He started by using the last character in the tattoo corresponding to the year. This changed when he went to printed ear tags and needed to have a more uniform system. Breeders need to develop a tattoo system that fits their needs, depending on how important the sire, dam, or the relationship of age between calves is to them. An important ingredient to showing At all Association-sponsored shows tattoos are checked to make sure they correspond with an animal's registration paper. If a calf's tattoo is unreadable it is not allowed to show.
Tattoos play a major role in the showring.
Don't get caught having a tattoo you can't read or, even worse, none at all. Hurlbut points out that the animal can be tattooed at home but not at the show. Check purchased cattle tattoos closely before attending a show, Hurlbut advises. Without knowing, a breeder may have forgotten to tattoo a calf or may have given a calf a wrong tattoo. Planning ahead and checking tattoos can save driving hundreds of miles to a show and not being able to exhibit an animal.