iHerd, Manage your Commercial Cattle Herd On-The-Go
Mon 10 Dec, 2012
Manage Your Herd on Your Phone
Efficient management of a herd is a goal of all commercial and purebred producers. Many systems are used to support this effort, but using your phone for herd management might be something you hadn't considered before.
A group out of Australia has created a free iPhone / iPad app called iHerd that helps you manage your herd on the go. And the app synchronizes with a web account, also free, that you create on their website to help keep that information backed up and accessible from your office computer too.
The app allows you to keep track of:
• Pasture information including property location, size, and the number of head it holds
• Animal information including treatments and weight gain
• Sales information including price and other details
• Treatment information including batches, quantities, dosing sizes, and expiration dates
There are many more features the service has to offer that makes it a fairly comprehensive application. With web-based access to your account, you can even give other people access to portions (or the whole) account to help you with managing the information.
The app has a simple interface that allows you to quickly enter data. For instance, you can move a group of cattle from one location to another and apply a treatment all at the same time. There's even a simple tally function to help you count head or other items.
You can use it in the field as the iPhone / iPad app stores the data until the device is synced to your computer or through a cloud service. You do not need to have an active Internet connection to use the app. This helps eliminate the double entry and potential for error of writing things down in the field and entering the data into the computer later.
The group behind the app is an established company with ties to the cattle industry and has been building software solutions to suit it for decades. The iOS app has been out for more than a year and has been through several revisions at this point. There are videos on their website to help you decide if this app is right for you.
This is not an endorsement of this app or service. Use your own judgment to determine its suitability and usefulness for your operation.