Cattle management method and system

• US 7,836,849 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2008
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MWI Veterinary Supply Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Micro Beef Technologies Ltd (MWI Veterinary Supply Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pratt, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Price; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/251,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 119/51.02, 119/502, 119/511, 119840-842, 348/89, 452/52, 452/53
• US Class Current: 119/51.02
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0023 Sorting gates
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0209 Feeding pens for pigs or cattle
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/006 Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals identification systems for access to feeding pens A01K1/0209; ear tags with electronic identification means A01K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/00 Other apparatus for animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/02 Automatic devices automatic identification devices for stock A01K11/006
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A highly automated method and system for providing individual animal electronic identification, measurement and value based management of cattle in a large cattle feedlot. Through the use of (1) a computer system integrated with (2) automatic individual animal identification (3) multiple measurement and remeasurement systems with automatic data input and (4) a cattle handling and sorting system, animals are individually (a) identified and (b) measured by weight, external dimensions and characteristics of internal body tissue. With this information together with animal physiological characteristics and historical data, the computer system calculates the optimum (c) slaughter weight, (d) economic end point and (e) marketing date for shipment to a packing plant. After measurement, individual animals are (f) sorted by direction of the computer in response to calculations from the measurements. The computer system also calculates from individual animal data and other data (g) each animal'"'"'s pro rata share of total feed intake for the animal'"'"'s feed group. The computer system (h) stores individual animal measurement, performance and location data, which is used by management to (i) select animals for shipment from the feedlot for slaughter at the optimum time. Following an animal'"'"'s shipment to a slaughter facility, its identification in the computer system is used to (j) correlate the live animal physical characteristics and performance data to the measured and evaluated carcass characteristics data obtained during the slaughter process and (k) build a data base to more accurately identify and measure value-based characteristics in subsequent animals produced and fed for more effective value-based selection and management of those animals.

Claims

1. A system for managing animals, comprising:

a computer system at a measurement location remote from a feed pen, the computer system comprising one or more various computers, the computer system including software operable for storing characteristic information concerning an individual animal, including at least weight, and utilizing the characteristic information to project for the individual animal a limit or condition and an estimated time or date for the individual animal to achieve the projected limit or condition;

a feedlot business system (FBS) computer operable for accessing and/or storing a database and for performing feedlot accounting functions;

a computerized animal drug inventory control, health history and drug treatment system, a computerized feed additive delivery system operable for delivering feed additives into animal feed rations on a customized basis, a computerized bunk reader system, or each and every combination thereof;

a data entry device for entering into the computer system initial characteristics prior to a feeding period and subsequent characteristics following the feeding period during which the individual animal is fed with a feed group of animals; and

a data output device in communication with the computer system.

2. The system of claim 1 where each of the FBS computer and the computerized animal drug inventory control, animal health history and drug treatment system, the computerized feed additive delivery system, and the computerized bunk reader system is a separate computer not in communication with one another.

3. The system of claim 1 where each of the FBS computer and the computerized animal drug inventory control, animal health history and drug treatment system, the computerized feed additive delivery system, and the computerized bunk reader system is a separate computer in communication with one another.

4. The system of claim 1 where the FBS computer records and stores data from the computerized feed additive delivery system and utilizes such information to calculate a cost of production and feed additive costs for an identified animal.

5. The system of claim 1 where the FBS computer further comprises the animal drug inventory control, animal health history and drug treatment system, the feed additive delivery system, the bunk reader system, or a combination of such systems.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data entry device at a measurement location remote from the FBS computer.

7. The system of claim 1 where the FBS computer calculates total feed consumption for all animals in a group, calculates a pro rata share for each animal in the group, compares the total feed consumption to an actual amount fed to the animals in the group, allocates the actual amount fed to the group on a pro rata basis to each animal in the group to provide a pro rata feed allocation, and stores the pro rata feed allocation in the FBS computer.

8. The system of claim 7 where the FBS computer determines a ratio of feed-to-weight gain at least in part from the pro rata feed allocation and weight gain of an identified individual animal, records the ratio in the FBS computer to provide a recorded ratio, matches the recorded ratio to a recorded identification of the identified individual animal, and enables the recorded ratio to be used by a cattle producer for making a management decision concerning genetic change for improving performance of future offspring.

9. The system of claim 1 where the FBS computer determines and allocates costs for an identified individual animal, determines a disbursement of funds breakdown from a packing plant for the identified individual animal when the identified individual animal is from a group of animals containing individual animals owned by different original owners, records costs and disbursement amounts, and matches the costs and disbursement amounts to the identified individual animal.

10. The system of claim 1 where the FBS computer determines a cost of gain for an identified individual animal, stores the cost of gain, and matches it to a recorded identification of the identified individual animal.

11. The system of claim 1 where the FBS computer is operable to provide data concerning an identified individual animal to be used by a feedlot in making management decisions and in allocating costs to an animal owner on an individual animal basis.

12. The system of claim 1 where the FBS computer is operable to provide data concerning an identified individual animal to a cattle producer to make breeding, selection or purchase decisions.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising an identification device for identifying the individual animal from other animals in a group of animals.

14. The system of claim 13 where the identification device is an electronic identification device attached to the individual animal.

15. The system of claim 1 where characteristics, in addition to weight, are selected from tenderness, fat, muscling, one or more external dimensions, one or more internal tissue characteristics, weight gain, feed intake, health treatment, nutrition history, consumer eating quality, carcass gain, feed efficiency, prior history, a genetic characteristic, or combinations thereof.

16. The system of claim 1 where at least one physical characteristic is measured.

17. The system of claim 1 where the limit or condition is stored in the computer system.

18. The system of claim 1 where the estimated time or date is stored in the computer system.

19. The system of claim 1 where the measurement location includes a chute having at least one measuring substation separated by a gate, with a downstream end of the chute communicating with at least one sorting pen.

20. The system of claim 19 where the measurement location includes an animal position sensing device.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising a gate control device for opening or closing a gate for a sorting pen.

22. The system of claim 19 where the computer system projects a condition for shipment for slaughter for an identified animal, sorts the identified animal into a sort group of animals based at least in part upon the condition, and directs the identified animal from the chute and measurement location to one or more feed pens.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising an ultrasound tissue measuring device at the measurement location that provides internal tissue data for correlation with an animal identification and storage in the computer system.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising plural measurement locations.

25. The system of claim 1 where a predetermined feed pen animal quantity for a feed pen is entered in the computer system, and the computer system determines a number of measured individual animals to utilize the feed pen and sorts the measured individual animals to substantially achieve the feed pen animal quantity.

26. The system of claim 1 further comprising a remote data output device to enable an up-to-date cattle inventory to be reviewed at a remote location.

27. The system of claim 26 where the up-to-date cattle inventory is by individual animals within a group by location.

28. The system of claim 1 where the computer system selects a growth promotant for an identified individual animal based at least in part on recorded characteristics, records the growth promotant, and matches the growth promotant to the identified individual animal.

29. The system of claim 1 where the computer system calculates an amount of feed consumption for an identified individual animal using a feed allocation formula that considers the identified individual animal'"'"'s weight measurement, records a calculated consumption, and matches the calculated consumption with a recorded identification for the identified individual animal.

30. The system of claim 29 where calculating the amount of feed consumption includes calculating a rate of weight gain for the identified individual animal.

31. The system of claim 1 further comprising a data input device at a packing plant remote from the computer system for recording carcass data for an animal identified at the packing plant and for comparing identification of an animal at a feedlot to identification made at the packing plant.

32. The system of claim 1 where the computer system records sire and/or dam information for an identified individual animal as a prior history genetic characteristic to provide a prior history genetic recorded characteristic, and matches the prior history genetic recorded characteristic with a recorded identification for the identified individual animal.

33. The system of claim 32 where the computer system utilizes the prior history genetic recorded characteristic of the identified individual animal at least in part for selecting the identified individual animal for further processing.

34. The system of claim 1, where the software is operable for determining a projected feed intake for the animal, determining a projected gain for the animal, utilizing feed ration information and, if used, growth promotants to project an estimated time or date for the animal to achieve the limit or condition, determining a sort group, which is one of multiple sort groups, for the animal based at least in part on the estimated time or date and a predetermined animal quantity of the sort group, and selecting the animal for further processing based at least in part on the characteristics.

35. The system of claim 34, where the software is operable for recording a feed pen destination.

36. The system of claim 34, where the software is operable for calculating an economic value from a projected condition and based at least in part upon projected production costs, animal performance, feed efficiency, purchase price, cattle futures, basis and premium/discounts, marketing target yield, and combinations thereof.