Farming Software packages

cowmilk

Anyone recommend any good software packages for the budding dairy/beef farmer? Herd management software?

whelan1

i have the agrinet/ifc package, its also has a great grassland management package

grumpyfarmer

I use the kingswood package, using it for 9 years now and find it very good, it covers herd management, grassland, nitrates and accounts and the beauty of it is you actually own the program not just the rights to it, also you can opt out of update, which I wouldn't recommend , bit makes it cheaper...

cowmilk wrote: »

Anyone recommend any good software packages for the budding dairy/beef farmer? Herd management software?

cowmilk

grumpyfarmer wrote: »

I use the kingswood package, using it for 9 years now and find it very good, it covers herd management, grassland, nitrates and accounts and the beauty of it is you actually own the program not just the rights to it, also you can opt out of update, which I wouldn't recommend , bit makes it cheaper...

whelan1 wrote: »

i have the agrinet/ifc package, its also has a great grassland management package

What kind of money are these systems? Are they worth it?

Would an excel sheet be just as good? What kind of data should I be tracking?

whelan1

think its around €150 a year, but its deffo worth it , saves so much time also fantastic back up service, we have ifc about 15 years

cowmilk

whelan1 wrote: »

think its around €150 a year, but its deffo worth it , saves so much time also fantastic back up service, we have ifc about 15 years

So for 150 euro do you get to own the software and update it each year? Can you own the software and still use it without updating each year?

whelan1

DONT KNOW, BUT I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULDNT UPDATE IT EACH YEAR, FARMING MOVES ON , THE UPDATES ARE TO MOVE ALONG WITH THIS

grumpyfarmer

So for 150 euro do you get to own the software and update it each year? Can you own the software and still use it without updating each year?[/Quote]

I can't say for the other packages but for the kingswood you first buy the program and its yours, I can't say what that costs now seeing as its 9 years since I bought it but then you have the option of paying a yearly sub of I think its €120, I'd have to look it up to be sure, to keep it updated or not its up to. you..
As for Excel if you have the time, patience and knowledge you could set it up to do a lot of what they do and register births on the dep website, I've always done it through the package, or teagasc also have some spreadsheets pre made, I know of accounts and grass measurment ones...
Oh and I should add that since the offical packages are department approved the are used as both you herd register and animal reminidies register replacing the blue book, you can also apply for movement certs and the like and you can download milk recording data to them to build up a herd profile, stuff not possible on Excel...

dealerman

kingswood are 150 a year for a suckler beef package every year

bob charles

Im sorry but I fail to see what a software package can bring over and above and excel spreadsheets and access. What are you people recording that needs a computer package?

blue5000

bob charles wrote: »

Im sorry but I fail to see what a software package can bring over and above and excel spreadsheets and access. What are you people recording that needs a computer package?

Don't have one either bob, but saw a demo and all I can see you're getting is that when you are recording an event eg for the su cow welfare scheme the software keeps a copy or queries if you are putting in somethin stupid.

Tora Bora

blue5000 wrote: »

Don't have one either bob, but saw a demo and all I can see you're getting is that when you are recording an event eg for the su cow welfare scheme the software keeps a copy or queries if you are putting in somethin stupid.

If you are recording an event directly on the Agfood.ie website, and you put in something stupid, the system flags it and stops you just as well.

whelan1

i have agrinet since before the agfood website was set up, would take alot to change me now:)

grumpyfarmer

Tora Bora wrote: »

blue5000 wrote: »

Don't have one either bob, but saw a demo and all I can see you're getting is that when you are recording an event eg for the su cow welfare scheme the software keeps a copy or queries if you are putting in somethin stupid.

If you are recording an event directly on the Agfood.ie website, and you put in something stupid, the system flags it and stops you just as well.

There was no agrinet in 2003 when I bought my kingswood package so im fully set. up using it and have all my herd info, accounts info, fert info, vet info, etc etc. Set up on it and won't be changing any time soon..

whelan1

grumpyfarmer wrote: »

There was no agrinet in 2003 when I bought my kingswood package so im fully set. up using it and have all my herd info, accounts info, fert info, vet info, etc etc. Set up on it and won't be changing any time soon..

agrinet was ifc then

Timmaay

Anyone able to compare icbf.ie to agrinet.ie? I'm currently using icbf.ie, with agfood.ie for registrations/permits, is agrinet an addition to icbf.ie, or could it totally replace it? (and save me the 80quid a year I pay for icbf)

Timmaay

bob charles wrote: »

Im sorry but I fail to see what a software package can bring over and above and excel spreadsheets and access. What are you people recording that needs a computer package?

If all you want is just a simple database of the animals in your herd, a basic spreadsheet will do (an Access database is more ideal, but Access needs a reasonable bit of knowledge, and will take a while to learn how to use it, and time is money!)

The likes of icbf.ie offer over a basic excel herd list is automatic update of your herd, alongside all your reports, such as milkrecording, calving/fertility records, alongside EBI reports and comparison to national data, and finally icbf.ie also offers a profit monitor service linked in with Teagasc, for your DEP.

All of which certainly are necessary for most Dairy farmers!

cahergowan

whats the story with the farm software link on the online herdbook ???

5live

blue5000 wrote: »

Don't have one either bob, but saw a demo and all I can see you're getting is that when you are recording an event eg for the su cow welfare scheme the software keeps a copy or queries if you are putting in somethin stupid.

Its a bit more than that, Blue. I have kingswood with a few years and fill in the calving in the yard with a handhald yoke (thats the correct technical term:D) and download it to the computer every evening and email it the following day. No mistakes and all the info i need for dosing/withdrawls/date due etc is on me all the time.

And best of all no blue book and trying to write it down at night. And i am nowhere near a lot of the handy stuff it can do yet.

Its not cheap but it is secure and only one filling in needed, unlike on excel where you still have to fill in the register as well

patjack

bob charles wrote: »

Im sorry but I fail to see what a software package can bring over and above and excel spreadsheets and access. What are you people recording that needs a computer package?

Agreed Bob, if one is registered for the agfood site, then there is no need for the blue book. Filling in the animal remedies section of the blue book is NOT compulsory, as long as if you don't fill it in you keep the copy of the prescription the vets give you.

I realise that there other considersations like grass mgt etc, but purely from what is compulsory, if one registers for agfood and retains their animal prescriptions they are compliant. On agfood the minimum you have to do is register your calves, record your animal events, and apply for your SFP.

Unless you want specialist software for grassland mgt or other areas of farm mgt outside of just being compliant, a farm software package may be of little if any benefit

blue5000

5live wrote: »

Its a bit more than that, Blue. I have kingswood with a few years and fill in the calving in the yard with a handhald yoke (thats the correct technical term:D) and download it to the computer every evening and email it the following day. No mistakes and all the info i need for dosing/withdrawls/date due etc is on me all the time.

And best of all no blue book and trying to write it down at night. And i am nowhere near a lot of the handy stuff it can do yet.

Its not cheap but it is secure and only one filling in needed, unlike on excel where you still have to fill in the register as well

There's horses for courses 5live, with calving I write it on the tag box, then once a week in peak calving season I reg calves on line with agfood. I still keep the blue book as I'm a bit old:eek:fashioned, so dosing etc goes in there too. This yr I signed up for icbf, mainly to see what my cows checked out like, only 20e the first year so no big expense there, 60e I think next yr.

My cows go into an excel file which I keep myself, that costs nothing, just time, and there is almost no limit to how much info that can go in there, if I want to start something new like weaning weights for example I just insert a column.

cowmilk

What kind of variables do you monitor on an excel/access sheet for dairying?

Any good templates?

Jippers

Hi Everyone, Fairly new here but here is what i have to say:

I, like most, keep my own records. I dont have kingswood or any other commercial software. Instead I developed my own MS Access database. It works like a dream for what I want. We run a calf to weaning herd and I can capture all info required. I know some of you will disagree with this as I have duplication of work having to re-enter registration and ICBF data on calves to the department, but thats the way i want it for now.
I developed this mainly due to my inability to find anything suitable on the net which I could download and use.

Im putting up the template here for review. Any feedback welcome.

It runs on MS Access 2003.