A new information system that catalogues a range of beef cattle data hopes to match commercial producers to buyers with specific requests.
Known as the Beef InfoXchange System and co-ordinated through the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the program is like a dating service linking buyers with producers who have listed properties like age verification, health programs, breed, weights and other pertinent information tied to the national identification numbers.
Members enter their information through links on the CCA website, said Larry Thomas, national co-ordinator of BIXS.
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For example, a feedlot might want black baldie steers born between March 2 and April 2 from a specific province.
“We are like an airline terminal where various entities platform on the terminal but we are just providing the platform to do that,” he said.
There are no fees to join but the CCA is asking for information for future benchmarking studies.
It is hoped cow-calf producers can join early this fall to hit the fall feeder run sales.
The site hopes to capture 10-15 percent of the available calves.
Information is confidential but as users become more familiar with the system, interested participants can share information on how their calves performed in the feedlot and how they graded at the packing plant.
“It empowers their members to have that much more information coming back to their producers on an individual animal basis,” said Thomas.
The program is also hoping to flag BIXS calves so when their radio frequency tags are scanned, it will show additional information is attached to them.
“We have been told by feedlots if they can find cattle using this search, they would be prepared to pay for those animals,” he said.
“The value will be in the information I am getting back and the relationships I am forming with feedlot customers.”
“We want to make it dead easy and simple to get into this program,” he said.
Other value-added components might include posting standards for the European Union so those who qualify could link up with certified packers.
BIXS plans to interview participants next year to see how it worked for them.
Pfizer Animal Health and BIXS hope to add members of the company’s health program to the database for buyers looking for particular vaccination programs.
“We want to take a leadership position within the cattle industry and we know this project is likely to be successful,” said Damien Carriere of Pfizer.
About 1,000 producers join the specially designed immunization program from Pfizer each year. By voluntarily sharing their names with buyers on the BIXS database, feedlots will know what products were used and when. This information is often unknown unless feedlots have their own traceback system to double check medication use, said Carriere.
