Cool - Country of origin labeling and electronic id

My name is Kevin Kirk. Welcome to my dairy farm in St. Johns, Michigan. Michigan today is the only state in the nation that is now using a radio frequency identification device to track animals back to the herd of origin. This is extremely important because it now meets the country of origin labeling program that is now in implementation phase; so consumers, when they go to the grocery, store and buy both beef and dairy products and know the source, and the origin that those animals came from. It's also extremely important for tracing animal diseases back to the herd of origin we can do it within two to four hours, because of the use of the radio-frequency identification device. Michigan dairy producers, such as myself, that are second-generation producer on this particular farm and friends in the beef industry, as well, have a real benefit by using the RFID tag. Michigan consumers will buy select michigan products which is crucial for us to stay in business, as well as for the next generation that comes to this particular farm. I now would say that for disease traceability the use of the RFID tag, with that on an animal, we can track that animal within two to four hours to herd of origin, should there be a disease problem. I, as a producer, can tie my management records to this tag about this particular animal: the date it was born, the date of might have been bred, any medical activity any production activity as tied to this tag on a particular animal. So exciting opportunities. Michigan beef and dairy producers are way ahead of everybody else in the country