"This is sort of a science-fiction-meets-reality time for the livestock industry," Pollock said. "And we can use retinal imaging on any animal, not just cattle."

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)--Bossy places her eyes in the high-tech scanner, snorting through her nose as she proves her identity before crossing the border from New Mexico into Texas.

The retinal identification system flashes a picture, revealing through veins in her retina all information about her life in New Mexico, before she travels to a market where her fine bovine bloodline will be sold.

Bossy isn't a real cow, but this experience of having her eyes checked could be typical of the next generation of cows in New Mexico.

Retinal imaging is one of several technologies that the state Livestock Board is testing at New Mexico State University to track cattle.

The purpose is to protect against theft and loss but also to rapidly track cattle should a disease outbreak occur, said Manny Encinias, an NMSU Extension beef cattle specialist.

"It's a very interesting time in the U.S. beef industry," Encinias said.

Government leaders are worried about a foreign animal disease that could wallop the beef industry, Encinias said.

Outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, for instance, have hurt economies in other countries. Tracking systems could let officials instantly know where a diseased cow had been and the other animals it came into contact with since it contracted the disease, Encinias said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has mandated that all cows in the United States by 2008 have unique identification so they can be tracked.

The goal of the technology tests at NMSU is to find the best way for New Mexico's ranchers to keep an eye on cattle, and the results could easily benefit ranchers beyond just protecting cows from disease, said Dave Fly, a state veterinarian with the Livestock Board.

"Systems that track the age, breed, where the animal is from and other details about its life can be a selling point for major marketers," Fly said.

Think of Burger King's recent marketing of Angus beef burgers as an example.

Easy access to data about breed and ranch is becoming more of a selling point for gourmet burger restaurants, Fly said.

Besides retinal imaging, the university and the livestock board are testing conventional paper ear tags and radio frequency tags, which transmit a number by radio waves that is associated with the cow. Radio frequency tags must be read within a few feet of the cow.

So far, retinal scans are the fastest tracking technology. But they're not the cheapest, Encinias said.

"We can use the retinal technology to compare information with past data about the animals in 10 seconds, typically," Encinias said. "Other technologies can take hours or days, because you have to track down data related to a number."

The retinal scan, on the other hand, already is attached to a data system with information about the cows, which is why it's so fast, he said.

New Mexico is one of the top three cattle-producing states. At the end of October, there were 330,000 milk cows and 136,000 beef cows in the state, according to the Department of Agriculture. It's also the fifth largest dairy producing state in the country, so any disease outbreak in the livestock could have dangerous impact on more than just New Mexico's economy, Fly said.

So far, the best technologies for New Mexico ranchers appear to be radio frequency tags and standard identification ear tags, because they're less expensive, Encinias said.

The retinal imaging technology is best suited for show animals because it is more detailed and nonintrusive, Encinias said.

Ear tags can fall out or be taken out, but retinal images are as unique as fingerprints and can't fall out, said Jenny Pollock, sales manager for Optibrand in Fort Collins, Colo., which makes the scanner.

"Because the eye is part of the animal's body, it remains with the animal--and eye patterns never change," Pollock said. "We can use it to prove an animal's identity, and also to prove that somebody is showing the same animal throughout the cattle show season."

The retinal technology is slightly more expensive than visual tags, which run about 75 cents per animal. But it's comparable to radio frequency tags, which cost about $2.50 per animal, she added.

"This is sort of a science-fiction-meets-reality time for the livestock industry," Pollock said. "And we can use retinal imaging on any animal, not just cattle."