UHF RFID Cattle Handling Inventory (URCHIN)

把牛送到市场的过程既复杂又昂贵。牧场主将在拍卖会上出售他的牛，它们将被饲养场购买。这些饲养场每年捕获六万头或更多的牛。它们的高产量需要大量的现金流，用于购买、饲养和管理，直到它们出售或出口离开饲养场。为了解决这一财政负担，饲养场合作社成立了。这些合作社向饲养场提供贷款，用于购买和管理这些大量的牛。牛被一个调节的低频（LF）无线电标签跟踪。这些跟踪信息不会与饲养场运营商共享。当牛在系统中移动时，附加在它们身上的贷款正在积累利息，资金被捆绑；在贷款到期之前，它们不能再次使用。牛离开饲养场后，合作社没有正式的方法跟踪它们的投资。他们通常设定贷款期限为12个月，如果贷款还没有还清，他们就开始追踪这些动物，并有效地追踪他们的资金。Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative公司一直在与南阿尔伯塔理工学院（SAIT）创新信息技术解决方案中心（CIITS）合作，以解决这一行业范围内的挑战。他们有一个新颖的RFID解决方案，CIITS应用研究团队将提供技术和专业知识，将这个想法带到四个PBFC成员饲养场的试点项目中。该解决方案将允许PBFC实时跟踪每只动物及其相关贷款。他们将不再需要繁忙的饲养场经营者或其他与牛互动的第三方来共享动物跟踪信息。他们会有自己的追踪系统。他们将立即知道何时可以偿还贷款。这减少了饲养场支付的利息，腾出资金借给另一个成员。

The process of getting cattle to market is complex and expensive. A rancher will sell his cattle at auction and they will be bought by a feedlot. These feedlots acquire up 60,000 or more cattle annually. The high volumes they work with require a large cash flow, to purchase, feed and manage until they move from the feedlot in a sale or export. To manage this financial burden feedlot cooperative have been established. These cooperatives loan feedlots funding to purchase and manage these large volumes of cattle. The cattle are tracked by a regulated Low Frequency (LF) radio tag. This tracked information is not shared with the feedlot operators. As the cattle move through the system, the loan attached to the them is building interest and the funds are tied up; they cannot be used again until the loan is retired. After the cattle leave the feedlot, the cooperative has no formal method to follow their investment. They typically set loans at 12 months and if the loan has not been retired, then they begin the process of tracking down the animals and effectively their money. Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative has been working with Southern Alberta's Institute of Technology's (SAIT) Centre for Innovative Information Technology Solutions (CIITS) to address this industry wide challenge. They have a novel RFID solution and the CIITS applied research team will provide the technology and expertise to bring this idea to a pilot project at four PBFC member feedlots. The solution will allow the PBFC to track each animal and its associated loan in real-time. They will no longer require busy feedlot operators or other third parties interacting with the cattle to share animal tracking information. They will have their own tracking. They will know immediately when a loan can be retired. This reduces the interest paid by the feedlot, freeing up the funds to be loaned to another member.