Using infrared light to photograph blood vessels in the eye sounds like the far-out technology of James Bond films, not Western cattle ranches.



Yet ranchers are using a small, hand-held computer called an OptiReader to take retinal images of their herds. The digital pictures are stored in a database with information about the animal, such as color, weight and even lineage.



Since the blood vessel patterns don’t change over time, the pictures let OptiReader users track animals from birth to death.

Brian Bolton of manufacturer Optibrand said the device also could help consumers: As people demand more information about the meat they buy, the ability to know where and how cattle were raised and what they were fed will become more important.



“A lot of what this is about is consumer confidence,” he said.



The device originally was developed by ethics and business professors at Colorado State University as an alternative to hot-iron branding. It is being marketed by Optibrand in Fort Collins.



The OptiReader is a portable computer with a digital camera and Global Positioning System. The camera uses near-infrared light to photograph the retina, the backside of the eye that contains unique blood vessel patterns.



“They’re more (distinguishable) than human fingerprints,” Bolton said. “Even in clones, the eyes are different.”



During a recent demonstration, a cow was directed into a corral, where the tube-shaped camera was held a few inches from her eye. A few seconds later, an image that resembled the branches of an oak tree appeared on the small OptiReader screen.



The process, which didn’t seem to bother the animal, can be done at the most rustic farming operations, as long as a curtain is handy to keep sunlight out of the retina.



The image is stored in a secure database with information such as vaccinations or feeding habits. The location, time and date are automatically recorded through the GPS, preventing false claims about the animal’s heritage.



Once entered into the computer, images and information cannot be altered, Bolton said.



It was that level of security that attracted Rex Moore, president of Maverick Beef Ranch. The Denver-based organic beef company is the first U.S. commercial operation to use the device, which has been tested in South America, New Zealand, Europe and South Africa.



“I really liked how they patented GPS with animal ID, how it says where in the U.S. (the animal) was scanned,” said Moore, whose clients include the U.S. Olympic Training Centers. “I can prove this animal was born at this ranch, it went to this particular feedlot and this slaughterhouse.”



Moore said he plans to use the OptiReader to help him track genetic information on the 25,000 cattle that go through his Colorado facilities each year. It could help him and his suppliers determine which genetic lineage produces the best cuts of meat.



The cost of the device – about $1,500 with computer software – is reasonable for his operation, Moore said. Scans will average about $3 per animal.



The price is similar to what Moore would spend on bar-coded tags and radio transponders attached to animals’ ears. Those marking methods are less secure because they can get lost or switched, Moore said.
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