can make the program available to those who choose to track their management practices or cattle movement utilizing computer based RFID tags.”

As part on the program introduction, WSGA will host a hands-on demonstration of the tools available for establishing an electronic individual data system at their summer convention in Casper, June 2-5. The event will feature a complete electronic identification setup and will invite cattle raisers to study available options and try their hand at tagging and recording information about an animal.

For more information about the WYTrax system, visit www.wytrax.com and try the online demo provided, or procure a copy of the spring issue of CowCountry, the official magazine of WSGA. WYTrax and information on the summer convention may also be accessed via www.wysga.org. To speak with someone about WYTrax, or the upcoming summer convention, call the WSGA office at (307) 638-3942 and speak with Kosha.

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