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Cows Identified by Retinal Imaging
wackoman2112 writes "According to this article, ranchers on western cattle ranches are keeping track of their cattle with the "OptiReader," a small handheld which takes retinal scans. They scan a cow's eye and record information in the database about the animal's color, weight, and genetic linage. Hmmm... This could be justification for a YRO for animals."
I guess that will be the end of the cowbells.
Cowbells are pretty cool though. I spent some time in the Austrian Alps and met some farmers who could tell me which cow was nearby by the pitch of the bell.
I suppose the next thing to come along will be RFID tags for cows.
More than enough BS
inventory control is something to me that makes a lot of sense. people foamed at the mouth when RFID tags were to be put in clothes, but few realized that they're useless once they leave the store that owns the clothes. its just inventory control, to keep people from stealing said clothes.
farmers are doing it for more than just inventory control though, they're using it to easily determine which genetic lines produce the best milk producers, the best meat, etc. this is a good thing, it *should* lower the prices of milk and beef a bit, and it should improve the overall quality the steak on your table.
i'm all for this. technology for tracking isn't *all* bad.
I think these animals have a little more to be worried about than having their retinas scanned. I think they're worried about being eaten.
"Hmmmm. Yeah, that would be a great idea except for the fact that COWS CAN'T READ!"
Bullshit. Hillary Rosen responded to one of my messages once.
"Derp de derp."
I'd also rather not be eaten.
(How about a Your Cow Online Section? )
Karma: Bad due to google bombing - Robert Watkins woz 'ere.
I've worked on farms and the last thing farmers seem to care about is the short term pain (and long term in some cases) of their prisoners.
Branding
Ear tags
De-beaking
Artificial insemination
Murder
A was in a shed when a shearer cut off the nipple of one of the sheep. His reaction - pissed off because he had to stop shearing to "take care" of the poor animal. First he applied anaesthetic (well, he hit it on the forehead until it stopped struggling) and then kind of sewed up the hole and pushed it down the ramp into the outside pen.
The fields are full of cows, ever wonder where all the bulls are?
The fields are full of sheep, ever wonder where the rams are?
Where are the chickens? Oh there's thousands of them crammed into that little shed, three to cage and they have to have their beaks cut off to stop them killing each other.
The trouble with country folk is they've lost touch with nature.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
While the retinal scanning does sound promising, that also only helps while the animal is alive. Plus, it requires a certain degree of "cooperation" with the cows. The tags are also more efficient for identifying members of a pen at a distance by tag color alone. Once they come into our facilites, too, retinal scanning does us no good as they get knocked and killed pretty quick. Unless you wanted to track the offal by retinal scans, that's about all it would be good for. You'd be surprised at the way in which our livestock is inventoried and moved around these plants; it is quite scientific, humane, and sterile.
--Chag