OFI 988: Putting A Stop To Stock Theft | Rural Crime Edition | David Smith | Ceres Tag

Every week on our rural crime episode I report on stories of stock theft in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, etc. For so many years it has just seemed at best to be a nuisance that came with raising livestock and at worst, a devastating incident that could drive you out of business.

Technology has actually helped stock thieves. For all of our efforts to brand livestock, keep electronic records and surveil the most likely location to sell the stolen stock it still goes on. And today with big pickups and bigger livestock trailers in addition to portable working pens, it is easier than ever for thieves to take off with your livestock without leaving a trace. At least in the 1800s, they could only move as fast as the cattle, and they left tracks to follow. Today, on a paved road, there is no such luck.

It is about time that technology jumps ahead of the stock thieves, and I think that it has happened. A couple weeks ago I read an article about a livestock tag that communicates directly with satellites in outer space and that is very difficult to remove from a cow’s ear. I reached out to the company and asked if this tag had been designed to help combat livestock theft, and they told me that it had been. I immediately requested an interview to profile this new technology for all of you.

Today the CEO and Co-Founder of Ceres Tag, David Smith, joins us to talk about getting rid of stock theft. David is going to talk about all the capabilities of this tag that he and his wife invented in Australia, and what the implications will be both for theft deterrence as well as grazing efficiency and direct marketing. There are some incredible possibilities here, and I am eager to share them with you!