Finding the Best Tags for Your Cattle

On today’s episode of the Casual Cattle Conversation, Shaye welcomes Brittany Kelsey, a Missouri-raised cattle industry professional, wife, and mom who leads a remote team at CattleTags.com. They discuss why a solid animal identification system is the foundation for effective herd management, accurate record keeping, and improved profitability. Brittany covers how to choose the right tag by animal and purpose (large/calf tags vs. maxi and super maxi for mature cattle), color-coding strategies, and the advantages of Allflex laser-engraved, inked tags for lifelong readability versus marker-written tags that fade. They also discuss layout options (phone number, brand, birth date, sire info), one-piece vs. two-piece tag preferences and retention, and how to build practical management code/numbering systems that are easy to interpret and avoid duplicates—especially when retaining heifers. The conversation explores EID benefits including reducing human error, USDA compliance considerations in some states and markets, common misconceptions about what EIDs store, and matched EID/visual tag sets and TSU DNA sampling workflows. Brittany explains what to consider when purchasing EID readers, including desired data capture features, barcode scanning for DNA samples, ISO low-frequency compatibility, and avoiding proprietary systems. The episode highlights cattletags.com’s producer support, including help designing systems, creating spreadsheets for random numbers and EID imports into software like CattleMax, and proactive order checks, and closes with a takeaway that animal ID is about building a management foundation beyond tags or compliance.  Learn more about CattleTags here: https://bit.ly/3Lf8yE3  Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/  00:00 Welcome to Casual Cattle Conversations + Today’s Guest Brittany Kelsey  01:33 Why Animal ID Systems Matter: Records, Management & Profitability  03:09 Choosing the Right Ear Tag: Size, Color & Readability in the Field  04:45 Laser Engraved vs Marker Tags + Custom Layout Options  06:53 One-Piece vs Two-Piece Tags: What Retains Best?  08:21 Building a Numbering/Management Code System (and Avoiding Duplicates)  12:33 Maxi Tags for Replacement Heifers: Longevity & Labor Savings  14:22 EID Tags 101: Benefits, Compliance & Common Misconceptions  16:34 Matched Sets + DNA/TSU Sampling: Keeping IDs Connected  17:55 Picking an EID Reader: Features, Compatibility & ISO Standards  20:25 Why Producers Choose CattleTags.com: Ranchers Helping Ranchers  22:20 Key Takeaway + Wrap-Up, Links, and How to Support the Podcast