VBP backs LED screen technology for the auction barn

March 6, 2008

Adds 'a little Hollywood,' with instant, improved information to benefit both sellers and buyers.

A new pilot project backed by the Verified Beef Production (VBP) program is taking LED screen technology to the auction barn.

Typically, producers rely on sales catalog information and auctioneer introductions to keep up to speed with which cattle are in the sales ring and details on animal weight, owner and vaccinations.

The pilot LED technology ramps that process up a couple notches. Based on a computer software program, it takes key parts of the catalog information and puts it up in lights, sending it scrolling across an easy-to-read LED screen that is located right behind and above the sales ring.

The information running across the 48 by six inch screen also includes confirmation of age verification – based on a 'real time' instant link to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency database. It also identifies lots that are from operations that have registered with the VBP program – Canada's verified on-farm food safety program for beef - and has capacity to include vaccination protocol information where available.

"It's a technology that gives both buyers and sellers instant, improved information that is right up there in lights, right in front of them," says Dan Ferguson, a Northumberland, Ont., cow-calf producer and VBP coordinator for eastern Ontario.

"For buyers, it makes the information much easier to view without losing focus on what's going on in the ring," says Ferguson, who is part of the team that has led the pilot project. "It also provides the additional information on age verification and VBP program registration, which are increasingly important to buying decisions. For sellers, it delivers much better advertising. The producers' names are up there in lights, and all the good things they've done are made clear to the buyers."

Supports marketing advantage

More producers are choosing to become VBP registered, to capture the marketing advantage of food safety verification. The LED screen technology is an important way to help identify these producers to cattle and beef buyers.

The LED screen pilot project was backed by the VBP program as a way to both improve the sales barn experience and to support the recognition of producers who are registered with the VBP program, says Terry Grajczyk, VBP program manager.

The VBP program is grassroots driven, participated in voluntarily by cattle producers who want to keep up to date with recognized on-farm food safety practices. Many also participate in the program to capture the growing marketing advantage of being able to provide verification that they follow good on-farm food safety practices.

Producers participate in the VBP program by signing-up to attend VBP workshops, which are held regularly across the country. The workshops are a simple, half-day learning experience, designed to help producers ensure they are up to date with standard operating procedures and other important guidelines for upholding food safety.

Producers who complete the workshop have an option to take an additional step in the program to become a registered VBP producer. This involves a simple third-party verification process, where an appointment is set up for a trained evaluator to visit the producer's operation, to confirm record keeping and other key practices are in place.

"More producers are choosing to become VBP registered, to capture the marketing advantage of food safety verification," says Grajczyk. "The LED screen technology software program is an important way to help identify these producers to cattle and beef buyers."

Leading edge, easy to add

The technology operates in a non-invasive way that doesn't interfere with the normal sales barn process, says Ferguson, who has pilot tested the technology at a half dozen different calf auctions in southern Ontario.

Developed in partnership with a software development company, A2 Network, the technology is based on a computer software program that both stores and instantly accesses the information targeted at cattle buyers. It also includes a panel reader that identifies individual animals by reading RFID ear tags.

"What happens in the sales barn is the calf goes past the panel reader before it goes over the weigh scale," explains Ferguson. "The reader identifies the animal by its ear tag, and this triggers the information related to that animal to begin scrolling across the screen."

The technology requires minimal set-up, with the main work being the job of entering some of the basic animal information into the computer. For the pilot tests, this has been done within an hour or two on the evening before the sale.

Adds splash, bang for the buck

Feeback from the Ontario pilot tests has been positive, says Ferguson. "Some producers have joked it makes the sales barn a little more Hollywood like – it adds some splash and has been generally very well received. It enhances the information and really improves how the information is received. It moves the whole experience up a couple notches."

Cattle sellers have commented they appreciate how the information stands out when presented on the screen. "As a producer, you're sitting there and you see your name come up in lights, and you see that what you've put into those calves is now well advertised, not just sitting on a piece of paper that people may choose to read or ignore. It gives a little more bang for the buck of what you've put in."

The screen does not get in the way of the auctioneer's job and in fact complements it nicely, says Dave DeNure, who runs and serves as auctioneer at Hoard's Station auction barn near Campbellford, Ont., one of the pilot test locations.

Sometimes the speed of an auction sale can get in the way of buyers remembering which cattle are in the ring and the details on those cattle, says DeNure. The LED screen provides constant visual reinforcement of those details, without requiring buyers to turn their attention away from what the auctioneer is saying or the sales taking place.

"It worked very well here in the last sale," says DeNure. "The buyers really seemed to like it for the added information it had, and from the perspective that if they weren't paying attention in the catalogue the key information was right in front of them. It also seems to have good long-term potential, as age verification, vaccination protocols, food safety and other factors continue to become more important."

Cross-Canada potential

Plans for the next year are to take the technology to a half dozen or so more auction sales in Ontario and explore options to implement on a broader scale both in that and other provinces, says Ferguson.

"We see an opportunity for this across the country," he says.

Particularly for the added age verification and VBP verification aspects, the sales barn is a great place to highlight this information, he notes.

"Two of the biggest sources of information for the producer are the sales barn and the coffee shop. Obviously we're not going to the coffee shop with this technology. But having this information part of the regular process at the sales barn, if producers have it in front of them and they're seeing it in action, it really can go a long way to supporting progress in those areas throughout the industry."

In addition to support for development of the technology, provided by the VBP program, support for pilot testing in Ontario has been provided by the Ontario Cattlemen's Association (OCA) and the VBP program.