USDA Embarks on 18-Month UHF RFID Pilot for Tracking Cattle

The U.S. government's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has launched a nationwide pilot of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID technology for use in tracking cattle at ranches, feedlots, auctions and slaughterhouses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency began providing UHF RFID tags to pilot participants last month. APHIS' goal is to determine the feasibility of employing UHF RFID to identify cattle moving from one location to another, including the ability to read tags on multiple animals as they are loaded onto trucks or being observed by veterinarians or other individuals. The UHF technology could be an alternative to low-frequency (LF) RFID, as well as ear tags printed with ID numbers that are read visually.