Report No.230508

NEWS

- Food Marketing and Distribution -

Production History of Cattle to be Voice Recorded

Japan Rural Information System Association has developed 'Labor-Saving Recording System,' which allows information such as arrivals and shipments of cattle and feeding etc. to be put in by voice. Farmer, while at work, can keep record of the types and volume of feeds given and the time and date of feeding into Personal Data Assistance (PDA), a portable information terminal. The device meets the requirement of traceability (a system of tracing the history of production and distribution), and is designed to do the job efficiently and to keep accurate information.

This is the first trial of the device in the field of livestock, according to the association. Information relating to the types and volume of feeds given and the state of cattle can be fed into PDA by voice message using microphone attached to headphone. It can be used by wide-ranged types of farms from family farms to large operations. The association underlines that "information regarding insemination and treatment by veterinarians are also traceable and they contribute to efficiency enhancement."

The PDA unit weighs 170 grams and can be kept in pock of working wears. Data accumulated in the memory card are turned to visible numerals and letters when fed in PC and displayed on its window. At work places such as cattle barns and grass fields, information of raising and control used to be recorded manually, which was much labor consuming. The device will be placed on the markets some time this spring, but prices etc. are yet to be publicized.

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