Business
How to get maximum benefits from your DFUID
By Deerfarmer.com
Jul 25, 2003, 17:26

The concept of a DFUID came to me as I was completing a two year project to design an information system to keep track of all health workers in Alberta. The need for a unique identifier was essential to count, record and track the people working in the health care industry.

At the same time, CWD and other health issues were dominating the deer and elk farming industry. Trace-back systems were being suggested as one way to improve food safety and restore consumer confidence. This would require some way to trace back products to their farms of origin. Trace-back requires a unique and universal farm identification as well as a system to allow the public to easily find out information about the farm.

Since we were already developing the most comprehensive on-line deer and elk farm directory in the world, the idea of adding a unique identifier (in the same manner as for health workers) for deer/elk farms was a no-brainer. Adding the DFUID to the Directory also creates a whole range of additional benefits.

The Deer Farm Universal IDentifier (DFUID) is a unique ID assigned to each farm/ranch in our Global Deer & Elk Farm Directory database. DFUID an "intelligent" ID in the format of "CCSS####" where CC = country code (same as used by Internet domain names); SS = state or province code (based on postal codes) where applicable, and a four- digit sequentially assigned numeric code. Therefore, USWI0010 would indicate that this is deer farm #10 located in Wisconsin USA. CASK2005 would be a deer or elk farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. The domain name http://www.dfuid.com  points to the database so that anyone can quickly search for the farm information using the DFUID.

The reason for using an intelligent ID is that enables consumers to quickly identify the country/state of origin of a product right from the label. By going to the Internet website http://www.dfuid.com, and typing in the DFUID in the Search box, the actual farm and information on it, will be brought up on the screen.

The success of the DFUID depends on a number of factors:

1. Deer and elk farms have to register in the Global Deer & Elk Farm Directory database. We at Deerfarmer.com already have a large number of deer farms in our old Directory that we are transferring to the database. In addition, we have gathered lists of other deer and elk farmers from public sources that will be entered. We continue to work with the various associations asking them to encourage their members to register in the database. Finally, we will be promoting the Directory at conventions and through association newsletters.

2. Farms registered in the Directory have to provide useful, accurate and complete data and keep it up to date. Both our on-line and print forms are comprehensive and detailed enough to try and elicit the required information.

3. Deer and elk farms will need to make use of their DFUID for trace-back and marketing as described below. If consumers do not see the DFUID on deer or elk products, then its value is reduced.

4. Consumers, buyers and the marketplace must be aware of the existence of the DFUID and use it. Consumer demand will be the largest factor in the success of the DFUID. We plan to do some press releases to make the public aware of the DFUID and how to use it.

DFUID is not intended to replace association or government trace- back or inventory programs. However, we do see some challenges facing these "official" programs:

1. Jurisdiction - animal health usually falls under state or provincial jurisdiction. Thus in Canada and the United States, there are a range of rules and systems. Just getting these jurisdictions together to agree on a format and common identifier will take a long time. The same is true with industry associations that represent either a particular species, or a geographical location. So unless the United Nations takes on the task, getting agreement on a universal, common identifier will be very difficult.

2. Privacy - governments are constrained by privacy and confidentiality rules; they usually cannot make information about a particular farm or business public without addressing a whole host of issues.

3. Public access - will there be ONE government or association site that the public can go to get the information on a particular deer or elk farm anywhere in the world? Not likely, because of jurisdictional and privacy issues mentioned above.

Despite these limitations, we do encourage deer and elk farmers to support and participate in other inventory and trace-back systems offered by governments and industry associations.

We are not saying our system is perfect either. Here are some weaknesses that people will point out.

1. No authority - the DFUID and Global Deer & Elk Directory rely on strictly voluntary registration and participation. Deerfarmer.com, as a private company, has no authority or power to compel farms to list or provide the desired data. However, we do feel that as the Directory develops, and consumers/buyers become aware of it, farms listed will have a significant competitive advantage.

2. Verification and accuracy of data - we are not in a position to verify or audit the accuracy of information provided in our Directory. Although we do require people to certify their data is correct, there is no independent verification. We will delete any registration we discover has false information, but there is still a small element of risk involved.

3. Stability - as a private company, there is always the risk that Deerfarmer.com may go out of business. We have been in business since 1989, and expect to be around for a while yet. Even if we did go out of business, the database could easily been taken over by another company or association and continue operations.

We believe that the DFUID and the Global Deer & Elk Farm Directory is the quickest, easiest and most cost-effective way to address some of the important issues affecting our industry. It also demonstrates that the industry itself can provide solutions rather than relying on governments.

There are three major applications of the DFUID and the Global Deer & Elk Farm Directory. These are:

1. Trace-back - once deer and elk farmers start using their DFUID on their velvet, venison and other products, consumers can use the product labels and the Internet to identify what specific farm the products came from. This will greatly contribute to increased consumer confidence and comfort in using deer and elk products.

2. Buyer protection - buyers wanting to purchase breeding/trophy animals and other deer products can easily look up the seller's deer farm based on the name or DFUID. They can verify that such a farm exists, obtain some background information on the operations, and buy with greater confidence.

3. Marketing - one of the most popular applications of the Directory is by new entrants into the industry. People interested in starting a deer farm use the Directory to identify existing operations in their state or province, and then contact these people for more information on getting started and for breeding stock. The expanded directory will also be used by existing deer/elk farmers to find specific related products (e.g., semen, feed, handling equipment) and services (e.g., A.I. services). Companies world-wide will use the Directory to identify potential suppliers for velvet, venison and other products.

After you are listed in the Global Deer & Elk Farm Directory, here are some ways you should use your DFUID:

1. On the tags of all your deer and elk. That way, if they get lost, stolen or run away, the animal can easily be traced back to your farm.

2. On labels for your products such as velvet capsules, venison products, semen containers or any other deer/elk product that comes from your farm. Consumers can see the country/state of origin and can look up the specific farm is there is a problem with the product.

3. On your brochures, catalogues, flyers, yellow pages and other promotional information about your farm, products and services.

4. In your classified ads, whether on Deerfarmer.com, some other website, or in print classifieds.

5. Along with your images in the Deerfarmer.com Photo Gallery. (We will be adding the DFUIDs to the photos as soon as we get everyone registered).

6. On your business cards, stationery, invoices, checks and so on.

7. On your website, and in your e-mail signatures.

8. On your signs - farm sign, truck signs, etc.

9. On banners and displays for trade shows and conventions.

10. On "giveaways" such as pens, caps, key chains, and other promotional items.

Listing on the Deerfarmer.com Deer & Elk Farm Directory is still free.