This episode featured as part of the Livestock and Genetics segment in partnership with Carrfields Livestock.

Andrew Bendall, sales manager at TotoGen says electronic identification tagging returns its cost on a commercial sheep farm within three to four years.

“EID doesn’t create better sheep; it creates better decisions,” he says.

Speaking after a Beef + Lamb New Zealand field day at Bevan Proffit’s farm near Raetihi, Bendall says the value lies in the decisions farmers make, not the data itself.

“The technology and the data itself will not make you more money.”

He says objective data exposes the assumptions farmers rely on.

“Not all animals are equal.”

He says farmers should treat EID as an investment rather than a cost.

This episode featured as part of the Livestock and Genetics segment in partnership with Carrfields Livestock. To learn more about buying, selling or managing livestock, or to connect with a local livestock specialist, visit carrfieldslivestock.co.nz 

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.