| | The first three years of the Lamb Traceability Pilot (LTP) project located technology and expertise in the global sheep industry, then adapted and tested systems to develop one that worked on one co-operator farm and then on many Alberta farms. LTP project trained co-operators on how to set up and implement electronic systems in their sheep enterprises. It collects data to determine not only the costs of traceability and electronic data management systems, but also to identify potential benefits.
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The Canadian Sheep Federation used LTP project as the model for the National RFID pilot (2010). Sheep enterprise data from the first complete production year (2009) was collected from both the Alberta project and National RFID project co-operators. Project data was analysed, benchmarks established and potential management improvements were identified.
LTP project communicated preliminary results extensively to the industry through Alberta Lamb Producer's 'N'Ewesletter', through Canadian Sheep Federation's 'From the Flock' and through the website developed by the LTP project www.sheepcentral.ca
Project Overview
Farm / feedlot / colonies
The first two years of the project involved locating electronic equipment and developing working electronic systems on 11 farms, one lamb feedlot and a federal lamb processor. To develop industry capacity, the third year expanded to more farms, feedlots, and four Hutterite colonies. Aligned projects include a provincial processor and lamb buyers.
Co-operating farms were provided with basic equipment packages. The components of a working electronic data management system includes: radio frequency (RFID) ear tags for the breeding flock and the lamb crop; tag readers compatible with a flock management software program and flock management software installed on a farm computer.
Co-operators are required: to participate in training and be willing to train other producers; to share business information with the pilot management team to allow development of benchmarks and of cost/benefit analysis models; if possible to ship market lambs to a co-operating processing plant to enable development of a working processor module; and be willing to work on using project tools to improve flock management.
Grant programs were available to assist in the purchase of supplementary electronic devices like digital scales, panel readers and automatic sorting gates. Full efficient electronic systems often depend on supplemental equipment such as electronic scales and handling systems. Existing farm infrastructure and handling facilities usually need adaptation to accomodate new systems.
The financial tool being used is the Flock Snapshot. It provides a picture of flock financial performance. Data collected over the production year from provincial and national co-operators provides a summary of benchmarks in key areas that producers can compare their own flock performance to. The colour coding used indicates green for 'top performers', orange for 'average' and red for 'below average performance. Co-operators can then make decisions on which 'profit leaks' or 'profit potentials' to address in the coming year.
The flock production management tool being used is a flock management is SDL FarmWorks software. A huge advantage of software over paper records is the ability to rapidly and accurately analyse data. FarmWorks is used to record events (breeding, lambing, health treatments, etc.) and collect data (lambing percentage, lamb weights, etc.) over the course of each production year. The software generates a variety of reports. Reports include lamb growth rates, weaning, breeding group / genetic information, sheep sold or purchased, medical treatments, drug withdrawal periods, animal movements and deaths. Co-operators are now using these two tools, in combination, to make improvements in flock management.
Processor
A traceability module was designed to meet the needs of the Alberta federally inspected lamb processing plant - SunGold Specialty Meats (formerly Sunterra Meats). This plant processes roughly half of the market lambs in Alberta. It is a mid-sized multi-species plant that also processes beef and bison. It has targeted the high value Canadian lamb market. Specific carcass criteria must be met in order to maintain, or expand, its position competing with imported lamb.
A pilot project was also undertaken with one of the provincially inspected processors - Pure Country Meats, Strathmore. Provincial processors slaughtered 27,523 sheep and lambs in 2010. LTP project co-operators who market directly to consumers or to food service also wanted a system able to track their lambs and to provide additional information (carcass weight) electronically. The provincial processor wanted a more streamlined process to read and retire RFID tag numbers for beef and lamb. The system developed met the needs of the processor. The co-operating producers will evaluate electronic feedback from the processor as the 2011 lamb crop is shipped.
Funding
The first two years of this project were funded by the Traceability Initiative of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD). Alberta Livestock & Meat Agency (ALMA) is now a funding partner.
Key stakeholders are Alberta Lamb Producers and Livestock Business Development Branch, AARD.
Aligned Project Modules
Website
A website data repository (sheepcentral.ca) was developed to hold information for the project stakeholders and to provide an electronic information exchange platform. It was developed in an open format to allow linkages to other industry sites, databases and programs that provide information to the lamb supply chain. It was accepted by the Canadian sheep industry as a prototype site that will offer additional value to the industry as it moves to electronic technology systems.
The site contains both open public and closed project areas. It provides general information on the Alberta and National RFID projects, technical information on traceability and electronic systems, definitions of some of the new terms used in electronic technology and an overview project stakeholders. It has user guides for equipment and software. MeatCentral is a secure database that allows co-operating farms to sign up to download carcass reports on the lambs they've shipped to the processor. It provides some links to information and industry sites.
Cost / benefit analysis
Co-operating farms share their business information. This information is being used to determine costs and returns on the investment in electronic technology. It is also setting benchmarks for the industry. What does a 'top performing flock' spend on feed compard to an 'average flock'? How many lambs / ewe do you need to market to be profitable? It is developing new types of tools flock managers can use to focus on improved profitability.
Early results indicate that there are significant benefits from improved efficiencies in data collection and data analysis. There are some indications that after the training / learning phase there is a saving in time and labour that comes from electronic data management systems. There is also significant potential when the new management tools are implemented to improve and fine-tune management efficiencies. The ability to identify and remove the bottom producing ewes in a flock not only reduces costs, increases returns but also increases the average value of the whole flock.
Benefits across the supply chain may come from being able to exchange information and data more readily. The story of Canadian lamb production is one consumers are interested in. Having the ability to track lambs from farmers' gates to consumers' plates adds authenticity and helps to illustrate that compliance with traceability, food safety and animal health benefits all. Lambs that meet the needs of the processor also meet the needs of processor's customers.
Carcass quality feedback
A complementary project at Sunterra Meats lamb processing plant is developing a traceability module for electronic tracking of lambs from source farm to carcass grading station. This provides basic 'book end' traceability.
The plant has invested in electronic system components, such as RF ID tag readers, computers, carcass tag printers, electronic scales and in carcass grading software for lamb, beef and bison. The new system electronically reads RFID tags, links the tag number to a hot carcass weight and submits the data to the plant server. The data is then linked to the handheld readers at the grading station where graders add the fat measurement and carcass conformation score. A yield grade is calculated for payment. The carcass information is then uploaded to MeatCentral where co-operating shippers can access their own data using a secure username and password. Individual shipment data is maintained in the database and can be downloaded. Co-operators have the ability to compare the quality (fat measurement and hot carcass weight) of their own lambs to the average of all other lambs shipped in the same time frame. It helps provide co-operators with a preliminary picture on the lambs they are producing. Having carcass data helps with management decisions on genetics for lamb growth, on the value of sires based on carcass results, as well as providing feedback on lamb feeding programs.
RFID ear tag trial
Tag cost was seen by Canadian sheep producers as a significant barrier to using RFID tags. It was slowing the uptake of electronic technology systems for traceability and for farm management. A new lower cost RFID tag from England was tested on a co-operator farm under Canadian conditions. The tag met the criteria of the Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP is under the Canadian Sheep Federation) and the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. Tags were evaluated for ease of use, impact on animal (infection rates), retention and readability. The Shearwell SET tag was approved as an official CSIP tag and is now commercially available. |
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