Using The Calving Book

I know its been a while since I last posted. I recently was at the Entrepreneurial Showcase in Faulkton, SD. People walking through the entrance area of the gym could stop by and talk to Xavier and me about the app before they went the the basketball game. We then made the decision to go to the Black Hills Stock Show that starts next weekend so if you’ll be there, we would love to talk to you!
Some of you may keep track of specific things that others don’t so you may not see the field you want when you go to add a calf. That’s where you can make it your own. The comments section is there for you to keep track of anything that doesn’t have its own field. FYI new fields will be added in the next update. (Sire & Color)
You also might want to keep track of when you sell cows/calves. An easy way to do that would be to create a new book and then move it when you want to. It would work the same way if you wanted to sort out cows that lost their calves or even when you pair out you could move them to a new book.
 
So make this app work for you and if for some reason you can’t, let me know and we’ll see if we can work something out. Good luck! 🙂

The Competition

If you searched for “The Calving Book” in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, it is very possible that you found more than one option. You probably saw The Calving Book, The Calving Book Lite, ICalve, and maybe a few others. With all of the options out there, theres a lot to think about.
Believe me, when the process of finding an app started, I didn’t know one thing about making an app. That thought had never even crossed my mind, so I was certainly going to try to download one first. I (along with a few others on my farm) searched long and hard for one but could never find anything to fit the bill. Obviously, we needed an app that would keep track of the basic things like calf id, gender, weight, date of birth, etc.
We did eventually stumble upon a few that hit those basic requirements but didn’t allow us to sort the calves in different pastures or books. That was essential for us because we calve out in 3 different places plus we would need to keep the records from year to year.
Another issue we had was that many apps weren’t available for both iOS and Android so then it still wouldn’t do any good if everyone couldn’t be all synced up. That may have been the biggest issue that we faced.
Additionally, many of the the iOS apps used iCloud instead of being backed up to their own database. That’s great when only one person is involved but when you have 6 guys that need access, it isn’t always convenient to all be back up to the same account. Everything gets jumbled up and soon one person is getting the others contacts and pictures.
This app was made by me, myself, and I. I didn’t hire out to get it done so I really think that makes it easier for you to get the support you deserve. Since I know exactly how it works, I can offer support in a reasonable time period. Another benefit of me making it by myself, is that I have total control. I can update and add new features as I see necessary and as you see necessary. That is why it is really important that I get your feedback. I want to know what you  feel should be included for the best possible user experience.