Fulton County Fair leads technology charge with cattle retinal scanning

By DAVID J. COEHRS

Expositor Features Editor

The 2008 Fulton County Fair will be the first county fair in northwest Ohio to incorporate the latest in animal identification technology with the introduction of retinal scanning for cattle.

The process may soon expand to other animal species as well, and could eliminate the widespread practice of electronic tagging as a means of identifying steers and feeder calves.

The $2,500 scanner purchased by the Fulton County Junior Fair Livestock Sale Committee will debut at the dairy feeder identification scheduled June 7.

It was supposed to begin this month but shipping of the equipment was delayed, said Greg LaBarge, OSU Extension agent.

The scanner will be used primarily to identify individual animals through the production and harvest processes, he said. The United States Department of Agriculture would like the ability to track the animals in cases of disease problems.

The retinal scanning machine is a camera-type device that takes images of branches of blood vessels in the back of an animal's eyes.

"Those are very unique to the animals, very similar to a fingerprint. That picture can be a permanent ID, can be taken in comparison even after harvest," LaBarge said. "It's (also) a way to make sure that the animals are tied to the individuals who said they're going to show them."

He said the process is similar to human retinal scans being proposed for airport security systems.

The scanner could replace electronic ear identification tags, another recent technology for tracking animals. The tags are attached to an ear by a peg, which can be prone to detaching. When that happens, taking hair samples from the animal is necessary to conduct a DNA test.

LaBarge said retinal scanning eliminates those problems. Even when an animal is injured, its eyeballs usually remain intact. The process takes about 15 seconds.

"For us, it seemed more cost effective and time effective, and really a more permanent ID," he said. "It's a one-time thing we can do to identify animals."

The technology has existed for three or four years. Indiana and New Mexico have used it at their state fairs since its introduction, and the Ohio 4-H Club office has purchased a retinal scanner in association with the state fair.

The Fulton County Fair is currently the only county fair in northwest Ohio that will use the technology. The retinal scanner was purchased by the Junior Fair committee at a reduced price, although it must pay a $2-per-animal software fee to the manufacturer, Opti-Brand of Colorado.

LaBarge said the process is limited to cattle for now due to potential difficulties with restraining other species while performing the scan. He said as the practice expands, scanning sheep would be the next logical step.

"I think there's interest in seeing how we can incorporate it into the other species at the fair - both for exhibiting purposes and the harvest process," he said.