The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has been proactive in developing a state premises identification and registration program as a part of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NDA is currently registering premises or identifying the locations where animals are kept. A premise includes farms and ranches, as well as high concentration points such as markets, vet clinics and harvesting facilities.

The program provides animal owners and animal-health officials with the infrastructure to improve current disease eradication and control efforts, to protect against the spread of foreign and domestic animal disease outbreaks, and to address threats from the deliberate introduction of disease.

Anyone who owns, keeps, houses or commingles livestock, regardless of the number of head, should register. It is to the producer’s advantage to register as a way of protecting their investment and as a way of maintaining the health of the national herd. Registering also could help producers take advantage of marketing opportunities through source-verified programs.

And it’s to Nebraska’s benefit to register 25 percent of its premises by April. So far, NDA has registered more than 5,500 premises, but that’s still only 18 percent of the state’s total. Failure to reach USDA’s 25 percent goal could jeopardize the more than $600,000 that Nebraska receives in federal animal ID funding.

You can register online at www.animalid.us, by phone at (800) 572-2437, or in person at various events across Nebraska.   

By Royce Schaneman, NDA animal ID coordinator.