GSE Blog 

Some Things Can't Wait.

Theft and Disease can be Devastating.

Recovering or preventing loss of stock requires round-the-clock awareness.

Theft Deterrence

People are less likely to steal animals with GPS tracking devices attached to them.

More often than not, theft, and particularly theft of livestock, is a crime of opportunity. Unsecured assets are twice as likely to be stolen than their secured counterparts, even when the deterrent is minimal. Branding and other unique identifiers make stolen animals harder to sell, and would-be buyers are quick to be skeptical of cows with damaged ears and missing ear tags. While it is always impossible to completely eliminate the potential for theft-related loss, with GSatRancher tags, it is possible to greatly reduce the risk.

Furthermore, animals with GSatRancher tags on their ears that are stolen by thieves who don’t recognize the technology will be trackable wherever the thief takes them, making recovery really easy for anyone with an internet connection and a vehicle. Ranchers who take full advantage of the GSatRancher suite by setting up Geofences in GSatTrack can also set up alerts to let them know when an animal is not where it is supposed to be; a handy tool for stopping thieves when they try to take the animal anywhere.

Prevent Disease Outbreaks

Get Alerts Before it Spreads

Quick Case: Buffalo Fly Infestation

Buffalo Fly infestation is more of a nuisance issue than a serious threat to the health of the herd, but many ranchers still opt to treat animals with preventative care. It is important, however, to administer the treatment at the optimal time, because treating animals too early can leave them vulnerable later in the season when the preventative effects wear off. Being able to identify the early signs of infection via agitation index recognized by the accelerometer allows ranchers to deploy treatment and preventatives at the right time.

Research shows a measurable decrease in Average Daily Weight Gain (ADWG) and milk production for animals with severe Buffalo Fly infections, so there is a quantifiable benefit to these preventative methods. GSatRancher, via agitation index Alerts set up in GSatTrack, can provide the information farmers need to make smart decisions about when to deploy those treatments, saving ranchers money in the long run.

Quarantine Effectively and Immediately

Contact tracing prevents unnecessary spread to the herd when disease hits

Quick Case: Containing Rotavirus Outbreaks

Rotavirus spreads quickly, and requires animals to be isolated from the rest of the herd until they are no longer capable of infecting others. Isolation of range-grazing animals is particularly difficult when the animals aren’t being tracked, because there is no way of knowing which animals have been near enough to one another to transmit the virus. Rotavirus can be particularly problematic when infected animals have the ability to contaminate water supplies, and ranchers need a way to identify these problems without a first-hand account.

Rotavirus also tends to affect calves more often and to a greater degree than adult stock, so there’s a greater risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance leading to death. Being able to identify symptoms of Rotavirus and set alerts for those behaviors allows ranchers to investigate infected animals, round them up, and isolate them before the disease affects a larger number of animals. Viewing movement history of the infected animal(s) in GSatTrack can also help with contact tracing that allows ranchers to identify and check water sources and/or other animals that could have been exposed.

Discounts on Insurance

Tracking with GSatRancher demonstrates an effort to reduce risk. Premiums should reflect that.

GSE is in negotiations with a few insurance providers about the possibility of creating standard insurance premium discount codes for all farmers that use GSatRancher devices to track their animals. Because ranchers can set up Alerts to serve as loss prevention measures against both theft and disease, there has been considerable progress made towards a standard risk factor reduction. We will publish information about insurance premium discounts when they are available.