Eugene “Gene” Ritchey and his wife, Jo, founded Ritchey Livestock ID in 1964. Gene was raised on a dairy farm and has been associated with the farming and ranching business all of his life. Because of his innate love and understanding of agriculture, his goal was to make the best product possible - and he did.

The Ritchey arrowhead tag, first sold in 1964, was a flexible, one-piece tag that used a permanent paint pen to affix herd data. It was the very first tag that was considered to be an easy and economical means of individual livestock identification. The invention of this tag made it possible to maintain production and breeding records for better herd management.

Gene has truly put the best of everything he has to offer into the creation and perpetuation of these tags. The Ritchey family is proud to produce an American-made product that allows producers to better their herd management with a product that has the ability to last a lifetime!

The Ritchey Manufacturing business also produces identification products for electrical companies, nurseries, vineyards, wildlife organizations and sports camps.

Awards and Recognition

Over the years, the agricultural industry has recognized Gene`s pioneering spirit and honored him with numerous awards and accolades. In 1989, Beef Magazine honored him as one of 25 people who had made a lasting impact on the cattle business during the last quarter-century. In 1996, the Colorado FFA Foundation inducted Gene into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame, acknowledging his outstanding contribution to Colorado’s agricultural industry. Ritchey Ear Tags have been featured on the covers of countless magazines, including Western Horseman, the Charolais Journal, etc.

Today, the Ritchey family carries on with these same innovative attitudes. The Ritchey family uses Ritchey Tags in all of our day to day livestock operations for testing purposes AND because there’s no better livestock identification product on the market. The company is still a family owned and operated business, as sons Grant and Craig are actively involved in the future of the ear tag industry.

Ritche - Model 080 - Write-On Calf Tag