Archive for category: Livestock Tags

Livestock identification has received a lot of attention in recent years, especially with the USDA’s 2024 updates surrounding electronic ID. What often gets overlooked, however, is that these rules don’t apply to every animal or every operation. For many producers, very little has changed and visual ear tags remain the most practical and widely used identification method.

The current requirements primarily affect certain cattle and bison crossing state lines, and even then, only specific categories are included, such as breeding animals, dairy cattle, and animals used in shows or exhibitions. If your livestock stay within your state, are younger feeder cattle, or are headed directly to slaughter, those regulations typically don’t apply.

At the end of the day, most livestock work happens in the field, not at a desk. Producers need to look at an animal and know exactly what they’re dealing with. That’s why visual tags continue to play such an essential role. They make it easy to sort, treat, and manage livestock quickly, without specialized technology or equipment. Even operations that use electronic systems still depend on a tag that can be read at a glance.

Why Metal Tags Still Lead in Durability

When durability matters, many producers turn to metal tags for that reason. The information is stamped directly into the tag, so it doesn’t fade or wear off over time. They hold up in tough conditions such as weather, mud, and constant movement, all while providing a long-term identification solution that doesn’t require maintenance or special tools. For animals that need permanent, easy-to-read identification, that simplicity goes a long way.

Our Commitment to Reliable Identification

At National Band & Tag, livestock tags may only be one part of what we do, but reliable identification is at the core of our business. We manufacture metal tags designed to last, with clear stamping that stays readable in real-world conditions. We also offer plastic options when needed, but the goal is always the same: provide straightforward identification that works.

Even with regulatory changes in certain areas, visual identification still has a critical place in livestock management. For many producers, visual ear tags remain the simplest, most dependable, and most efficient way to keep track of animals day in and day out.

As of May 9, 2016, National Band & Tag has acquired the Hasco Tag Company. One of Hasco’s product lines that we have kept on is the Flex-Lok Ear Tag line for livestock animals. These ear tags are different from other plastic ear tags because all male pieces have an open brass tip and it is the actual applicator pin that pierces the ear. We use a hot stamping machine to create large, black, permanently imprinted numbers and letters on the Flex-Lok ear tags. Multiple colors such as: Black, Blue, Green, Neon Green, Neon Orange, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White, and Yellow, are available, but color availability is subject to change based on current stock. Please call for availability of a specific color in a certain style. For those who prefer plastic ear tags for their livestock over our metal ear tags, Flex-Lok is a great alternative.

Check out these pictures below of the Style 402F and 410M on some local cows, located close to NB&T’s facility.

At National Band & Tag, we produce orange Style 49 tags for the Brucellosis vaccine. Brucellosis or “Bang’s Disease” is a disease that infects heifers and causes abortion or premature calving of recently infected animals, most often between the fifth and eight month of pregnancy.

Bangs was the last name of the Danish veterinarian who first isolated Brucella abortus as the causative agent of Brucellosis back in 1897. Once a vaccine was formulated to immunize cattle against Brucella abortus it took on the name “Bangs vaccine.” Bangs vaccination can only be done by a licensed and accredited veterinarian who applies an official USDA orange metal tag and tattoo to the right ear at the time of vaccination. Orange metal ear tags are reserved for Brucellosis vaccines by APHIS under the Animal Disease Traceability Framework, Official Ear Tag Criteria report.

In 1934, the first year of the eradication program, about 15% of the cattle in the United States were infected with the disease. In 1942, the USDA declared Brucellosis to be the worst bacterial zoonotic disease (disease transferred from animals to humans) present at the time.

Currently, all 50 states are Brucellosis-Free. The biggest threat is from Brucellosis-affected wildlife such as elk, bison, and deer, which can spread the disease to domesticated livestock.

If you are a veterinarian and need to order your orange Brucellosis Tags, give us a call at 859-261-2035!

In the early 1990’s the organic beef industry was beginning to take off, with more people recognizing that while it was more expensive, organic meat tasted better because it didn’t have antibiotics or growth hormones used in it. One pioneer of Organic Natural Beef was Mel Coleman Sr., who had a passion for providing natural products to the market.

Kobe beef of Japan had approached Coleman to use his cattle as a source for their natural beef but they wanted more documentation about his “Natural” claim.  This is when Mel Coleman Sr. teamed up with National Band & Tag to create an ear tag that could partner with a tracking system his son-in-law was programming. With this new tracking system, Coleman would then be able to prove that his animals were raised from birth with No Antibiotics, No Added Hormones and No Preservatives… Ever!

National Band & Tag’s Kevin Haas worked closely with Coleman, “My first impression of Mel Coleman Sr. was that he was larger than life. He was a tall, strong man who had a commanding presence but was as gentle as a lamb and was very passionate about his family and his business. I remember talking to Mel one time and he said he wanted us to taste his product to make sure we understood the difference. Two days later a cooler of fresh steaks showed up at our factory. We went out and bought some local steaks and did a blind taste test. Coleman’s products were definitely better! I was so impressed, I saved the label!”

To solve Coleman’s problem of proving his meat was all-natural for Kobe beef, Haas came up with the idea of using a special coated metal ear tag that allowed for a permanent bar code to be Laser Marked onto the tag. Due to the design of the tag, the bar code was protected inside the ear throughout the life of the animal. The bar-coded ear tag, Style 56, proved to be a low-cost method to electronically identify his entire herd of Natural Cattle, thus showing the “Farm to Table” traceability.

At about this same time, the USDA had created a new food label called “Organic”. Coleman applied for this label using the new ear tag program as proof of his organic methods and he was immediately granted the 1^st Certified Organic Beef label in the USA. There was a lot of work that went into this accomplishment and everyone from National Band & Tag was proud to have been a part of it.

In 2004 Mel Coleman Sr. was named as one of BEEF Magazine’s Top 40 contributors to the building of today’s dynamic and exciting beef industry, “Coleman was one of the first to use ear tag record systems for verifying production protocol, and developed humane production and handling requirements that are now standards for natural meat production.” (http://beefmagazine.com/mag/beef_beef_top_2)

Today, organic products are in high demand. The bar has been set high for safe, fresh and wholesome foods. Little did he know, but Mel Coleman Sr. was way ahead of his time.

Style 56 – Bar Coded Cattle Ear Tag

The picture above is a sample from the 1990’s of the tags NB&T made for Coleman. In a 1997 interview with In Motion Magazine, Mel Coleman Sr. mentioned the ear tags used to identify the cattle, “When we get about 100 [calves] we’ll move them off and work them. We call working them as this: when they’re about a month old, we’ll put a tag in their ear, which is an ID tag. … They carry this little white tag in their ear all their life.” (http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/coleman.html)

Mel Coleman Sr. passed in 2002, but his legacy and practices continue through Coleman Natural Foods, “The Way Nature Intended, for Over 125 Years®”.

Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. This disease is comparable to mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in cows and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in people. Infected flocks that contain a high percentage of vulnerable animals can experience significant losses. Sheep and goats sold from infected flocks spread scrapie to other flocks. The presence of scrapie in the U.S. also prevents the export of breeding stock, semen and embryos to many other countries.

The National Scrapie Eradication Program (NSEP) coordinated by the USDA is a joint effort that includes participation by state governments and producers. National Band & Tag is approved by the USDA for the official identification of sheep and goats in interstate commerce.

Style 505 – Scrapie Tags

At National Band, we offer metal ear tags — Style 505. The Flock Tag is white, and the custom flock tag can be: white, orange, mauve, green or bright metal. Restricted animal tags are yellow and infected animal tags are red.

Click here for pricing and more information on how to order scrapie tags and applicators. 

Resources:
http://www.eradicatescrapie.org
https://www.aphis.usda.gov

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