Unlocking the Potential of Electronic ID Tags for Sheep Producers: A USDA Grant Program Tackles Sale Barn Challenges in Oregon and Beyond

Recently, the USDA has launched a grant program to provide electronic ID ear tags for sheep producers. The program is primarily focused on sale barns located in Oregon. According to Peter Orwick, the Executive Director of the American Sheep Industry Association, electronic ID tags are already being used for sheep and cattle. However, he notes that the technology is not yet fully developed for widespread implementation in the sheep industry.

Orwick explains that a video demonstrating the use of electronic ID tags at a sale barn in Colorado was recently released to showcase the limitations of the current technology when it comes to rapid commercial movement of sheep. Despite having mature sheep ID interstate requirements for over twenty years due to the scrapie program, the industry has been unable to successfully transition from traditional metal tags to EID format. Additionally, investing $3-$4 per tag per sheep is considered economically unfeasible.