Hawaii to track produce ?farm to market? with RFID

Hawaii to track produce ôfarm to marketö with RFID The Hawaii Department of Agriculture said it will kick off a three-year pilot project this month to track tomatoes and other produce from farms to store in an effort to improve food safety.
   The agriculture-tracking project, which utilizes radio frequency identification technology now being used by several supermarket chains and some farms, will make Hawaii the first state in the nation to test the technology on a statewide basis.
   The project will see small RFID devices attached in agricultural crates and carrying containers. The devices will allow the state to track the produce from farm to market, and in the event of a recall or other health emergency, instantly track the suspect shipment back to the farm of origin.
   State officials, who are hoping the project will become a model for other states to follow, also said the project will help improve agricultural product freshness and quality.
   The program will begin with four Hawaiian farms, ranging in sizes up to 2,000-acres, and include a range of products from tomatoes to strawberries to lettuce. Eventually the state hopes the cost of the technology will fall to the point where most of the state's 5,000 farms will be able to use the RFID technology.
   Motorola Inc., Lowry Computer Products Inc. and GlobeRanger Inc. are partnering with the state to provide the technology for the tracking program.
   For the pilot program, the state is providing the 17-cent RFID tags and $3,000 readers to farmers, but expects the farmers to absorb the costs of the tags after the pilot program concludes.
   The pilot program is being supported by $500,000 in grants, and the state is seeking an additional $1.1 million to cover the program through its three-year lifespan.