Without doubt, the era of mobile computing is here and the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers is clear evidence of this change. If you already have a cattle recording program, you may be wondering if you can use a mobile device to access and update your dairy or beef cattle records. To do this, a data transfer mechanism (usually known as synchronisation) is required to keep your mobile and office computer in step.
This blog discusses the main questions relating to mobile that you might wish to ask your farm software supplier. I’m assuming here that your cattle program is a traditional Windows program that stores the herd data on the office computer’s hard drive – this is the case with the majority of Windows software for farming.
Can I use an Android or Apple device for cattle recording?
A farm software supplier who is offering a solution based Microsoft’s ageing “Windows Mobile” system is restricting your choice of hardware. Windows Mobile used to found on “PDA” type devices that were available from the likes of Dell and Hewlett Packard. The problem is these “consumer” devices are now pretty much obsolete (unless you’re prepared to buy second hand on eBay of course). Windows Mobile is still available on certain types of “ruggedized” device (for example, used in the logistics industry), but this type of hardware can be expensive and have functions that just wouldn’t be needed in livestock farming.
Most likely, you’ll want to make use of the Android or iPhone that’s already in your pocket, so ask your farm software supplier if they have plans to offer an Android or iOS mobile solution for their cattle software in the near future.
Can I synchronise my device “wirelessly” from the yard or further afield?
Most dairy and beef cattle programs currently on the market are desktop software – that’s to say, the cattle data is stored on the PC’s hard drive, so your smartphone out in the yard needs to be able to communicate with the office computer. This presents a few technical challenges for the software developer, especially if trying to “retro-fit” the wireless data transfer to an older Windows program. And if you want to be able to synchronise beyond the range of your Wi-Fi, then it becomes harder still for a traditional Windows cattle program to communicate with the mobile device.
Bottom line: your current software supplier might find the technical challenges too great or have decided the cost is too high to be able to offer wireless data transfer facility, so ask the question and see what they say…
How easy is it to set up and manage the mobile recording system?
Most dairy and beef software packages for Windows PC were originally developed in the days before Android and Apple devices, so it follows that to retro-fit a modern mobile solution may well result in something that’s over-complicated from a technical point of view. For the software users, that complexity can mean that the mobile cattle software is difficult to set up, configure and maintain.
Orchid can definitely speak from experience here: a few years back we developed a wireless Windows Mobile solution for our desktop program. The result was a “clunky” system that caused great frustration for users and support staff alike. RIP.
Bottom line: you don’t want to be wasting time on lengthy technical support calls for a complex system. It might be wise to be looking for a “next generation” cattle recording software that is built for the mobile era. Ask your farm software vendor about their software development roadmap for new cattle software products.
Can more than one person be using a mobile device at the same time?
Synchronising more than one device is possible, but when the cattle data is stored on one computer in the office, it will be complicated to keep all device users fully in sync with the “master” database. Maintaining the integrity of the data is essential for the effective management of the herd.
What are the modern alternatives that allow you to manage your cattle from a smartphone or tablet?
Cloud computing provides the answers. Many of the issues and complexities mentioned above are due to the herd data being stored on a single computer hard drive. Placing your herd data securely “in the cloud” means that it can be accessed and updated by multiple users in real time from different locations. There’s also less technical hassle, which will save you time (and possibly a great deal of frustration). I believe Orchid’s next-generation cloud management package for dairy and beef is well worth a look.