Choosing herd records software for a seedstock ranch

By the RanchOS Global editorial team · Updated

In short: start with the records you will actually use, check that the software can export your data and talk to your breed association, and test it on your own herd before you pay. Oklahoma State University Extension puts the real cost plainly: the hardest part of recordkeeping is making the time, collecting only data that pays, and summarizing it so it drives decisions.

Records to start with

If you are not keeping records yet, Oklahoma State University Extension suggests starting with the basics:

  • Your calf crop and each cow's information
  • Calving and weaning percentages
  • Inventory counts
  • The number of females exposed to bulls

Seedstock ranches need more than commercial herds: individual identification, sire and dam on every calf, weights and dates for EPD submissions, and health and breeding records buyers will ask about. Herd size also decides how much detail is practical.

Features that matter

  • Cow, sire and calf records with herd production summaries
  • Sorting, filtering and search, down to a single animal
  • Reports you can customize
  • Electronic ID (EID) support
  • Data export, for example to Excel or PDF, so your records are never locked in
  • Breed association data exchange for registered herds
  • Mobile entry, if you record at the chute or in the pasture
  • Cloud or installed: check internet and computer requirements
  • Support and backup: whether support is included and whether your data is backed up

What it costs

In OSU Extension's 2022 review, one-time purchases ran about $149 to $600, and subscriptions about $4.85 to $85 a month or $40 to $950 a year. Prices change, so ask vendors for current pricing. Count your time too: data entry is the cost most ranches underestimate.

How to choose

  1. Write down the three decisions you want your records to help with, such as which heifers to keep, which bulls to sell first, or which cows to cull.
  2. Ask your breed association which programs exchange data with its herd book. OSU recommends this step for registered herds.
  3. Take a free demo and enter ten real animals before you buy.
  4. Check that you can export everything. If you ever switch, your history goes with you.

Records and selling in one place

Many seedstock ranches keep records in one program and market cattle somewhere else, so the same information gets typed twice. On RanchOS Global, a ranch's herd records (health, breeding, weights and finances) sit next to its storefront and buyer inquiries. Sale animals carry their pedigree and EPDs to their public page, and the private records stay private.

See also What to put in a bull sale catalog and How to show EPDs to commercial buyers.

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