The benefits of keeping your cattle management records digitally are undeniable….

1. You will save time in so many ways!

If you keep your cattle management records on paper, are you writing notes down in a pocketbook and then writing them up in your formal record books later? Are you then logging onto the national database to update movements, deaths or births? If so, you have essentially written the same information in at least three different places, spending at least twice as much time than is necessary.

If you use a digital record keeping system (particularly one with a mobile app), you will be able to enter records on your phone while in the field. This single effort will automatically update your digital record system, which in turn can send movements, births and deaths to the national database with no further data entry required!

Do you use digital weighing systems or readers? If so, you can make even more time savings when updating records for large groups of animals as you can usually import tag numbers and weights from the reader or weighing scale straight into your digital record keeping system.

2. You will always have real time information.

As entering data on your smartphone is easier, it is likely to mean that you or your team will be updating your records more regularly. So, when it comes to viewing your management records you are more likely to be looking at the most up to date information at any given time – no more memory work involved.

3. It is easier to manage and demonstrate compliance – reduce the risk of penalties!

Have you ever forgotten to make a national database submission? Perhaps you made a note of a birth in the pocketbook but then forgot to update the national database? This is much trickier to do with digital software and apps – once an occurrence has been added on the smartphone, you can see it as an outstanding submission whenever you log in.

Digital herd management systems should have all statutory movement books, medicine books, occurrence reports and traceability reports built in as standard. With a paper based or spreadsheet system, you will probably need to waste time manually assembling your records into a clear format for the inspector. This will not be the case with a digital record keeping system – just a couple of clicks and you can display or print the reports your inspector needs to see.

4. You will have more invaluable and accurate data, enabling you to make more informed decisions.

As the saying goes, “if you can’t monitor it, you can’t manage it.” As you will be saving time on your statutory record keeping, you should have more time to enter more performance and other management records. The more herd data you have at your fingertips, the better informed decisions you will be able to make.

Even if you do keep very comprehensive paper based or spreadsheet records, if that information cannot be displayed in an easy to interpret format, it will not be as helpful when it comes to decision making. Digital herd management softwares have an abundance of management reports with various filtering options, so you can get to the information you need to see quickly.

So, if you are not using a digital herd record keeping system yet, what are you waiting for?

For advice or information on Landmark’s digital cattle management solution Cattledata, please call 01798 877100 or email info@landmarksystems.co.uk.