Quad Cities-based John Deere is expanding its line of crop-tracing products to include the tracking of livestock. After last year’s fiasco with StarLink corn getting mixed into the food supply, it became evident producers needed a better way to keep tabs on all of their products. Barry Nelson, a spokesman for the John Deere Agricultural Marketing Center in Lenexa, Kansas, says Deere is entering into a “strategic partnership” with AgInfoLink Global, which is involved in the tracking of livestock and butchered meats. Nelson the tracking would use computers to track everything that happens to animals as they’re raised. Nelson says better tracking of grain and livestock will help promote product consistency and help in meeting the safety and quality demands of consumers. He says Deere’s “Crop Tracer” products have been out about a year already.The next step focuses on tracking livestock and meat — from conception to consumption. Nelson says closer tracking of all segments of the supply chain will increase profitability and provide a safer food supply.
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