Such a system could verify whether a herd had been exposed to the disease, which could mean the difference between destroying or saving the animals, she said.

Meeting U.S. standards

Leach said the state is using the tests to see how the RFID tags work and to ensure that any system selected for the job meets federal National Animal Identification System (NAIS) specifications.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the NAIS in 2003 as a way to set standards for automating the tracking of animals infected with so-called mad cow disease and other illnesses.

Leach said Colorado will likely extend those specifications to ensure that the RFID tags are affordable to ranchers and can track animals over a wide area without causing them injury.