Official Publication, North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association
October 1996 -- Volume 1, Number 1    

DATALINETM program offers complete information pipeline.

DICKINSON, ND -- North Dakota cow-calf producers will soon be given a direct link to the entire beef cattle production chain with the introduction of an automatic electronic information data collection system. The program, code named DATALINETM, was developed by the North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association, in conjunction with the North Dakota Agricultural Research Service and the NDSU Extension Service.

Dr. Kris Ringwall, executive vice president of the NDBCIA, said the system "will make it possible to track beef cattle from conception to the retail outlets once we get the program fully operational." The NDBCIA is making plans to promote the electronic identification system through DATALINETM for the 1997 calf crop, but Ringwall said producers with pot-load lots of steers or heifers who want to use the program with the 1996 calf crop could sign on.

"The DATALINETM program brings us to a new age in processing cattle records," Ringwall said. "We are integrating an expanded computer record keeping system with an automatic reading system through implants or ear tags, which should speed up the record keeping process."

The biggest benefit, however, will be a more complete flow of performance from birth to weaning to yearling to carcass data. "DATALINETM could become the computer system that can drive the entire cattle business because cow-calf producers will have information needed to evaluate all phases of their operation," he said.

Currently, NDBCIA members use the CHAPS program for performance record keeping. DATALINETM takes the record keeping process further, all the way through retail harvest by using automatic readers at weaning sites, sale sites, feedlots and packing plants. The DATALINETM program should coordinate information processing in a meaningful and usable form, Ringwall said.

Alliances with veterinarians, financial institutions, agri-business suppliers, marketing agents, feed yard representatives, processing agents and purveyors are being developed, Ringwall said, "and we envision the DATALINETM program as one that can serve the cattle industry worldwide," Ringwall said. "The NDBCIA has made a strong commitment to the industry with the CHAPS program and the additional yearling and carcass data makes the DATALINETM concept very complete."

Benefits of the DATALINETM include a quarterly newsletter, mentoring assistance in development of a business and education plan, connections throughout the beef industry chain and records processing from birth to retail harvest.

Ron Bowman, president of the North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association, said the NDBCIA has invested $10,000 to help develop the DATALINETM and a Mentoring Management Model, which go hand-in-hand. "As a board, we are excited about DATALINETM because it represents the next step in our records processing business. We will be able to do so much more to help the commercial beef cattle producer."

Bowman said Ringwall, NDSU Research Associate Keith Helmuth and James Odermann of Odermann Communications in Belfield, ND, did the research and administrative work in developing the DATALINETM concept. He said the NDBCIA will begin a complete marketing phase of DATALINETM once the alliances are in place.

"The beef industry is the number one creator of new wealth in North Dakota," Bowman said. "And we need to continue to find avenues to help our producers because when we help our producers we help local, regional and state economic growth."

The NDBCIA, founded in 1963, currently processes over 30,000 cow-calf records annually through the CHAPS program. A total of 259 cow-calf producers are active members of the association. Bowman said he hopes the new DATALINETM "will increase our membership and help more producers."