Move from guesswork to evidence — track what your herd actually produces.
Most cattle producers manage their herds by eye — selecting replacement heifers and culling cows based on how an animal looks. Phenotyping has value, but it has limits. Two cows that look equally good can produce very different results over time, and without records, that difference is invisible.
This system gives you the data to see it.
By recording what your cows actually produce — and tracking that production across generations — you move from guesswork to evidence. Over time, the underperformers become obvious. As you replace them with animals from stronger genetic lines, your weaning weights climb year over year. That is the goal: more production from the same resources.
You do not need to collect everything at once. The system is designed to be useful at every level of record-keeping, from a simple inventory to a full genetic analysis.
Before entering any animals, decide on your ID system. The program links calves to dams, and dams to their offspring across years. That linkage depends entirely on each animal having a permanent, reliable ID.
The recommended format is a 3-digit number plus the birth year — for example, 001-24 for the first animal born in 2024. This format keeps animals sortable, readable, and unique across your entire herd history.
Your permanent ID can be a hot brand, freeze brand, or tattoo. Ear tags are convenient but carry risk — if an animal loses its tag and cannot be positively identified, its link to its calf history and family tree is broken permanently.
If you are starting without permanent IDs on your existing cows, assign and apply them before entering those animals into the system. This is a one-time investment that protects every record you will ever add.
Enter your cows first. Each dam record anchors the family records that will be built beneath her.
As you enter each calf, link it to its dam. The program uses this link to build family trees and calculate genetic production over time. Every calf correctly linked to its dam is a data point that grows in value with each passing year.
Each animal belongs to a group. Your group code can represent whatever makes sense for your operation — a calving season, a year, a pasture cohort. The code is yours to define, but use it consistently. The program uses group codes to calculate how each calf ranks within its contemporaries at weaning.
Once your animals are entered, you have access to the Working Sheet — a filterable, sortable inventory of your active herd.
In the field, print the Working Sheet or pull it up on a phone or tablet before working your cattle. Use it as an attendance sheet: verify that each animal is present and accounted for. As you move through the herd, note any problems you observe directly on the sheet — a bad bag, long toes, poor body condition, or any other deficiency worth remembering.
Back at the desk, enter your field notes into the Comments field of each animal's record. Over time, the comments section becomes a running log of observations that informs your culling decisions.
At this level of record-keeping — even with no weights recorded — you have a working herd inventory with individual animal histories.
Adding weaning weights unlocks the analytical power of the system. When you weigh your calves at weaning, the program calculates:
Don't let a missing scale stop you. Every field that asks for a weight — birth weight or weaning weight — can also accept a simple size code: XS, S, M, L, or XL. Look at the calf, judge its size relative to a typical calf at that stage, and pick the closest code. The program converts it to a standard weight automatically.
Estimated weights are naturally less precise than a scale reading. But the rankings this system produces — WGr%, dam production, family production — are relative comparisons within a group, not absolute measurements. As long as you estimate consistently, your best and worst producers still separate out clearly. Imprecise records kept consistently are far more valuable than no records at all — don't let the absence of a scale keep you from using this system.
Birth weight and weaning weight can each be entered as an actual weight in pounds, or estimated using the codes below. In the entry form, select the matching button rather than typing the letters — it fills in the standard weight for you. (This entry method is being refactored; details may change.)
Birth Weight
| Code | Estimated Weight |
|---|---|
| XS | 50 lbs |
| S | 60 lbs |
| M | 70 lbs |
| L | 80 lbs |
| XL | 90 lbs |
Weaning Weight
| Code | Estimated Weight |
|---|---|
| XS | 350 lbs |
| S | 450 lbs |
| M | 550 lbs |
| L | 650 lbs |
| XL | 750 lbs |
The system is built around the dam. Sires matter, but they cycle through an operation. Your cows are your long-term genetic investment, and this program is designed to tell you which ones are earning their place.
Dam Production page — ranks every cow in the herd with at least two calves by the average weaning weight performance of her calves. Sort the column from low to high and the bottom performers become immediately visible.
Family Tree page — shows the genetic production of an entire bloodline, from the oldest known ancestor down through every descendant. Use this to evaluate not just a cow, but the line she comes from and the replacements she has produced.
Working Sheet comments — field observations recorded over time surface here as a second layer of evidence. A cow whose calves consistently rank low and who has a history of health or soundness issues is a clear culling candidate.
With this data, culling decisions shift from "which cow looks the worst" to "which cow has the numbers to justify her place in the herd." Replacements are selected from the lines with the strongest production records.
As weak producers are replaced with genetically stronger animals, weaning weights trend upward across the herd — year over year, compounding.
Before heifers enter the breeding program, your veterinarian can measure pelvic area to predict calving ease. Heifers with insufficient pelvic size are at greater risk for calving difficulty and are candidates for removal before they ever enter the cow herd. The program includes a batch entry page for recording pelvic measurements by group.
When an animal is sold, dies, or is culled, record a disposal code on its record. This removes the animal from your active herd inventory while preserving its full history in the database. Over time, sorting your disposed animals by disposal date reveals patterns — what kinds of animals you culled, and when — that sharpen future selection decisions.
A database of one year has limited value. A database of five years tells you which bloodlines hold up, which dams produce consistently, and which lines have quietly been dragging your averages down.
The ranchers who benefit most from this system are the ones who enter data consistently, cull based on what the numbers show, and select replacements from their strongest genetic lines. The results are not dramatic in year one. They are compounding and irreversible by year five.