The CowCalf5 performance programs involve adjustment factors which
conform to the most recent Beef Improvement
Federation (BIF) recommendations. The BIF is a cooperative effort
among more than 60 state and national beef cattle improvement programs
for seedstock and commercial producers. Through BIF recommendations,
these groups standardize programs and methodology to improve and
extend the use of performance testing. The BIF intends to show no
preference for or discrimination against any individual breed of
cattle or organization.
CowCalf5 is certified with the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association Integrated Resource Management Standardized Performance
Analysis (IRM SPA) program.
Computerized Herd Records:
Management is a dynamic process requiring timely, accurate, and
comprehensive information. Although many herd record systems are
effective, computerized records allow fast access to large data
sets and easily-retrievable, summarized reports.
The cow-calf production phase works best as a yearly production
cycle, beginning and ending with the calving season. The purpose
of keeping production records is to provide an accessible, accurate
herd inventory and to store information related to reproduction,
culling, selection, nutrition, health and other herd management
data. The success of any cow-calf enterprise depends on manipulating
many factors. Initiating, maintaining and using a good record keeping
system is an essential ingredient of success. Effective records
give direction and measure improvement.