technology vs. tradition in the ranching world

The visit to the experimental farm in Bonn was interesting to me because my family has always owned a ranch in the hill country where we raise cattle. While at the farm, I saw a side of the business that is very different to the more passive approach that I am used to. While we do have to get them into pens to spray for flays and give shots, any breeding that going on at our place is happening in the pasture rather than with the help of some lab equipment. I have mixed feelings about the widespread introduction of such technology into the ranching world. On one hand, it is obvious that the ability to breed more desireable cattle could greatly increase productivity, leading to greater profits. However, I fear that the techniques described to us could lead to the mechanization of a business that has historically been highly romanticized, especially in the United States. If we know exactly how to produce the desired end product, be it a car, computer program, meat or milk, it doesn't usually take very long until factories are developed to expediate the process. When this happens, it seems very likely that the old fashioned ranchers in overalls will be displaced by modern scientists in lab coats.

Having said this, there is one development that I think is absolutely critical for the establishing a method to verify the safety of the industry. This is the electronic tracking of cattle to show where the animal has been and with what other potentially unhealthy animals it has grazed. This could have remarkable results in helping to reduce the dangers of certain diseases and mad cow disease. However, it must be adopted by all ranchers to work as it should, and that will be difficult to regulate. Also, the electronic devise on the cattle should not just be in the ear tags, because, as I have often witnessed, these eartags rarely last more than a few years before falling out. Finally, I leave with one question: If the electronic tracking of farm animals proves to be a benefit in eradicating diseases, how long will it take for people to begin discussing the possibility of using similar approaches with humans?