A new app developed through the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Veterinary Medicine is making it easier than ever to track reproductive herd health.
The Preg Calculator app allows producers to input herd information to calculate the number of pregnancies needed to maintain the herd. Parameters include:
- Herd size (milking and dry)
- Calving interval (days)
- Pregnancy loss
- Cull rate
From this information, the app calculates the number of pregnancies required in one-week, two-week or one-month check intervals as determined by the user.
The information for the calculation can come from DHI reports and Dairy Comp, though the UW – Madison website cautions that there may be differences in values reported by DHI services. In cases of extreme variation, the user should consult with a DHI field agent.
In addition to calculating future needs, the app can be used to save data for future comparison. The information can also be used to monitor actual performance by entering data for recent pregnancy checks. This allows a producer to calculate and compensate for any on-farm deviations as well.
“This app provides a simple method for assessing or monitoring herd reproductive performance,” explains Thomas B. Bennett, the app’s developer. “By entering the herd’s parameters, a current snapshot is created. The user may then determine how his or her herd is performing compared to its past.”
Bennett emphasizes that this tool is designed to be easy to use and useful as a practical on-the-job tool. It includes detailed instructions to find the needed parameters from reports.
The app began development in May of last year and was released in mid-October 2014 to join several other apps released through UW – Madison’s Dairyland Initiative.
Bennett is a senior information-processing consultant who has worked with the food animal production medicine section of UW – Madison since 1995. Bennett’s background in both agriculture and statistical analysis and data management allows him to offer this unique tool to the industry.
Bennett feels that the app helps to further the food animal production medicine section’s goal to provide simple, necessary tools to assess and monitor dairy herd performance, and he hopes that the app will make an impact not only in Wisconsin, but worldwide.
Bennett has been involved in the development of other apps. The first he developed was for personal use; it tracked stats for players on his daughter’s hockey team.
He has also developed five other commercial apps including the Locomotion Scorer, which was developed to act as both a learning tool and a functional herd assessment tool.
Bennett has another app, the Respiration Scorer, in the submission process with Apple and is working on another six apps related to the industry, with several close to submission.
The Preg Calculator is one of eight apps currently available through UW – Madison’s Dairyland Initiative and Veterinary Medicine app page. The apps are used as both teaching and practical tools for students, veterinarians, producers and consultants.
The Preg Calculator app is available for free download at the iTunes Store and is designed for use on iPhones, iPads and iPod touch. The app requires iOS 6.0 or later to function. PD
PHOTO
Photo provided by Thomas Bennett.
