The last thing a busy farmer wants to do is leave the field to sit in front of a computer and pour over mountains of breeding data for the right genetic hook-up for his cows. Now, finally, there’s a mobile app for that so farmers can review breeding bulls from a smartphone or tablet while sitting on a tractor seat or a fence rail. After all, time management and strategic breeding selection are both crucial to a farmer’s success. When you can do both at once, well, Bingo!
Despite the tremendous success Canada has enjoyed over the past few decades in livestock genetics, the results of that success have not previously been shared over time-saving and productivity enhancing mobile applications (apps). At least that was the surprise discovery made by Ted and Alanda Fuller in St Marys when they went to look at other livestock genetic apps for inspiration and guidance. They were trying to create an app for Listowel-based Foundation Genetics, which is a Canadian company chockfull of dairy breeding specialists who, among other things, peddle bull semen.
Not that Foundation Genetics was focused on creating a mobile app either, according to a report in London Community News. Indeed, the couple was initially hired to simply redo the company’s website. But thinking high-tech as high-techies do, the couple immediately thought of creating a companion mobile app. After all, a website, even one specifically designed for mobile device viewing, leaves much to be desired in the way of tiny-screen-virtual-keyboard-plus-farm-dirty-hands usefulness. A mobile app is far more screen tap friendly.
Anyway, the duo has created a mobile app called SireSelector.com which you can download to devices of an Android, Apple or Blackberry persuasion. You can also view a demo on the Foundation’s website or on its Facebook page.
Being a high-techie sort myself, I visited Google Play (the app store for all things Android) to see if it was true that all that Canadian richness in livestock genetics was indeed MIA from the lineup prior to SireSelector.
What I found was mighty slim pickings.
There is an Angus Australia app produced by the Agricultural Business Research Institute that is a full-blown breeding genetics app. It became available in April of this year. There is also the Angus Mobile app produced by the American Angus Association which became available this month but it’s mostly a digital calving book with info on Angus sales. Then there is the Cattle Breeding Calculator app produced by R3 Consulting that became available in January 2012, but it’s mainly a gestation calculator.
There is also the Pro Cattle Breeding app produced by Smart Farm Apps in July 2012 but it is more a tracker of cows in heat than a bull selector.
Plus there is the Beef Cattle EPDs app produced by Mindy Montgomery in February 2011. It is a quick reference guide for EPDs by breed.
In any case, farming – particularly the livestock breeding end of things – has come online and now found its way into popular mobile app stores. It may have gotten off to a slow start but it did arrive. Good thing too for if there ever was an industry that needed mobile computing in the field, it’s farming. Aren’t you glad to know that finally, there’s an app for that!