New herd management tool to help producers increase efficiency

The Herd Management Calendar reminds producers about the key production tasks throughout the year. Producers can add an unlimited number of groups to the Herd Management Calendar with the calving or service date in order to ensure the weekly reminders are timely. In addition, there is an option for them to add their own bespoke tasks, such as specific veterinary treatments which need to be administered to an individual or a group.

Katie Brian, BRP Project Manager, said: “We decided to develop this tool for beef farmers following the success of the Flock Management Calendar.

“We know that producers have limited time and as such we’ve designed the Herd Management Calendar to be simple to use. Because it can be used on smartphones, tablets and computers, producers can keep it in their pocket at all times.

“We are seeing more of an appetite for technology to assist the industry and this is an excellent example of that.”

Anyone can register for the BRP Herd Management Calendar by visiting www.herdcalendar.com.

The herd management calendar is part of a range of resources that BRP makes available to English beef and sheep producers to help them identify improvements to their businesses in terms of animal performance, cost reduction and environmental impact. These include regular newsletters, technical manuals and videos, as well as a busy programme of events around the country, covering the themes of breeding, selection for slaughter, health, fertility, nutrition, forage, systems and costings.

In addition, a range of more advanced ‘BRP+’ publications are now also available. These online documents are based on industry research, enabling producers to further develop their knowledge.

For more information or to sign up to the Better Returns Programme visit beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/returns