IBM Farms Out RFID


Big Blue teams with startup TekVet to prevent outbreaks of livestock diseases.




IBM and TekVet, an agricultural technology startup, unveiled an RFID-based early warning system Thursday for infectious animal diseases such as mad cow and hoof and mouth.


The application, the result of three years of R&D from Salt Lake City-based TekVet, is a much-needed PR bonanza for radio frequency identification, which has taken a number of hits for its potential for abuse as a human surveillance technology.


TekVet employs an active RFID tag inserted into the ears of farm animals that collects and sends information about the health and whereabouts of cattle and other livestock.


Knowing the body temperature of a farm animal is an important indicator of its health. For instance, it is a critical indicator of where the female is in her ovulation cycle.

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