Over the years we have worked with some innovative, state-of-the-art feedlots where cattle receive the best care. Many of them have spent years building a solid team of family and employees with a passion and pride for exceeding standards in feedlot management and raising beef.
Most of our customers purchase all the cattle in their feedlots, however, there are some who have a special arrangement with cattle ranchers where ranchers retain the ownership of their cattle and pay a feedlot by the day, amount of feed, or points their cattle gain before they are sent to slaughter.
These feedlots start collecting cattle records from the time they enter the feedlot till they are sent to slaughter. They want to make the process of sharing data with cattle ranchers and beef packers easy and hassle-free.
What Data Ranchers Want from Feedlot?
Having developed feedlot management software for customers like Progressive Beef and Agri Beef, we have experienced that cattle ranchers want to get the data back from the feedlot related to the health, growth, and quality of their cattle to get an idea of the value their cattle have in the market.
Currently, there is no easy way to share this data with ranchers who retain ownership of their cattle. With a custom cattle management app development, this problem can be easily solved.
We have also noticed that cattle records are mostly collected by Pen Riders who work as part of a close-knit team of professionals that includes veterinarians, nutritionists, and other employees at the feedlot. Pen Riders observe every animal at the feedlot and take the required health and growth records.
Feedlots look for cattle record keeping solution that can make it easier for Pen Riders to enter cattle records while on horseback.
With other feedlot management apps available, there is no feature, that allows horse riders to easily collect cattle records while on horseback. Apps with Intelligent Voice Assistants can address Pen Riders’ restricted ability to enter cattle records while on horseback.
Our Feedlot Services
When we engage with a feedlot that is looking to digitize and transform its operations, this is what we do:
– Identify who collects cattle records, who analyzes them, what are their challenges, and create user personas accordingly.
– Facilitate communication between feedlots, cattle owners, beef packers, regulators and external consultants.
– Identify how team productivity can be enhanced through computerized farm maintenance management solution.
– Identify a mobile solution which is integrated with feedlot weather stations to better manage the risk of heat stress in cattle.
– Explore the use of Machine Learning solutions, Big Data Analytics, and other emerging technologies to predict cattle growth and health.
– Identify age verification and traceability process and the current tools in use such as RFID and EID tags.
– Identify the use of Intelligent Voice Assistants and other solutions to address Pen Riders’ restricted ability to enter cattle records while on horseback.
Feedlot Technology Workshop
We have in-depth interviews with a feedlot’s management team to discuss areas where technology intervention can being a step change.
Business Strategy
We discuss areas of improvement with stake holders and try to understand how critical they are for the cattle operation. Presentations and Question & Answer sessions ensure we’re all on the same page.
User Roles & Personas
We clearly define the users who will be using the digital tools and their personas, including the role of the technology and how different kinds of users might value and use it. In order to create user personas, we solicit feedback from the roles mentioned below:
– Nutritionists
– Veterinarians
– Feedlot Managers
– Pen Riders
– Feed Driver
– Cattle Export Managers
– External Consultant
– Other Relevant Members
Over the next several days, we finalize a high-level specification document, describing our findings and features. We then turn ideas into wireframes, mockups and a final prototype of a solution. The overall program usually takes 6-8 weeks.
