Pandemic and bioterrorism, two words we usually do not associate with youth livestock projects, but there is a connection, biosecurity. Biosecurity is the term used to describe those management practices to prevent unwanted diseases from coming onto the farm or ranch. Youth with livestock should also be practicing some form of biosecurity to protect their animals. One biosecurity practice youth will most likely participate in is traceability.
Traceability is just as the word breaks down, the ability to trace something. In this case, any problem with livestock. The two programs youth may participate in that fall under traceability are using what are referred to as 840 tags and a premise I.D.
840 Tags and Premise I.D.
840 tags are a livestock tags with a 15 digit animal identification number (AIN). The numbering starts with 840, which is the numeric code for the U.S.A. The remaining 12 digits identify the individual animal. 840 tags can be purchased directly from most livestock tag manufacturers or other sources. When 840 tags are purchased, a record of who purchased the tags and all the AINs of the tags they purchased is kept by the seller. By law, once an animal gets an 840 tag, records must be kept for 5 years on cattle, sheep and goats, and 2 years on poultry and swine.
Many county and state fairs are requiring youth showing market animals to have an 840 tag in their animal. This allows the fair to connect a specific tag to a specific animal and its owner.
Every 840 tag must be connected to a premise I.D. The Premise I.D. program is operated by your state government and helps to identify the location and owner of a livestock operation. It is a voluntary program for agriculture producers to register their operation. Most fairgrounds and livestock sales facilities have a premise I.D. numbers.
Connection to Youth Projects
So how does this all connect to youth livestock projects? When a youth brings their animal to the county or state fair that requires 840 tags, it will receive an 840 tag if it does not already have one. The fair will record the 840 tag number of that animal and the youth owner. The fair's records will also show the fairgrounds premise I.D. number. If that animal is a market animal such as a steer, lamb, goat, or swine, and is then sold to another owner, the records will show who the new owner is and the 840 tag number of the animal they purchased. The new owner should then keep a record of the animal and its 840 tag number. The 840 tag number should stay with a market animal all the way until they reach harvest. The processor would be the final record keeper of the animals and the 840 tag numbers.
Traceability Using 840 Tags and Premise I.D.
We always hope for the best and plan for the worst in agriculture and that is why 840 tags and premise I.D. numbers are being used. If there were a problem with a group of animals, such as a highly contagious disease, the 840 tags would be used to trace back who the animals came from. The premise I.D. numbers connected to the 840 tag records would give the locations the animals came from. This would allow vets and government agriculture personnel to trace the source of the disease and inform anyone who had contact or ownership of the animals.
Premise I.D. numbers and 840 tags can also be used in other important ways. For instance, a wildfire in our state threatened many ranches in the area. Using a premise I.D. map, emergency management personnel could contact the ranches, warn them about the fire and plan for evacuating livestock. Using the 840 tags, cattle who were caught running loose during the fire were identified and returned to the owner after the fire.
Traceability with 840 tags and premise I.D.s are tools for producers and government officials to use. Hopefully, youth livestock projects will not become part of a pandemic disease outbreak or the target of some evil bioterrorism event, but if they do, 840 tags and premise I.D. numbers can be used to manage the emergency.
Resources
Here are some resources on 840 tags and premise I.D.:
Official Swine Ear Tags, National Swine Registry
http://www.nationalswine.com/shows/ear_tags.php
Traceability, Colorado Department of Agriculture https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/aganimals/traceability
Scott Stinnett
Extension Associate
Kit Carson County
Golden Plains Area
Colorado State University Extension
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