Ignacio Albornoz, CEO and co-founder of Cattler, is a beef producer in Argentina. Passionate about cattle and the people who raise them, he and his team have developed a mobile and desktop software platform that handles information covering rations, health, animal movement, and profit and losses. Albornoz says his goal is for the program to be a one-stop shop for beef cattle management. Ranchers currently use the Cattler apps in 13 U.S. states, Canada and South America.
Covering cow-calf to the feedyard
The apps work with electronic identification device (e-ID) eartags, visual eartags or with no eartags. The Feeding app handles all feeding-related tasks. Ranchers can manage feedstuffs and veterinary product inventory in the Supplies app. Cattler also provides operators with an overview of the operation’s layout, such as individual pens. Producers can use the Cattle Management system to check livestock inventory, and Animal Health creates and assigns treatments. Most beef producers start by choosing among the Feeding, Animal Health or Chute license, which can be bundled.
“Our first version focused on the feedlot,” Albornoz recalls. “As we progressed, many feeders, especially grow-yards, asked for cow-calf features. Recently, we began developing those features plus grazing management capabilities. Soon we will cover any operation from cow-calf to feedlot. We launch new features every 15 days.”
Cattler also has hardware products. AutoSort sorts animals at the processing barn. If a producer wants to separate 200-pound calves from heavier animals, he presses a button on the app to open gate one or gate two. The lighter calves enter one pen, and the heavier animals enter the second pen, making the sorting faster and less stressful for the animals. This activity can be fully automated if the rancher enters sorting criteria in the app.
The app and software can be used on both Apple and Android products. Photo courtesy of Cattler.
Ranchers can visualize their operations while saving time as they maintain accurate records. “Farmers can immediately understand feeding or animal health expenses,” Albornoz observes. “The system reminds the operator of tasks they should perform immediately. The program makes the producer more aware of the operation’s financial status. People don’t always know if they’re losing or earning money on their herd. The software helps them make decisions, improve margins and reduce costs.”
Albornoz recommends starting slow. There is a demo version for practice before buying one of the licenses. He also provides references of ranchers who use Cattler. “Many app designers don’t quite understand the farmer’s way of doing things,” Albornoz explains. “Many apps are overengineered in a way that is overwhelming for the average user. We tried to keep it simple because ranchers use this program every day. Their comments become real features that should be good for many users. We are creating a collaborative network where beef producers provide feedback and we work on top of that. At the end of the day, a tool should be useful for every rancher.”
You can share data and take it with you
Alex Dorale raises Black Angus cattle near Charter Oak, Iowa. Feeding nearly 1,000 head in his feedlot, he also runs a cow-calf operation. He buys 500-pound heifers from two Montana ranches. When they arrive at Dorale’s spread, they undergo A.I. He checks them with ultrasound around the first of July. “What isn’t bred, we put on feed right away,” Dorale explains. He usually keeps from 80 to 120 heifers that will enter his cow herd. To keep the herd young, he sells cows after they have six calves.
Dorale heard about Cattler after a farm accident. His feed truck had an electrical short causing the vehicle to burn to the ground. While looking for a replacement feed truck and new, updated software, a local scale company recommended the Cattler program.
“I’m able to read bunks and update the data, so when my feed guy shows up, that information is already on the tablet,” Dorale says. “I can do bunk calls and ration management on an iPad I take with me. You can use your iPhone and Android phones, too. We use the apps for closeouts, cost-to-gain and projections of what the cattle will make or lose. It’s been fantastic.”
He utilizes the estimate growth feature and finds it is accurate within 20 to 30 pounds. “We’ve had some of the greatest rate of gains and conversions I’ve seen in a long time,” Dorale reveals. “With the Cost Tracker app, I’ll enter the price for purchase, feed, vet expenses, A.I., semen and e-ID eartags for my cow-calf operation. Then, I know what I have invested in them. I can sell them as bred heifers or keep them for a few years. Knowing exactly how much money I have in them increases my options.
“In the past, we always wrote information longhand,” Dorale concludes. “We had to add it up, then throw papers away weekly. The Cattler system does all of that for you. With multiple feedings, or even if you feed by yourself, it makes a more honest feeder out of you because it counts the scale down to zero instead of adding to the top end. You can see if you’re over- or underfeeding. Customer support has been phenomenal. It doesn’t matter when I call; the Cattler folks answer the phone.”
Using digital management tools frees up time spent on calculations and paperwork. Photo courtesy of Cattler.
An end to wrangling paper
Nick Czarnick is a third-generation farmer who runs an Angus-Simmental cross cow-calf and backgrounding operation near Genoa, Nebraska. In the past, he tracked data with Excel and pen and paper. “We grow much of our own feed, hay and corn,” Czarnick explains. “Trying to decide on a price was a challenging problem because amounts constantly change. Narrowing down calf expenses was always frustrating because if I changed one entry, I had to change three or four.”
The local feedyard manager told Czarnick about the Cattler program. “Cattler tracks feed rations, and it was an easy transition to the ration app to change it. With accurate bunk scores, we are more efficient with our ration. It also shows our cost of gain, which is exciting to see throughout the year.”
Czarnick uses the Feeding, Animal Health and Chute bundle. He starts from the cow-calf side to weaning, and backgrounding, then retains ownership of calves at the feedyard, and he can share his data with the feedyard manager. “I have traceability back to the individual calf and cow it came from. [I was sold on the system] when I could see data on one sheet, from beginning to the end.”
Like many ranchers, Czarnick would rather be outside than wrangling paperwork. He controls data with his iPhone or iPad while he is treating a calf and figuring out the treatment cost. He appreciates how customized the program is for his operation. If he makes one alteration to an animal’s weight, ration or health, the change is made throughout the system. He does not have to work through multiple steps to make one change.
“Use it as a tool to benefit your operation,” Czarnick advises. “A lot of people make it more complicated than it is. Don’t be proud or unwilling to get help. Call Cattler because those guys will work with you.”
For more information, visit the Cattler website.
