We are so very excited to introduce some new changes and updates to HerdOne that everyone should enjoy.
Most of these updates will not be visual, but will have an impact on reliability and loading/saving time for many pages.

• Major performance updates across all pages.
• Fixed an issue that was redirecting free-trial users to the subscription page on every login.
• Fixed an issue with overly repetitive release notifications on the Dashboard page.
• Fixed an issue that caused the generation of reports to exclude the first and last day of the selected time period.
• Fixed an issue on the notifications panel that caused free trial users to see a "none" notification.
• Limited the recent transactions display on the Dashboard page to the last 20 transactions for performance (better updates to this display coming soon).
• Fixed an issue that was causing the servers to gradually slow down until a reboot.

Most of the changes we have made have been to the backend, and you probably wont notice them... yet.

We are currently preparing for a new major release of HerdOne (v2.0.0). This new version includes so many exciting new features and upgrades that we can hardly wait to share them with you.

We will also be changing some of the ways that we communicate upcoming changes with the HerdOne community. Moving forward, as we prepare coming releases we will be posting the release notes as we prepare the release. Keep an eye out for our blogs so that you can get a sneak peek at the next release.

Hello Everyone! We're pushing out updates to HerdOne based on your requests, and it seemed like several of you were looking for a way to add multiple livestock weights at once. You spoke, we listened! Introducing our new "Import Weights" template!

So, we've changed things up a bit. Remember the "Import Livestock" template that we talked about in our last post? We're combining these imports on the same "Import" page. We've reorganized the "Manage Livestock" menu item to be more organized, so this page is now under Manage Livestock > Add > Imports, like so:

This looks very similar to what we had before. This time, though, there is a drop down for you to choose from. If you want to download the Livestock template, select it from the drop down, and if you want to download the Weights template, select that from the drop down. Once you have your selection made, which will be the weights in this case, hit the “Download Template” button. This will download our “Import Weights” Microsoft Excel template to your computer.

You will have to enable editing to begin working on the spreadsheet. Oh, and if you get the following error message, no worries! Read on…

To keep HerdOne and your information secure, we’ve protected these sheets so that you can only edit certain cells. If you get this error message, you’ve tried to edit a cell that you are not allowed to edit. Just click OK and select only relevant cells.

Anyways, we’re getting side-tracked. The template is pretty intuitive. Follow the instructions at the top of the spreadsheet carefully. Each column, ID, Weight, and Date, are required fields and you can only import 250 weights at a time. Here’s a sample import that I created:

Save your work, and then go back to the Imports page and upload it using the tools in Step 3. Don’t worry about selecting the right type of template in the drop down at the top. Our site is smart enough to tell from your Excel sheet which kind of template it is.

So, once I’ve imported my sample data, this is what shows up!

If I had missed an ID, Weight, or Date for any of the entries, I would get a message like this:

The message will tell you which record, or Excel row, has the issue, and it will tell you what went wrong so that you can either go back and change it, or add it through the HerdOne website. Keep in mind that if you import the same template twice, you will be entering all of these weights two times.

*Edit*

Our latest release for HerdOne (version 1.1.1) adds a "Type" column to this import template which lets you select what kind of weight you want to import: Birth Weight, Check Weight, or Wean Weight. This makes it so you can import all kinds of weights at once! We hope this new addition is helpful!

Well, that’s all I have for you today! I hope this post was helpful and that this new feature will make things easier for your livestock management.

As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to email us at support@herdone.com or leave a comment below!

Best wishes!

Kasey

We have some exciting news! We heard that some of you are looking for a way to add several animals at once without having to add them each individually. The "Add Bulk Livestock" page is all fine and good, but it just hasn't been the best way to add lots of different livestock at the same time. And what if you have an existing spreadsheet with information about livestock, and you want to transfer those over to HerdOne? Introducing our new Import Livestock Template!

Import Livestock Page

To get to this template, navigate to the Import Livestock page by clicking the link to it in the "Add Bulk Livestock" page or by signing in and clicking the following link:

Import Livestock Link

Now that you are on the page, follow the instructions and download our template (this template is in Microsoft Excel 2007 or later versions).  

Make sure when you first open the template that you click "Enable Editing" in Excel.

Make sure you read all of those instructions in the red block at the top. These are extremely important to follow. Here are a few things to be thinking about while you fill out the template:

• The only required fields are ID, Type, Category, Breed, and Gender. If any of these required fields are left blank or have incorrect entries, the import process will not save that livestock and will move on to the next record.
• Any other incorrect field is processed as a blank entry.
• The "IsOwned" column at the very end defaults to true. You normally don't want to change it to anything else. It is only for livestock that you have never had on your farm. Leave it true or blank even if the livestock is sold or lost. The livestock was still owned by you at some point in its life. 
• Unowned livestock are primarily used for recording a livestock's parents that were not owned by you. This is why the "IsDamOwned" and "IsSireOwned" fields exist. If the sire or dam are not owned by you, make a record for them, and make the "IsOwned" column false.
• Do not set an animal's sire or dam without creating a record for it. Either it has to already exist in your account, or it has to be located in the import livestock template, even if it is not owned.
• The maximum number of livestock you can import at once is 250.

Besides that, just fill in all the information you want or need, or paste it in from another spreadsheet!

*Note: When you add an animal that is not owned, it will not be included in your livestock count for your subscription. It has no effect on the amount of livestock your are managing as far as cost goes.

An unowned animal shows up like this on the grid in Livestock View:

Upload and Import

Now that you've filled out the template, save it and upload it back into the Import Livestock page. The website will give you a detailed message about what happened during the import process. It will tell you if you were missing any required fields, if it could not find the dam or sire, or if something else went wrong.

To demonstrate, here is a template I filled out and imported into my account:

Continued...

Notice that the last record does not have an ID, and the livestock with the ID 22 (Jack) has a breed that is misspelled. Also notice that I did not fill out all the fields: only the ones that were necessary.

Here is the message that I received after importing these livestock:

Records 4 and 5 were still imported, but the system just couldn't find the pasture I gave it. I can change that later in the Livestock View page, or in the Manage Animal pages for those livestock.

And just as we suspected, the two records that were not imported, records 6 and 9, were the ones that I pointed out with errors in their required fields.

Now you know how to import livestock through an Excel template into your HerdOne account!

Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, comment below or email us at support@herdone.com.

Best wishes!

Kasey

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see an animal's pedigree all in one place? Good news! We've just added a feature where you can view and edit a livestock's pedigree from its Manage Animal page. It's clean, changeable, and already formatted for you! Here's how you can build that pedigree.

Manage Animal

First of all, go to your animal's Manage Animal page. Scroll down to the bottom of the Manage Animal page and click the "Pedigree" tab. If you've already specified what the animal's parents are, this tab will have a system-generated pedigree chart. This is just the system's best guess, so if it gets it wrong, no problem! We'll talk about editing your pedigree chart in a bit. If your animal has a dam and sire assigned to it, you'll see a new entry labeled "Go To Pedigree Chart" in the Pedigree Info box at the top. Clicking that link will scroll you right down to the pedigree chart and open that tab.

In this example, Rosey's parents are Eleanor and Zack. If I go to her pedigree chart, this is what is displayed: 

Notice that the sire will always be on the top, and the dam will always be on the bottom. The top of an animal's block displays its Name or ID and the bottom of the block displays its registration number.

That looks nice, you might say, but how do you edit it to go further down...or up...the line?

I'm glad you asked!

Editing the Pedigree Chart

So, Rosey's parents are Zack and Eleanor. Now I want to record who Zack and Eleanor's parents are, and who their parents are. Our feature goes three levels deep, from the animal to its great grandparents.

Go ahead and click that "Edit" button on the top right of the pedigree chart panel. You'll see this popup:

From here, you can fill in all the drop downs, and it will be saved to your animal's record! If you choose an animal that already has parents assigned, the popup will update and place those parents inside the associated parent fields. You can override these though if you need to.

Here is a picture of Zack's ancestry after I populated all the drop downs:

Here's a question...what if you don't own the animal's parents, but you still want to record them in the pedigree chart? That's exactly what that little "Add Unowned Animal" button is for on the top right of the popup.

Adding an Unowned Animal

If you click that button. You'll see this form:

It's just the bare minimum amount of information we need to be able to record an unowned livestock. And don't worry. This will not be included in your livestock number for your subscription level. It has no effect on the amount of livestock your are managing as far as cost goes!

You may have noticed that AI Sires and Embryo Donors do not appear in the drop downs. To include them in this pedigree chart, you will need to create unowned animal records for them. It's the best way we could find to connect the two.

Fill the form out and click "Add." You'll be taken back to the original screen, and now your unowned animal will show up in the drop downs! In this example, I added two new unowned animals to be Eleanor's parents: Brad and Mina.

*Note that you can now also add an unowned animal from the "Add Animal" page.

You don't have to fill out the entire form. In my example, this is as far as I want to go. This is what my chart looked like after clicking "Save":

You can even print a PDF of this information. Click the "Generate PDF" button and a PDF will be downloaded to your computer.

So there you have it! We hope you enjoy this new feature and that it saves you lots of time! If you have any questions, comment below or email us at support@herdone.com.

Happy Farming!

Kasey

For HerdUnlimited subscribers, our latest version of HerdOne includes a helpful new page called Treatment Inventory, where you can keep track of all your medicines/treatments for your animal's vaccinations. This tool keeps a running list of all your treatments, their types, costs, and amounts. Once you have filled out information about your treatments, you can go to the Vaccination/Treatments page and select the treatment you want to give to an animal or animal group and our software will track how much you used, how much is left in the container, and how much that vaccination cost you.

Treatment Inventory Page

To get started, go to Vaccines and Health Checks > Treatment Inventory and add a new Treatment. Your first entry will require you to create a Treatment Type so select "Create New." Select the type of Treatment you want: Drench, Injectable, Ingestible, Pour-On, or Spray. Then give it a name.

Congratulations! You've created your first Treatment Type. Now you'll move onto the specifics of this treatment container. Enter the Lot Number, the Amount that's in the container, and your Unit of Measurement. Then fill out the Expense-related information: Vendor, Price, and Date.

Your entry will appear on the top of the page in the grid:

Vaccinations/Treatments Page

Now that you have your first Treatment, you are ready to give a Vaccine to one of your animals. Head over to the Vaccination/Treatment page, and begin filling out vaccination information. You'll notice a new section right under the "Optional" button. The Treatment information is optional, but if you fill out one box, you must fill out the other too. 

After submitting your Vaccination, HerdOne will calculate the cost of the Vaccination which will show up on the grid at the top of the page. If you head back to grid on the Treatment Inventory page, it will display the amount left and give you a nice overview of all your Treatments.

And that's it! You can also add vaccinations with treatment information on a specific animal's Manage Animal page, and you can run a report on your vaccinations and treatments on the Reports page.

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know at support@herdone.com.

Happy Farming!

Kasey

When everything is getting so busy, it's nice to be able to have all your to-do's in a single spot. Fortunately, HerdOne now lets you create and manage custom reminders for you and your farm. Read on to find out how to add, manage, and complete reminders for HerdOne.

Reminders Page

To add a reminder, navigate to the Reminders page from the side bar and scroll down to the "Add Reminder" section. You have four different options for reminder types: Asset, Livestock, Herd, or Pasture.

Select the type of reminder you would like to set, and then choose which asset, livestock, herd, or pasture you would like to set the reminder for from the drop down list. Then type out the reminder itself in the Description box.

You have two different options as far as the reminder date is concerned.

1. If you want just a one-time reminder, select the date from the date picker in the Reminder Date box, and ignore the next three boxes.
2. If you want a recurring reminder, check the Recurring Reminder check box. This will disable the previous Reminder Date box, but it will now allow you to enter a start date and the frequency with which you want your reminders to occur. The frequency options include Daily, Weekly, Semi-Monthly, Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annually, and Annually.

Finally, wouldn't it be nice if your reminder was emailed to you instead of you having to check the website all the time? Good news! Just check the Email Me check box, and we'll email your reminders to you on the day they are due.

Hit the "Add Reminder" button, and your latest reminder will show up in the table at the top of the page. Once you complete the reminder, just click the check box for it in the "Is Completed" column.

Your incomplete Reminders will also show up on your dashboard's Notifications Panel as shown below with a note next to it indicating whether the reminder is overdue or not.

Well, that's all for setting reminders! We hope you enjoy this new feature. 

As always, if you have any questions please email us at support@herdone.com.

Happy Farming!

Kasey

Breeding Windows

Knowing when your livestock are likely to be dropping babies on the ground is very valuable information. The following article walks through how breeding windows and subsequently, due date windows can be calculated by using the sire events on the ManagePasture page.

Pastures 

To record a turn in sire or pull sire event, first navigate to the Pastures page under the "Field Management" drop down on the sidebar. Then navigate to the ManagePasture page by selecting the name of your pasture from the pasture table. 

ManagePasture 

Once inside the ManagePasture page, you can add a Sire Turn In event. In this example, I'll be using cows and bulls. I have a pasture filled with cows, and I want to record the act of placing a bull inside this pasture. HerdOne not only records this event, but it also displays the date and even calculates the earliest and latest due dates for the cows in that pasture! "Earliest Due Date" is calculated when you turn in the sire, and "Latest Due Date" is calculated when you pull the sire from the pasture. This information will be displayed in the "Livestock In Pasture" tab down at the bottom of the page. 

Here's a step by step: 

1. Select the blue "TurnInSires" button in the top right corner of the page. 

2. Fill out the information in the box that pops up on screen. You can select one or multiple sires.

3. Click "Add Sires." Go down to the "LivestockIn Pasture" table, and notice how the cows now have a "Turn In Date" and an "Earliest Due Date." 

4. When you want to pull your sires from the pasture, just select the blue "Pull Sires" button at the top of the page, select the type of sires you would like to pull and the date you pulled them. In this example, I chose "Cattle", which will remove all three sires I placed in earlier since all three were of the type "Cattle."

This fills out the "Latest Due Date" in the table and removes the sires from the pasture: 

That's it! 

If you messed up, no worries! Just go to the "Sire Turn In Events" tab next to the "Livestock In Pasture" tab, and select the X button in the "Reverse" column. This will remove any breeding window information associated with that event, but it won't remove the sires from the pasture. You'll have to do this manually by clicking the "Remove" link from the "Livestock In Pasture" table. 

Here's a picture of the "Sire Turn In Events" table: 

After reversing the turn in event, the "Livestock In Pasture" table will look exactly the same as it did before turning in the sires.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email us at support@herdone.com.

Happy Farming!

Kasey

During my evening cow check the other night I saw a cow that I knew would have a calf by morning. She's a big mature simmental so I assumed everything would go smoothly.

When I checked on her the next morning I was met with bad news. She was standing over her calf which hadn't made it. I then saw another calf about 30 feet away which hadn't made it either. She had thrown twins and neither of them lived. What a Monday. This created an interesting situation in that we are currently bottle feeding two other calves. So I began prepping the corral to get her up and commence Operation Bottle Calf Transplant. My wife is a teacher and had been off the entire summer but it just so turns out that it was her first day of in-service and she wouldn't be available for any of the excitement that day. The plan to get the cow into the corral went smoothly as our entire herd loves feed. This smoothness changed as it started to rain. Once I got the other cows sorted back out of the corral I went to grab some hoses and tubs to allow me to get her some water. By the time I got back she had began pushing the cattle panels around and noticed some daylight where there was a depression in the ground. She stuck her head under the panel, lifted it up, and pushed her way to freedom. The rain began to fall harder. I jumped back in the truck and grabbed some fence posts and a post driver. I pounded a few fence posts in for support and did a much better job this time of setting up the cattle panels. So began feeding time 2.0. Again she likes feed so this wasn't all that difficult. Sorted the other cows and I was back where I had been 45 minutes prior. I then used the opportunity to get some colostrum from her that I could freeze for future use if need be. Being an inexperienced milker (this was my first time) I thought I did pretty well. At this point I needed to get back to the office for a meeting so I dried off and headed back in.

Later that afternoon I conned a couple of guys from work to help me 'Transport' the two calves from their pen to the corral. Since I don't have a trailer handy, this involved two of us each grabbing a calf, jumping in the back of the truck, and keeping them from jumping out while being driven to the corral. There were of course manure casualties encountered along the way. Once we got them into the corral I was able to get the cow into the chute and convinced the calves that there was food in that big cow.

Over the course of the day I experienced many frustrating moments. I wouldn't describe myself as a patient person so farming has been a great way for me to grow in this area. As I looked back on the day I tried to think of the good instead of the annoying.

Blessings that I didn't think about while driving fence posts in the rain because one of my cows had lost two calves and had escaped my previous attempt at containing her in the corral:

• I have a job with the flexibility to handle various issues that may arise on a given day.
• It rained and we desperately needed it.
• Helpful friends willing to give a hand when needed.
• Facilities that allow me to access the underside of the cow to milk it and attempt to get the calves to feed.
• My kids are being raised on a farm where many life lessons (life and death, responsibility, patience, persistence) can be learned.

Ultimately the cow accepted one of the calves on day 6 which I counted as a win. Everyone is currently doing great.

So the next time you have somewhere you need to be and you see the neighbor's bull has broken into your heifer pen, try to remember...well maybe that was a bad example. Just don't forget to count your blessings as you encounter the challenges associated with farming.

Happy farming,
Kyle

The settings are an important part of managing your livestock with HerdOne. They make managing and reporting on your livestock easier and more precise. They also allow you to use some of the livestock specific settings and enable or disable Widget Settings on your dashboard.

Once logged in to your account, you will see the dashboard screen. On the left is a list of pages that can be accessed to manage livestock. At the bottom is the 'Settings' menu item. Once clicked, two sub-menu items will appear. The 'Default Settings' page allows you to set default related to your livestock livestock as well as widget preferences on the dashboard. The 'Contact & Items' page allows you to manage contacts, item expenses, and bills of sale.

Default Settings

In the default settings page you are able to manage many of the default livestock settings such as your preferred livestock type, breed, herd, and form of ID. It also allows you to set value preferences for 'Ideal Sale Age', 'Gestation Period', and 'Age Considered Adult' for specific livestock types. This can be especially helpful if you manage multiple livestock types. There are built in defaults if these are not set. For example, the Gestation Period if not set by you, defaults to 283 days (https://beef.unl.edu/pregnantcows) which is the average gestation time for most cattle.

Preferred Values

Setting the 'Default Values' allows you to configure the default values which will be auto selected when you go to the 'Add Livestock' page. This saves time and effort, especially during the initial push to get your herd entered in to the application. The example below shows the settings and how they are implemented when you navigate to the 'Add Livestock' page. Notice the Type, Herd, and Breed are auto selected based on those default preferences.

Livestock Specific Settings

Another setting that can be edited are the livestock specific settings. You can change the Ideal Sale Age, Gestation Period, and Age Considered Adult. These settings are used throughout HerdOne in algorithms which help convey information back to you in a meaningful and personal way. For example, the 'Animals at Selling Age' widget on the dashboard utilizes the Ideal Sale Age value to calculate the number of livestock to include. Some settings are not automatically set for certain livestock but can be changed. These settings will need to be set after adding a new livestock type.

Widgets

Enabling and disabling the widgets that can be seen from the dashboard also occurs here. By default the Livestock Summary, Finance, Age, and Birth widgets are enabled. Ultimately, you have the ability to show any combination of widgets you like. Additional details on the information conveyed in these widgets can be found in the details portion of each widget on the Dashboard.

Contacts & Items

The Contacts and Items page allows you to edit any contacts that you have utilizes throughout the application. This includes vendors and customers that have been input through the Sales, Purchases, and Expense entry processes. If a contact is no longer needed, it can also be inactivated here. Once inactivated, it will no longer show up as an option in the Customer/Vendor specific dropdowns throughout the application. This exact process is used in the Expense Items and Bills of Sale sections as well.

Happy Farming

"I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world."  

I have recited this pledge for the last nine years of my life. Joining the Outdoor Adventures 4-H club at 9 years old was one of the most cultivating decisions of my childhood. 4-H has taught me so many things about myself and about the community around me. I have had countless doors opened for me through 4-H. Being able to participate in county-wide events as well as travel as a club around the U.S. have been some of my best memories as a kid. Being in 4-H for so long and participating in so many events has allowed me to gain friendships that will last a lifetime.  

My Head

Through my years in 4-H I have learned a countless number of new skills. Participating in events like the Benton County Fair has taught me the responsibility of raising and maintaining a show hog. Each year my Dad and I would travel a couple hours away from home to go pick out the perfect hog. I would tell my Dad what I thought the "perfect hog" should look like and then we would pick one out together. I would then spend the next three to four months feeding, washing, and walking my hog. I learned how to properly feed accurate portions, so my hog would be the right weight come show time. I would practice walking my hog so when it came to show time it would stride out just right for the judge to see all its best features.  

For the last three years I have acted as President for the Outdoor Adventures 4-H club. During this time, I conducted meetings and different club events. As president I would have to speak to the club as a whole and be able to answer any questions thrown my way. This improved my public speaking skills as well as my personal communication skills.  

My Heart

Through the years, I have gained a large number of new friendships through 4-H. I have had the opportunity to attend events like 4-H Summer Camp where I met other 4-H members from across the county. We participated in team activities that allowed us to learn about our peers. Being able to communicate with my peers properly has helped me outside of 4-H in all kinds of ways. I have been able to use these skills in jobs, school, and team sports.  

I have also had the opportunity to become very close to the adults that make everything in 4-H possible. These bonds have helped me tremendously this last year while applying for college and scholarships. The adult leaders of 4-H have offered to be references and even write me recommendation letters.

My Hands

One of the biggest parts of 4-H is helping the community. Each month our club does some form of community service, whether it be cleaning up the park, donating water to the football team, or working a 5K race. Being able to give back to the people around me has been one of my favorite parts of 4-H. Over the years our club has done the most community service in the entire county.  One of my all-time favorite community service events was dressing up as the Easter Bunny and taking pictures with all the kids at the city Easter Event.

Being so involved in community service has been a big help when filling out scholarships. Doing some form of community service each week has helped me stack up many hours on my resume, which in turn makes my applications much more appealing to colleges.  

My Health

Keeping up with your health and personal well-being is a great skill to gain early in life. 4-H has helped me do this through many different events. As a club we have held ATV safety courses that teach you how to properly drive an ATV as well as the right clothing you should wear to stay safe. We have also attended cooking classes where we learn how to do all kinds of things in the kitchen-- starting with washing your hands, to heating the oven, and properly cleaning all the dishes.

4-H has impacted my life in more ways than I could ever imagine. I have gained so many life skills that will allow me to strive in life. I have obtained friendships that have formed me into the person I am today. I have also learned the importance of giving back to the community, as well as the importance of how big of an impact one person can have. Without 4-H I would not be the same person I am today. For more information about 4-H visit, https://www.uaex.edu/4h-youth 

Wholeheartedly,

Haley