Herd Diary Version 9.50f Details
Herd Records
All the basic details are stored eg eartag, brand, date of birth, with optional dam, means you can jot down extra particulars. In addition to this static information, the more ‘current details’ are kept up to date as and when events are recorded, such as, calving or service. On leaving the herd, further details are entered: movement, reason for leaving, sale price, pence per kg. Up to 10,000 records can be kept in total, including those that have left - adequate for more than 10 years!
If claiming BSPS, SCP or HLCA subsidies on sucklers or male calves, extra information is stored thus recording all claim details, including replacements
Statutory Requirements
A bovine records book is automatically kept to record cattle births, movements and eartag re-placements. Other livestock movements are kept separately conforming to the Sheep 95 standard.Movements can be entered in various ways, but the special Market Purchases and Sales options allow you to enter batches of animals together and can be used for any livestock. When an individual leaves the herd, Herd Diary automatically makes the relevant movement entry for you.
Breeding records and a male calf register are also maintained and the cattle register, calf book or CID Inspection provide reports for these. Getting a list for a TB inspection is also straightforward.
Ministry guide-lines are followed for all official reports eg SCP premium report, including printouts to accompany BSP/SCP/HLCA claims and passport applications.
Documents
Checking documents has never been so easy. Herd Diary keeps track of passports and CIDs for your calves from the moment of birth to when they leave. It even knows which colour CID it has!Calf registration is simple with a printout to accompany the CPP2 form. All you do is select from the list, press the OK button and enter a date. Warning is given when the CPP2 is late!
The totals in Herd Overview itemise what documents you have and what you are waiting for and how many are eligible for claims or registration - it even shows CIDs by colour. Calves over 28 months are shown to plan calf sales.
When the ministry return documents, you just match them to the eartags in the list - thus ensuring that your paperwork is correct eg. Blue CIDs returned.
Check documents - Shows the current numbers of passports and CIDs held or due, with drill-down view/print of which they are. On Farm menu or button from Passports and CIDs.
E.P.S. Stocking Density
Stocking density is calculated from your herd records and your
farm acreage.
Using your recorded calvings it also calculates your stocking
density in future months.
Enquiry/Trace
These are powerful options that allow you to select or search for an animal from one of the herds or groups (trace allowing you to look at the ‘left herds’ as well) and then view, update or print the details. Where animals have left the herd, you can search on a ‘reason for leaving’, so it is a simple matter to track down BSE cows, for example. You can trace up and down a family tree via calves, siblings or dam.An animal’s current status and all it’s history can be reviewed
either as a whole or selectively eg Health, Services, Calvings etc.
Pop up windows offer herd notes, calves and breeding, plus lactation
details if that module is purchased. If reviewing a Dam through
enquiry, the lactation details of her calves can also be popped up.
The herd record, lactations and history can be printed.
Grouping
Herd records are divided into 3 main herds - Dairy cows, Beef cows and Youngstock - and you normally work with one of these. Each main herd can have upto 36 sub-groups (chosen by you). Also, animals can be put in a ‘location’ or ‘category’ or saved into a temporary herd list. Any form of grouping offers greater flexibility in reviewing, printing, getting statistics. It can also speed up other activities eg. dry off 6 cows at once or sell 3 calves in one go!
Dams and Sires
Herd Diary keeps records for all Dams and Sires. Initially these
would be entered with the animal’s details, but after that they are
all automatically set up and maintained as services and calvings are
recorded. When looking through dam or sire records, their calves can
be displayed or printed giving their whereabouts eg. P9999/00230
10/05/97 HB Left Herd 17/05/97…
Medicine and Farm Cash Book
Medicines given to all livestock are recorded in the Diary and medical supplies are recorded in the Farm Cash Book. These provide a complete Medicine Book which can inspected or printed.Market sales and purchases are automatically put in the Farm Cash Book, as well as other farm supplies. If printed monthly, the total sales and purchases can be used with your accounts.
Insemination records
Service history recorded in the Event Diary can be viewed or printed with optional selections on herd group, bull or inseminator. It can also be reviewed from the Bulls file. If straws are given costs, insemination costings are available. Insemination success rate by bull or person, can be reviewed showing quantities and costs.
History and Events
Any history about ‘events’ in the lives of cows and calves is kept in the Event Diary - this includes the normal fertility and calving-related events eg. services, pd+, calving, plus health problems and any medicines that are given. Weights and feed can be recorded for beef calves.All events have a ‘description’ eg bull, medicine, and an optional ‘person’, all of which can be selected from lists or added directly if new. There is a comments box to further qualify the entry so that any recurring problems can be identified.
Herd Diary also offers you the opportunity to cost all history, thus uniquely providing costs and valuations at individual cow or farm level.
History can easily be reviewed or printed from the Event Calendar, History lists or in association with a particular cow, calf or bull.
Action Diary
Herd Diary automatically generates future ‘expected events’ which follow on from a recorded event eg when the next service is due. These are held in the Action Diary as ‘reminders’ and can be set ‘to remind you’ for any length of time. Action Lists can be viewed and printed from QUICK buttons or from the Action Diary itself.When an ‘expected event’ actually happens, it can be CONVERTED to the real thing with minimal typing - just edit the date and choose descriptions and people from lists.
General Features
Herd Diary makes the process of ‘recording events and history’ so simple that you only have to add the first event for a cow or calf once and after that just select a set of ‘reminders’ from the Action Diary by date (say, covering the last week) and pick out the ones that have taken place. As this is done, more ‘reminders’ will get added and so on...
New Features To Comply With New Government Regulations
- All Numeric Ear Tags -
Earlier versions of Herd Diary will not easily cop with all numeric tags
- Claim Ages For BSPS
Claim ages are currently fixed
- Full Batch Numbers in Medicine Book -
Currently only available in 'Stocks' module
Some of the Extra Features
- Stocking density calculator for EPS claims
- Approved Breeds List
- Improved Medicine Book
- Enter Brands Directly into the Temporary Herd List
- Setting Data Path ( For Networks or Reviewing Backups )
- More Settings Under User Control
Reported Problems Sorted Out
- Reverting to Demonstration Programme
- Calves born but never tagged
- Multiple dead calves
Full List of HERD DIARY Features