TekVet-IBM Cattle Tracker Uses Active RFID Tags, Satellite Communication

The Web site can store and access an animal's health records, such as which inoculations it has received, its temperature history and whether it has received antibiotics and why. It can also determine which cattle have been in contact with others, based on the lots they have passed through and the dates on which this happened. Some of this health information, such as inoculations and other treatment, is added to the animal's data record manually. Other data, such the animal's temperature record, is maintained automatically.

IBM is providing a hosting service capable of storing the data on potentially millions of cattle. "IBM has been making a point of expanding our solution set for RFID," says Eric Gabrielson, director of IBM's RFID solutions division. The company will provide support for the TekVet SmartManagement system's servers, maintenance, storage, help desk, security management and security support, Gabrielson says. "What IBM can bring is world-class technological capabilities, an ability to scale that to providing data for millions of cattle at a time, and an expertise in emerging technologies."

TekVet began conducting research and development on the RFID system in 2003, Haleua says, and is now taking orders from cattle producers. He says producers have already placed orders to tag millions of animals, and that TekVet is working to streamline the manufacturing process to provide the hardware needed for those customers.

An active RFID tag is preferable to a passive one, Haleua says, because it can transmit data about cattle whether or not it passes near an RFID interrogator. An animal, he says, is "a unique product when it comes to track and trace. This is a product with a mind of its own, and it wanders in large areas."

While many cattle using passive RFID tags are tracked when they arrive at feeding or drinking areas, sick animals often do not approach these areas and, therefore, can potentially be overlooked. With the temperature sensor, however, producers receive immediate information about a sick animal and can take the necessary measures. While mad cow disease does not cause an elevated temperature, Haleua notes, many other infectious disease do.