Miniaturization paves the way to improved health care for livestock.

Controlling the work of Mother Nature has focused primarily on genetics and diet, and the application of significant amounts of technology is being used in livestock production. But managing the health of individual animals is extremely difficult, particularly when tens of thousands of animals are involved. RF-based identification tags injected subcutaneously are a step up from plastic tags attached to livestock’s ears, but they don’t reveal anything about the health of the individual animal. That’s why Digital Angel Corp., a South St. Paul, Minn., technology firm, developed a temperature-sensing, implantable microchip. Dubbed Bio-Thermo, the device recently received clearance from federal regulators for use in livestock and other animals.