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5 Reasons to Use Livestock Management Software: A Guide for Ranchers

admin : August 04, 2020

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5 Reasons to Use Livestock Management Software: A Guide for Ranchers

These days, managing a ranch or farm full of livestock is much more than a pastime. Gone are the days of a family cow or two kept for slaughter once a year. In 2019, the USDA reported a national Farm Income of $88 billion. That’s $4 billion more than 2018, and $10 billion more than 2017.

Larger herd numbers are a result of a rising industry. As numbers rise, so will demand of everything else: forage needs, feed, mineral consumption, etc. As any farmer or rancher knows, to make it work, you’ve got to make it count.

Keeping track of everything is important. Especially during times like these when we’re all struggling to keep afloat, keeping a close eye on your margins can be the difference between boom or bust.
So how do you keep your ship afloat without pulling your hair out? How perfect would it be if there was one place you could go to (like an app on your phone) that has all your livestock records, what pastures they have been in, and how much feed they got yesterday?

In this article, you’ll learn about why integrating software with your operation can give you an edge during these trying times.

Below, you will find 5 reasons why working with Onsharp to build integrated software could optimize your livestock operation:

1. Pasture & Location Management

Keeping track of lots of herds in lots of different places can take up important mental space that you need for other things. Integrating software into your livestock business allows you to:

Track paddock history
Track forage needs
Track billy or bully exposure
Detect and minimize possible inbreeding

2. Feed Management

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten which pasture got which mineral tub and when I last gave it to them. So a bunch of time is wasted riding around the ranch looking. Which pasture gets four bales of hay and which ones get five?

The amount of headaches they save make these first two points alone worth integrating with a software system. Tracking feed and mineral consumption allows you to make a science out of feeding:

Manage weight gain more precisely
Stick to your prospected annual feed budget
Keep track of which herds get which mineral supplements

3. Detailed Record Keeping

Integrating your operation with software built by Onsharp would allow detailed records to be kept such as:

Tag number (off-spring tag number)
Breed
Gender
Date of birth
Sire/Dam information
Photos

If you run a bull operation, for instance, you can keep records on your stock:

Birth Weight
Weaning weight
Calving ease

Onsharp could integrate the reports generated from your custom-built app with real-time sales information on your website.

4. Track Due Dates/Events

Software like this would allow you to keep track of due dates and other events for each individual animal.

Do you know that heifer 1043 was AI’d on this day? You can get an alert on your phone on the day she should be calving, so you can be there to ensure the little fella is breathing.

This is just one example, but the versatility of what Onsharp can build for you is second to none and would take so much off your plate.

Which leads me to my last and most important point…

5. Peace of Mind

I can’t tell you how much mental space is freed up by having all your records right there on your smart phone or tablet in the field with you. This is vitally important during times of economic turmoil like we’re currently facing.

Having your mind freed up from things that you can put into a software system allows you to see where changes can be made. You can plan out strategies for what the market might do, and instead of surviving these trying times, you can actually thrive.

What if your business picked up during this pandemic? Integrating a tool custom-built for you could be the difference.

Perhaps you are hesitant to believe your farm or ranch even needs a website, but here are Six Reasons You Should Have a Farm Website. Better yet, Onsharp builds the highest of quality websites and software solutions.

In addition to building and hosting websites, Onsharp also provides content that is helpful for business owners, such as: Digging In and Managing Your Business Finances During COVID-19. Or possibly you need some information that can give you an edge, even in the 21st century agricultural industry, like When You Need a New Website.