Susan Obijiski
Posted: 03 December, 2008 |
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If you are shopping for software for herd or stock management, you may be tempted to look for the least expensive software regardless of herd specificity. After all, animals are animals so why should herd management differ? Managing a herd of dairy cows requires the same information as chicken farming – or so it may seem.
In fact, if you are engaged in bull breeding, dairy or beef cattle management, sheep or goat herding, running an equine stable or breeding facility or chicken or pig farming, your needs are different than the needs of other farmers. Of course, you have a business to run so you will need an accounting package, payroll, billing and records management but that is where the similarity between the dairy farm and the horse farm ends. You would not manage your herd or animal farm using crop management software would you?
When you are looking for herd management software, it is best to limit your search to software vendors that offer animal-specific software packages. You may be able to integrate standard back office business software with these systems if need be but for the focused management of her your herd or animals, you are better served to look for a best-of-breed software package.
For example, a horse stable owner will need a package to track the health records and veterinary visits of her horses. If she is showing horses, she will also need to track events, awards, breeding engagements and results.
If you are managing a herd of cattle, your needs will vary depending on whether you are running a registered cattle facility or a commercial cattle facility. You will need to keep records on medical history, calving, herd movement, weight and carcass data, cattle purchases and sales. If you are breeding, you will need to keep records for your breed association and you will need pedigree charts and sales catalogues.
If you are running a nursery, you will need nursery management software to manage your stock and your equipment, nursery climate, equipment maintenance, birth and death rates, disease management and more. Poultry farmers need to manage historical and current farm results, batch management, flock performance as compared to other poultry farmers, weekly weights and mortality figures, shed management, and feed usage. You may even need to purchase a version that is specific to broiler breeding, turkey breeding or a poultry layer version.
Sheep ranchers require information on spring breeding, inbred animals, pedigree history, sales, a manifest for all breads, government ID tracking, gestation, age and gender records as well as price per pound and sale weight.
If you stop to consider the variations in herd and animal management for each of these types of farming and ranch activities, you can begin to see how the use of a generic herd or animal management software program would require some sacrifices on your part. The available detail, information, reporting and trending would not be specific to the health issues, government regulations and sales data you need to effectively manage your business. With so much invested in your farm and herd, the success of your business may very well hinge on the accuracy of your records.
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Susan Obijiski is a technology professional, consultant, business coach and writer. Her experience includes management consulting, and she has published research for Gartner Group. Susan is a frequent speaker and presenter on a variety of topics including software and technology, business strategy, process improvement and organizational culture change.
mailto: susanobijiski@aol.com
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