By Brandi Buzzard on July 21, 2025
Traceability Yields Stability and Safety in Food Production
Why animal ID matters — from the show ring to national disease traceability.
Last week, our county agriculture extension agent needed confirmation of our daughter’s second-year bucket calf’s ear tag to maintain record keeping and ensure we haven’t tried to sneak in another heifer in Coco’s place. We have unique ear tag identification for our 4-H animals and there is only one tag like Coco’s – it can’t be removed and placed in another animal’s ear due to its unique button-like structure. We also have similar tags for the Boer goats that will parade around the ring in just a few short weeks.
On a larger scale, we have multiple forms of identification for our cattle herd as well. Every animal – cow, heifer or bull – has an ear tag and most of them also have a tattoo and/or brand for a variety of reasons.
1. ACCURATE RECORDS
Individual animal identification helps us keep accurate records when it comes to breeding and calving dates, veterinary care, treatment dates, etc. We need to differentiate between which red cow received which treatment and eventually all the cattle look the same, so they need their own ID!
2. PROTECTION FROM THEFT
To put it simply, branding our cattle helps us protect the herd from theft. If a cattle thief were to steal 60 black calves and rip out the ear tags, without a brand it would be nearly impossible to identify those calves at an auction market. The brand protects our herd and our ranch, and ultimately our cattle, since my assumption is anyone who would steal cattle probably doesn’t have the same ethical standards of animal care as we do.
3. REGISTRATION
Tattoos are a form of ID we utilize for our registered and purebred cattle. This form of identification is required by the breed association we work with to ensure the validity of record keeping. This tattoo is also in the ear but cannot be removed like an ear tag. While not as easy to read as a brand, it also helps protect against cattle theft.
These various forms of ID are tools we employ to manage our herd in the best way we can through animal stewardship, as well as responsible business practices. And while they may not seem complex, animal identification plays centerstage in animal disease traceability (ADT). ADT is a system designed to track the movement of cattle in a way that would assist officials in identifying and locating animals that may be infected or exposed to a disease. In doing so, organizations and health officials can use a quicker and more targeted approach in response efforts. While we hope there is never a nationwide threat to animal health, it is far better to be prepared for the worst outcome than to hope for the best with no fallbacks.
Traceability has been a highly debated topic in the beef industry for many years with passionate voices both in favor and against enhanced traceability rules. This years-long debate culminated in a policy action last November, when the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) enacted a traceability rule for dairy cattle, bison and sexually intact beef cattle more than 18 months old that are moving interstate. Animals in those categories are required to have a specialized “button” tag, (like the one our calf, Coco, wears) which can be read visually and electronically. The rule does not apply to stocker or feeder cattle. which are calves that have been weaned from their mamas but are not yet big or old enough for a feedyard – typically these cattle are 8-12 months old, but age can vary.
Critics of the rule worry about data breaches and other risks of sharing data with organizations and companies. However, in my mind, the benefits of curbing a rare, but possible, animal disease outbreak far outweigh the risk of sharing our cattle records on the cloud. Traceability benefits not only farmers, ranchers and our cattle herds but also aids with a safe food supply. Healthy cattle yield safe beef, and it’s important to remember that safe, delicious protein is the whole point of this ranching gig.
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