TekVet Announces the TekVet System Grant Program -- Educational and Non-Profit Institutions Eligible for Free TekVet Systems for Use in Large Livest

23 May 2006

TekVet®, LLC., a Utah-based developer of agricultural technologies, today announced the TekVet System® Research and Development Grant Program.

Available to educational and non-profit research institutions, the TekVet Grant Program will provide eligible organizations with free TekVet Systems for use in their ongoing research efforts with beef, dairy and other large livestock animals. As a result, researchers will be able to automatically track and trace vital data while monitoring core body temperatures wirelessly.

"Since core body temperature is the best indicator of health in most large animals, including beef and dairy cattle, knowing precisely when an animal becomes sick is critical to the success of many research programs," said D. Bret Smith, chief executive officer of TekVet. "By using the TekVet System, researchers will be able to wirelessly track and monitor the core body temperature of their research animals automatically with the accuracy of a rectal probe. Not only will this dramatically increase the validity of their research data, but it will also save them from having to manually take the temperature of each individual animal."

The TekVet System is an automated radio frequency (RF) wireless solution designed to constantly monitor the core temperatures of large livestock at ranges of 300 to 500 feet, while capturing vital historical data through a private network. Universities can capitalize on TekVet s RFID technology and allow their students to investigate the impact of the technology on numerous related issues.

"We ve already been contacted by several of the world s top agricultural programs and research institutions," said Allison Thacker, director of education and research grant programs. "We re very excited to share our end-to-end technology with both researchers and their students across the worldwide community. It is just a small token of our continued commitment and effort to encourage others to join us in developing technologies that will ultimately help in protecting our food supply."

About the TekVet System

Central to the TekVet System is the TekVet SmartSensor®: a small wireless device that is attached to a cow s ear and includes a flexible thermometer, a wireless transceiver and other electronic components. The TekVet SmartSensor is attached to an animal s ear in much the same way identification tags are as used by beef producers, ranchers and dairy farmers.

Once in place, the TekVet SmartSensor can provide core temperature readings minute-by-minute or periodically throughout the day as determined by a feedlot or dairy manager. Such readings are captured by TekVet SmartReceivers® and transmitted to the TekVet SmartManagement® software application via the TekVet SmartNetwork®, where the readings are stored in appropriate storage devices and uploaded via the Internet to the TekVet System central network operation and data center (NOC).

Researchers interested in learning more about requirements for participating in the TekVet System Grant Program should contact Allison Thacker at 801-608-9322 or allison@tekvet.com for more information.

About TekVet, LLC Formed in 2003, TekVet, LLC is a privately funded Utah-based developer and manufacturer of agricultural technologies. The company focuses on the application of wireless technologies to lower production costs, increase profits and improve product safety in the livestock industry. For more information on the company, visit its Web site at www.tekvet.com or call 801-335-0500.

# # #

TekVet, TekVet System, TekVet SmartSensor, TekVet SmartReceiver, TekVet SmartManagement, and TekVet SmartNetwork are each trademarks of TekVet, LLC.

Source: prleap