Introduction
It is the beginning of many cattle producers' favorite time of the year, the calving season. This time of the year we welcome vibrant calves to our herds and begin to keep records. Traditionally producers have used the notorious “Redbooks,” however, is there a better way to keep records on our animals? There are various pieces of software that are ready to be used; these come in a variety of price ranges, with some even being free. While a physical book to keep records is convenient and useful, I would challenge you to think about digitizing these records for future use. If digitized, we can start to examine trends that we are observing in our herds and better understand our herd dynamics.
Software Options
Another option that you may consider is using software that is designed to function from a computer. There are a few options that fit these criteria, and the producers that use computer-based software couple this with a physical book. The records are recorded in the pasture or lot with the physical book and are entered on a computer at the end of the day. This allows there to be two locations where this data is stored and can serve as a backup if something were to happen to the book or the software.
There are several benefits to keeping records in this fashion. The first of which is that we can keep track of our records year-over-year and identify if our management actions are aligning with our calving season (for example, calving weights, decreasing calving season, etcetera). The second benefit is that anyone with the login information can access these records, which eliminates the need to find the singular book with the calving information in it. The third major benefit is that calving books can easily be lost, often they are set on the dash of pickups and have a way of disappearing on us. While they are usually found, this time could have been spent checking our animals or completing other tasks for the day.
A major consideration when looking at this software is the cost and usability. The cost structure is a straightforward answer. Table 1 below gives a few examples of popular choices that are commonly discussed and the costs associated. Some of these pieces of software are a fixed cost and some are variable, so keep that in mind. The variable cost is associated with your herd size, so large producers (more than 500 head) in most cases will pay more than an operation with 100 head or less.
| Name | Free Demo | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cow Sense | Yes | $155-$605/year |
| CattleMax | Yes | $81-$660/year |
| CattlePro | Yes | $195-$595/year |
| CattleWorks | Yes | $74.9/year |
| Cattlytics | Yes | $50-$2,448/year |
| CowCalf Manager | Yes | $180-$1,020/year |
*Please note that prices and free trials are subject to change after publication of this article. The mention of these software platforms also does not mean endorsement of the product, but rather serves as a reference to technology that is available.
Takeaway
The big question with implementing any technology on an operation is “does this make sense on my operation?” It is important to remember that, while you may use software, that doesn’t mean it should be your only format for keeping this data. There should also be considerations on cybersecurity protocols to keep this data private and only accessible. Furthermore, this technology depends upon the user learning how to use it and committing to keeping records in a digital format.
