Ranchers are expressing concerns over a government microchip program for tracking cattle.
While agriculture officials say the the voluntary program will help track diseases, some ranchers are worried about the costs and would rather stick to the old-fashioned way of branding their cattle.
Agriculture officials want ranchers to start tracking their animals electronically, using microchips. The National Animal Identification System, which is currently a voluntary program, would follow a cow’s every move.
But for people like 64-year-old Culver rancher Marilyn Kasch, tracking cattle by their brand, the way she does it and the way her grandparents did it, works. The federal program, she said, would be a logistical nightmare.
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