Licensing

Our Program

Requirements

Following is a general summary of what it takes to participate in the South Dakota Certified Enrolled Cattle™ (SDCEC) program. For a more information, please refer to the Producer Handbook link on the Forms and Documents page. Producers are also encouraged to attend one of our educational “One-Stop Shops” described on the Education and Training page.

Prerequisites
Prior to submitting an application for participation in the SDCEC program, producers must first obtain a valid USDA premises identification number and South Dakota Beef Quality Assurance/Critical Management Plan (BQA/CMP) certification.

Premise ID: This component is essential for source verification of cattle. There is no charge for registering a premises. A Premises Registration Form can be obtained by contacting the South Dakota Animal Industry Board at (605)-773-3321 or by visiting their website at http://www.state.sd.us/aib.

BQA/CMP: The South Dakota BQA/CMP program is administered by the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association. Essentially, the BQA/CMP program incorporates best management practices that help to prevent drug residues, pathogen contamination and carcass blemishes such as injection site lesions and bruises. The cost for BQA/CMP training and certification is $25.00. For more information or to find a scheduled training in your area, contact the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association or contact your local extension educator.

Program Specifics
Program requirements are essentially grouped into two categories: Producer Requirements and Cattle Requirements.

Producer Requirements:

Only South Dakota cattle operations are eligible
Producers must be licensed with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture through the steps described on the Licensing page
Cattle must be enrolled into the SDCEC Data Management System by submitting required information to the Department
All transfers of physical possession of enrolled cattle must be reported to the SDCEC Data Management System
All program records must be maintained for five years

Birthdate records on an individual or group basis
Castration records
Labels for all manufactured feeds fed to enrolled cattle
Finishing rations
Transfer Warranty Certificates

Cattle Requirements:

Cattle must be tagged with a program compliant RFID tag and enrolled prior to the earlier of weaning or leaving the ranch of origin
Only steers or heifers are eligible; bull calves may be enrolled provided they are castrated prior to 8 months of age
Cattle enrollment expires upon reaching 24 months of age
No Bos indicus (Brahman) influence breeds are allowed
No food or animal wastes may be fed
Cattle must be corn finished for at least 100 days prior to slaughter
Cattle must be born and raised in South Dakota by a licensed producer