Livestock Management Series (LMS)

1. What s the difference between iCattleMgr, iCattleMgrPro and iLivestockMgr and the other LMS applications?

iCattleMgr is our first Livestock management application. It is designed for cattle and has the basic information needed to keep track of your herd. You can enter an animal id, a short description, a detailed description, it has an area for notes related to the animal and event data for a chronological record of things like birth, immunizations, treatments etc. You can also send animal PDF reports via email. Create CSV files from the database, that you can import into excel or numbers on your desk top. It is very popular and has stood the test of time. You can extend iCattleMgr to iCattleMgrPro by adding features through in-app purchase.

iLivestockMgr is a more full featured livestock management application. It is a bit more advanced. It has over 90 pieces of information about your animals. It is extended to allow multiple species and breeds. The reporting is the same and includes all the functionality as iCattleMgr. It also integrates with the iCloud, this allows you to view and update your data anywhere on any device that is on the same iCloud account. It also includes the Pasture management module and the AI Tank management module. These modules are described below. With iLivestockmgr, there are no in-app purchases because all of the LMS features are included.

iCattleMgrPro is everything iLivestockMgr is but created to be targeted specifically to cattle management. It will evolve based on your comments and suggestions where they may not be appropriate in the iLivestockMgr application. As with iLivestockMgr there are no in-app purchases everything is included.

iCattleMgrLite is a trial version of iCattleMgr with the limitation of two animals. It does have the ability to upgrade to the full versions through in-app purchase.

IHorseMgrPro is essentially the same as iCattleMgrPro but targeted towards horses. iHorseMgr is similar to iCattleMgr.

iPastureMgr, pasture management module included in iLivestockMgr and iCattleMgrPro, is also available as a separate application. You can enter information about your pastures, size, foliage yield and number of animals grazing to get an estimate on number of days before rotating pastures. It is based on research documentation published from South Dakota State University. It has a robust pasture plotting function that is very accurate, it accounts for the curvature of the earth. You can use this to get very good estimate for area a pasture covers.

iAITankMgr, AI Tank management module included in iLivestockMgr and iCattleMgrPro, is also available as a separate application. You enter information about your semen specimen inventory down to the reed, cane, canister and tank. You also keep maintenance records on tank service such as refrigerant levels. All the applications share the same core base and benefit from enhancements in performance, stability and features as we grow.

2. How can I know which product is right for me?

iCattleMgr is the very basic log application. It is very popular and has stood the test of time. It is priced as an entry utility. iCattleMgrPro, is much more robust. It is better suited for ranchers that want to share heard information with managers, hands, vets and buyers. This application is evolving more quickly than iCattleMgr. iLivestockMgr, is everything iCattleMgrPro is. It is better suited for ranchers that will be working with multiple species. We have published several demo and training videos on YouTube that cover the features of each.

3. Is there a Demo Version?

Yes, this is what iCattleLite is intended for... It can allow you to explore the basic functionality of iCattleMgr at a very reasonable 99 cents. Our suggestion is to review this FAQ, check into the users comments to get a understanding of the applications. Also make sure you watch some of the demo videos on YouTube.

4. Will this work on my iPad too?

Yes all the LMS applications are Universal applications, what this means is they are designed to run on any IOS device, like iPad iPhone and iTouch.

5. Is it possible that there are two users (maybe the ranch manager and the ranch owner) with different devices looking at the same data? Will it work offline and make updates when online?

iCattleMgrPro, iHorseMgrPro and iLivestockMgr do this at no additional cost. As long as each device (iPhone,iPad or iTouch) shares the same iCloud Account. The data is replicated to all with the same application and version. When they are connected the updates occur real time (depending on connection speed). Offline or without being connected the updates are stored locally and uploaded the next time the application is used with a connection available.

6. If I have iCattleMgr can I upgrade to iCattleMgrPro?

Yes, after you purchase iCattleMgrPro you can migrate all your data from iCattleMgr to iCattleMgrPro. This works for all of the LMS applications. From 5.1 you have the option to upgrade at a module level. So if you want to add iCloud, Extended Data, Pasture Management or Grouping. There is an in-app purchase available for each.

7. Does either version keep palpation information? If so can you enter days bred when you palpate? Also, when entering pedigree information can you use reference animals so your inventory does not get cluttered?

The best place to enter that is in the events section. Basically its a chronological log for each animal. It has facilities for notes and comments. Also there is a feature called “Quick Events” that lets you setup canned “events” where you can add the additional specifics. All the livestock management applications have the events feature. iCattleMgrPro and iLivestockMgr have the quick events. There are also fields for sire/dam and surrogate in iCattleMgrPro and iLivestockMgr.

8. How many animals can I have on my iPhone?

This is dependent of how much space you have free on your device. An animal with a picture uses about 500k. I have 26Gb free, which is enough for over 4000 records with pictures. If you choose not to use photos you should be able to store over 100k. Note, these are consultive estimates and your results may be different. You can also check the system screen, in the application, to get the status of your storage. It has the number of animals in the system with an estimate of space remaining for your data.

9. I use iCattleMgr and like it but I have a commercial herd and a registered herd and I want to keep track of them separately, is there a way?

The best option is to use the grouping feature available through in-app purchase. There are a couple other ways to separate your herds. a. Use a naming convention to separate the herds. So for example begin your commercial herd animals with a C and the registered ones with a R. b. Use separate devices. So you manage one on your iPhone and the other on your iPad. Note, all iTunes applications are licensed to an iTunes account, once purchased you can put it on any and all of your devices. How you use it and what data is on each is up to you.

10. How can I backup my data?

BTW, This is the “Best” way to make sure you have a backup. All the LMS applications actually backup to the iCloud, however iCloud does not guarantee your data is safe. The documented backup procedure is recommended. You can also use the File Manager to backup and email, provided the file size is under your email servers limit. Alternatively there DropBox (another vendors application) can be used within the File manager to move/store larger files. If DropBox is installed and activated, when you share/print data files, DropBox will be an option available.

11. How do you setup iCloud replication?

If you really want the data replicated you need iCattleMgrPro or iLivestockMgr. If you have purchased iCattleMgr and want this ability you need to enable the Data Sharing feature through in-app purchase. Sharing is as simple as setting up iCloud and then installing the software (one at a time) on your devices. We are using an example of an iPad and an iPhone. But any two devices will do. See this for instructions on getting iCloud setup http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/ios.html
1. Every device will need connectivity to the internet, cellular or WiFi is fine.
2. Make sure you turn on Document Sharing the iCloud setup.
3. Each Device will need to use the same iCloud Account. Note after you get your iPad up and running with the cloud, that message about being in “Fallback Mode”; will stop and the import should begin.

12. How do you use the Grouping feature.

The grouping feature is accessed through the inventory screen. On the top left of the inventory screen is the grouping control button. You access by pressing the button or sliding the screen to the right. From there you can select any group you want to manage. A selected group is highlighted blue. A tool bar will also appear on the bottom of the screen just above the tab bar. You will be able to “Manage” the group or “Service” one or more groups. Managing a group is the process of selecting which animals will be included in the group. You can add, remove, delete or move selected animals to another group. You can edit a group or add a new one by pressing the blue arrow. This works much like the animal entry screen. Any animal can belong to as many groups as needed. So a Dam may be in a Cow/Calf groups and a herd group. Servicing a group or groups is the process of working with a specified set of animals. You can tell you are working with a group by the highlighted group button. To stop using the group and go back to the main inventory, press the group control button once. It will change back to the normal non-blue highlight. Here is a YouTube video demonstrating the feature on the www.iCattleMgrPro.com web site. So for herds you would basically select all the animals included in the herd. Pairs may be set up by creating a group with a name or ID of the Dam, and you would include the calf(s) as needed. You may also want to create a group for the Dam with all its offspring. this will give you a set that may be used to keep track of the Dams productivity over time.