Record Keeping System

They can be simply kept on a handwritten card system. However, computerized record-keeping systems are better than handwritten record systems, because they allow for easy entry and quick use of information on a daily basis. Records are essential for efficient operations and in the future, they will also help protect feedlots from liability issues that may arise from quality assurance and food safety concerns.

There is a wide selection of commercial computer closeout programs available on the market. Unfortunately, many of these closeout programs are cumbersome when sorting specific data that may be useful for management decisions and direction. It is important to thoroughly research the ability of a commercially available closeout program to perform the functions that your particular feedlot needs before purchasing the program.

Each feedlot should identify important performance criteria recognized by the management team, feedlot crew, consulting nutritionist and consulting veterinarian before a closeout program is purchased. Many closeout programs will include a feedlot tracking system and a series of yard-sheet reports that will be utilized on a daily basis. However, I have seldom seen a commercially available record system that includes all the important aspects that I feel should be documented. Therefore, many nutritionists decide to build their own database to use when combining feedlot data for quarterly closeout analysis.

Standard measurements used for feedlot closeout data are generated from the following basic data points:

• Pen/Lot Information
• Cattle in weight and date, number of head and cost
• Feed/Ration fed to cattle in the period
• Veterinary medicine costs
• Yardage and Interest costs
• Cattle out weight and date, number of head and price of finished cattle

These measurements will generate a standard closeout that will generally record average daily gains, feed efficiency, days on feed, death loss and cost, cost of gain and economics of the pen. The aforementioned measurements will provide closeout information that can then be scrutinized for each pen of cattle. However, there are many more measurements that should be considered when selecting a closeout program.

One should realize that required electronic tracking systems will greatly change the data cattle producers will need to record in the near future. Thus, feedlots should take extreme scrutiny when purchasing a new closeout or records system to conform to the national electronic identification system that will soon be mandated. Many feedlot programs also are capable of receiving inputs coming from the radiofrequency transmission, which will expand the data gathering capabilities of each system.

Measurements that should also be considered when purchasing/selecting a feedlot tracking system or closeout program are:

• Lot movement/EID and premises identification.
• Sex and mixed-sex cattle, breed and type of cattle.
• Buyer of cattle, the origin of cattle, the previous plane of nutrition of the cattle.
• In and out shrink of cattle, physical description and background identification, realizer data, necropsy information, etc.
• Classification of feedstuffs and processing of feedstuffs used in the diet, Net energy efficiency and intake chart of each pen of cattle, by-product used, and feeding program utilized (limit feeding, program feeding, etc.)
• Ionophore or additive used, metaphylactic treatment used, vaccination program used, implant or implant combination used, treatment type/duration/cost/etc.
• Housing type that cattle are fed in, pen condition records, cattle movement.
• Check weight data from re-implant (chute scale download).
• Packer/alliance, carcass characteristics, weigh conditions, risk management, etc.

The above items are just suggestions for data that should be considered for closeout data. Many more items should be collected for yard-sheet data. I would highly recommend that one select a program that is compatible with your feedlots’ chute scale, truck scale, batching scales and EID program.

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