Requirements to Participate

There is no cost to register, enter or retrieve individual animal data. There is, however, a minimal amount of required information needed to fulfill the needs of a robust beef chain database.

Participants must agree to specific terms and conditions for BIXS participation and complete a data sharing consent form. In addition to the required data, users can choose to enter optional information on production, performance, health and other data.

Adding optional data will capitalize on the search capabilities of BIXS, helping to create business relationships across the beef chain within the system on an individual animal basis. Including optional data/information can also act to showcase a participant’s operation and cattle to feedlots, buyers and packers and, in time, to retailers and further processors.

REQUIREMENTS OF COW-CALF PRODUCERS:
Cow-calf producers wanting to participate in BIXS must provide the following data: individual animal CCIA tag numbers; animal birthdates either as actual individual animal birthdates or a calving start date; and, whether the farm is a Verified Beef Production operation. It is highly recommended that all participants acquire and provide their premise ID.

BIXS will accommodate all regional premise ID programs as well as the CLTS. All other production, performance and health data/information cow-calf producer participants choose to enter is strictly optional.

REQUIREMENTS OF FEEDLOTS/BACKGROUNDERS:
Finishing and backgrounding feedlots wanting to participate in BIXS must provide the following data: Individual animal CCIA tag numbers; date of animal’s move-in to feedlot; weight in pounds of individual animal at move-in to feedlot; date at individual animal move-out of feedlot along with the individual animal’s BIXS 1 to 5 animal health score (see feedlot section); and, whether the feedlot is a Verified Beef Production operation. It is highly recommended that all participants acquire and provide their premise ID.

BIXS will accommodate all regional premise ID programs as well as the CLTS. All other production, performance, health data/information feedlot participants choose to enter is strictly optional.

REQUIREMENTS OF PACKER/PROCESSORS:
Packer/processors wanting to participate in BIXS must provide the following data/information: CLTS premise ID; individual animal CCIA tag number, animal’s slaughter date; individual animal hot carcass weight, carcass yield, quality and fat grade data.

All other carcass data packer/processor participants choose to enter is optional but can include yield percentage, ribeye area and other electronic grading data.

In time, with the onset of computer instrument carcass grading and measurement across Canada, more detailed carcass measurements will stream into BIXS.

REQUIREMENTS OF AUCTION MARKETS:
Auction market participation in BIXS is also optional. If markets choose to enroll in BIXS they can choose to enter individual animal data at a move-in date, move-out date or both. If markets opt to participate they must provide the individual animal CCIA tag number; animal’s move-in or move-out date and premise ID.

BIXS will enable third party authorization whereby third party entities like auction marts and IT firms can enter data/information on behalf of their customers who have authorized them to do so within BIXS. Companies or organizations wishing to become third party access service providers to BIXS should contact the BIXS Program Administrator by e-mailing bixsadmin@cattle.ca or call 403-860-0384.