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Livestock ID
Beef/Cattle Extension Program
 Livestock
ID - Montana Beef Network
Information about the value added programs
from the MBN
The Montana Beef Network (MBN) was established in 1999
to add value to Montana’s beef industry through
beef quality assurance education, certification and
identification of feeder calves that have met defined
health management protocols, and the tracking of feeder
calves from the ranch to the packing plant to collect
and share production and carcass data. To enroll in
the Montana Beef Network, a producer must:
-
Be BQA certified
- Individually identify calves with a RFID tag
- Follow one of two health protocols (preconditioning
vaccinations or vaccinations and backgrounding)
- Provide vaccination and other general data for
individual animal records
- Communicate with MBN staff to track cattle to feeder
and packing plant
MBN staff work diligently with producers, feeders,
and data collectors to track the identified calves through
the production cycle in order to collect and report
production and/or carcass data to the involved parties.
MBN staff assists producers with management, breeding,
and marketing decisions based on the collected data
in order to provide added value to the producer’s
operation.
Many of the aspects of the MBN project complement or coincide
with both NAIS and source and/or age verified programs.
Members of the Network are able to access all the advantages
of NAIS and the source and/or age verified programs while
gaining a deeper understanding of their operation.
The cost to producers to enroll in the Montana Beef Network
is $5 per head. The other costs associated with the program,
such as tags, data management fees, and carcass data collection
costs, are currently subsidized through a USDA Special
Grant.
Comparison of Programs
| |
NAIS |
SAV |
MBN |
| Premises ID Number Required |
X |
X* |
X* |
| Source Verification |
X |
X |
X |
| Age Verification |
X* |
X |
X |
| Process Verification |
|
|
X |
| Production Data |
|
|
X |
| Carcass Data |
|
|
X |
| Value Added Opportunities |
|
|
X |
| * Possible requirement or advantage |
|
