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Select Sheepware Customer Testimonials
These are some of our satisfied customers from across the globe.
Please read below their comments on the Select SheepWare Program
John Gilmore
(Ayrshire,
Scotland)
Well known in Ayrshire Cattle circles, John Gilmour of Humeston Farm, Ayrshire, Scotland
also has also a flock of pedigree Suffolk and Texel sheep and in past had a flock of Border
Leicesters. Two generations of the family farm the 360 acres at Humeston where they
also grow barley and maize. The Humeston Flock of Border Leicesters was one of the
oldest flocks in the book, dating back to 1945. Over the years, rams from the flock had
had a great influence on the Border Leicesters of today.
With no broadband and no computer John
wanted to benefit from technology by
improving the ease and efficiency of his
record keeping.
Following discussion with Harry Alcorn of
TGM Software, John bought a electronic
wand and portable printer. John said:
“I was finding all the noting and recording to keep my flock records up to date very time
consuming, especially at sale times and when sorting out ewes into lots at tupping time. I
decided to use the technology in the electronic tags and go for the wand reader and
printer. It’s made a huge difference, the sorting out of sheep and record keeping is now a
lot easier. I can also print out lists when working with the sheep. I’ve had great service
and support from TGM Software and thanks to Harry my flock records are now a lot
better.”
Gordon & Yvonne Johnston
(Co. Westmeath,
Ireland)
Gordon & Yvonne Johnston keep a flock of about 500 Lleyn x Texel commercial ewes bred to
Vendéen rams and a flock of 50 pedigree
Vendéen ewes in Co Westmeath, Ireland.
They started using Select Sheepware in 2007
as a desktop program only, keying in all the
information as it happened and now use a
Psion handheld reader for entering all
information.
The reader allows for very simple recording to
meet the requirement of the Department of
Agriculture. The Johnstons find the Flock Register
facility indispensible. All events are logged and
instantly available for inspection by any official. The
feed and medicine log makes recording for Quality
Assurance schemes effortless.
There is a comprehensive array of reports generated covering the whole sheep year from mating to
scanning, feeding, lambing, health treatments, batching, culling and (unfortunately) deaths.
Gordon and Yvonne operate a closed flock, retaining their own replacement ewes. Good record keeping is
essential for this to identify the best producing ewes. They record the lambing ease and all health events of
the ewe as well as days to slaughter and carcass quality of her progeny before keeping her lambs for
further breeding. Until they discovered the Select Sheepware software, this was a very cumbersome, time
consuming task.
The introduction of compulsory EID in 2010 presented a challenge but also an opportunity and with the
Select Sheepware software program the challenge is minimised and the opportunity maximised. All ewe
lambs from the replacement flock are tagged at birth with a farm tag and if the lambs are retained for
further breeding, they are tagged with the Department of Agriculture EID tag and the Psion Workabout Pro
is used to read and correlate the
tags. These new tags are easily
read with the Psion Workabout
Pro and all the procedures can be
logged onto the sheep program.
Yvonne said
“The pedigree recording features in the program are very impressive. Such a level of recorded detail and the
comprehensive software program of Select Sheepware produces reports that shows the detailed ancestry
and genetic potential of animals. This leads to steady genetic gain.
I knew that to make our flock more efficient I had to make decisions based on detailed, accurate and up to
date data and I needed software to do this. I’ve been impressed with the how well Select Sheepware has
met our needs. It has allowed us to identify the best performing ewes to decide on replacements for the
flock and make sound culling decisions. It really has helped us to improve efficiencies and the program is
always evolving with useful features being added regularly.
Our meat processor sends the kill weights of every animal and I scan it into an excel spreadsheet and this
data is imported into the Select Sheepware program, giving a complete picture for every animal right
through from birth to slaughter. The ability to track weight gain over time for me is essential. We can
identify the most productive team of rams. We analyse the days to slaughter and the carcass quality
produced by three different teams of rams. We use only genetically recorded rams from the Sheep Ireland
program. One team comprises of three rams with high maternal attributes to produce replacement ewes.
There are two teams of Vendéen rams to produce quality meat carcasses.
Initially I used a PDA and now I use a Psion reader which I find to be a real benefit. Using it, data can be
entered quickly especially at lambing time and it’s also useful to be able to look up the details for an animal
when working with it. “
Hugh Broom
(England)
Hugh is part of the fourth generation to farm at Sondes Place Farm. Situated between
Dorking and Westcott, the 320 acre farm has a flock of 270 breeding ewes, a suckler beef
herd, Gloucester Old Spot pigs, hens, a firewood enterprise as well as arable ground.
The sheep enterprise started at Sondes Place Farm in 1996, Highlanders were introduced
to the mainly texel x blackface flock in the last few years. Lambing takes in place in
February and April and replacements are kept from the flock. Hugh operates a box
scheme, selling lamb directly to customers throughout the local area.
Hugh said
“I started using Select Sheepware along with the
handheld reader earlier this year. Having to
electronically tag animals to comply with
regulations did come at a cost but also gave an
ideal opportunity to start analysing the flock’s
performance to make it more efficient.
Already we are starting to see patterns and trends.
For me the reports of weight gain per day were eye
opening. The ability to identify those rams who get
lambs to finish weight most quickly will really make
a difference to our efficiency.
I’ve been impressed with how the program evolves
as suggestions for improvements are made.
George’s enthusiasm and commitment to
continuous improvement of the program are terrific
and any issues or problems are very quickly
responded to.”
For more information on Sondes Place Farm click on
www.sondesplacefarm.com
Nicola Bowers
(Scotland)
A Masters Student at the University of Edinburgh, Nicola Bowers is studying Applied Animal
Behaviour and Animal Welfare. For her thesis she chose to look at ‘The Effect of Difficult Births
on Lamb Survival’. To gather data she worked with organic sheep farmer Richard Pickup of
Craigadam Farm, Kirkcudbrightshire in South West Scotland. Nicola said:
“To complete this project I needed to carry
out an extensive research project. I was
delighted when Richard agreed that I could
work with him and his flock of grey face and
texel crosses. We looked for a system that
would enable me to complete data collection
and analysis to the highest level and also
provide really useful information on the
performance of the flock. Select Sheepware
did both of these. It allowed me to capture all
vital data and also to record comments on
individual animals. Using the reports I can
therefore look at both statistics and any
unique information that has been recorded.
With 850 ewes lambing, a real consideration was entering data quickly and the handheld reader is
ideal for this. Due to the size of the flock we used two readers and I found it to be very
straightforward to use, taking very little time to get to grips with.
It was essential that I was able to record details such as
the mothering ability of the ewe and any problems.
The farm culls the majority of ewes that prolapse, so
again all of this was recorded and will be used as part of
the final culling decision. These were all features that
we looked at when selecting the software to use.
150 lambs are kept each year as replacements with a
further 100 being bought in. Having now used Select
Sheepware Richard believes it will be very helpful in
deciding which lambs to retain. I am pleased with how
practical Select Sheepware is, yet the level of detail that
can be recorded and subsequently analysed really met
the needs of this extensive piece of research.”
Barrie & Yvonne
Payne
(South
Canterbury,
New Zealand)
Watch In Full Screen
Barrie and Yvonne Payne are one of the leading producers of merino wool in the world.
Having been judged the best producer in New Zealand for five of the last six years by the
world’s biggest buyer of fine wools, Loro Piana, they are at the forefront of wool
producing technology and innovation.
The Paynes keep a flock of 3,500 merino sheep on their 177ha farm in South Canterbury,
New Zealand and breed replacements for the flock. The flock consists of 1200 ewes, 800
hoggets as well as 1500 wethers that are housed for the ultra fine wool
production. They also run approximately 100 Belted Galloway cattle for breeding and
fattening.
TGM was delighted when the Paynes approached them to develop a specialist system.
The Aim:
Barrie wanted to create a unique bar code or baa code while each sheep was shorn. This would be printed and attached to the fleece.
For management purposes he wanted to record the weights and classing characteristics of the fleece so he could further assess and improve animal performance over time.
The Process that was Developed by TGM:
1. Sheep EID tag read with Psion reader and EID number sent by Bluetooth on Psion
Reader to computer.
2. Select Sheepware brings up the animal’s individual record and processes a unique baacode
which is printed on a card immediately.
3. This Fleece Card then accompanies the fleece through the skirting and classing process
4. The baacode
is then read by a barcode scanner directly into a spread sheet
5. The Fleece is weighed using an electronic weigh scale and the weight is sent directly into
the spreadsheet and Barrie adds the classing statistics.
6. This is then loaded into Select Sheepware for analysis later.
The Result: This process takes only 60 seconds speed
and reliability are essential as over 400 sheep
are shorn each day.
Barrie said “I had looked for many years for a system that would work for me. Because of
the numbers shorn each day we needed a system that was accurate and simple to
operate. We now have a system that has made our shearing operation very efficient, with
electronic reading it’s no longer possible to write down the wrong number removing
opportunities for error.
Most importantly we have a management system that gives us a very valuable insight into
each of our animals crucial
for us in making breeding decisions. After a few years of
recording we will have a detailed understanding of the flock which should be of great
benefit.
We’ve been impressed by the speed of response from TGM. E mails are answered quickly
and we’ve used Skype regularly. Even though we are on a different side of the world,
distance is not an issue.”
Dan & Kay Persons
(Minnesota, USA)
Rafter P Ranch, owned and operated by Dan and
Kay Persons of Kensington, MN USA, was started in 1997.
The sheep operation began in 2001 with the purchase of
50 commercial white-faced ewes and has since grown to
over 1,000 commercial ewes.
In the past five years all of the growth has been achieved by
retaining replacements from within the flock. The maternal
rams used in the flock are a Finn/Dorset cross and Polypay.
They have used Select Sheepware to identify the highest
producing ewes in the flock and to select replacement ewes.
The ability to index ewes based on their production has been
key in building a productive and profitable flock.
The ranch lambs its ewes in groups of 200 throughout the
winter months and finishes all of the lambs to market weights
of 120 to 140 pounds. For the past five years they have been
doing accelerated breeding trying
to get 2300
ewes to lamb for a second time in October and
then again in May the following year. With the number of ewes being lambed and limited labour,
the ability to record lambing difficulty and mothering ability are very important to the ranch.
The adult ewes are raised on rotational pastures in the summer months and fed a forage based
diet in the feedlots during the winter months, when temperatures can reach minus 20 degrees
with 30 inches of snow annually. The lambs on the ranch are weaned at 45 to 60 days and placed
on a self-fed
concentrate diet made up of whole corn and a pelleted protein supplement. The
lambs reach market weights at 4 to 6 months old.
The Persons have found Select Sheepware to be a great tool for keeping complete ewe histories all
the way back to 2002. For the past two years the ranch has used an Hp handheld to record
lambing details in the October lambing time. They are looking forward to converting to electronic
Id in the future and upgrading equipment to take advantage of this technology. Keeping track of so
many ewes can be a real challenge as can be the making of activity lists such as culling and
breeding. The ranch sees the need
to be able to gather real-time
data
to make better decisions on
maternal and terminal sires being
used. They have found the staff at
TGM to be very helpful in making
sure data collected can be
retrieved in a usable format.
The Magowan Family
(Co. Down,
Northern Ireland)
The Magowan family has been farming close to
the Mourne Mountains in County Down for
generations. Today, their enterprise consists of
“On the Hill” Suffolks a
flock of 30 pedigree
ewes, rams and replacements, as well as dairy
and beef enterprises on their 50 acre farm.
Andrew Magowan started using Select Sheepware
seven years ago. His sons Cameron and Robert now
farm with him. Initially all information was entered
using a PDA reader and two years ago they started
using a Psion reader. Robert said:
“With three of us using Select Sheepware and the
reader it’s important that it’s straightforward to use
and that the reader and PC software synchronise
quickly and with certainty.
We have found the psion reader to be really
beneficial. The main advantage is that all information
is stored on it so you can look up an animal’s details
when you’re working with it. There is also a place for
writing in comments and we use this a lot. When the
rams are with the ewes we record which ewes have
been tupped on a daily basis, this is easy to do with
the psion reader when in the field.” Cameron added:
“We keep half of our lambs as replacements and use
reports generated by the software to decide which
ones to keep back. Although our flock is a pedigree
flock we take into consideration the weight gain per
day when deciding on which lambs to keep as
replacements and analysing the performance of our
rams. We analyse each animal’s family tree using the
reports, this would be impossible using a paper based
system.
Using Select Sheepware has really cut down on our
paperwork and with all records stored electronically,
complying with regulations has become a lot easier.”
Clare & Mike Wise
(Co. Durham, England)
For over 130 years the Wise family has been farming in County Durham. Four years ago Clare returned to farm full time in partnership with her father. The mixed sheep, beef and arable lowland enterprise includes a flock of 420 ewes. Mules were introduced recently and crossed with texels, charallois and suffolks with the aim of improving carcass weight.
Following a two phased approach to lambing, the first ewes to lamb are continental cross –bred ewes with the second phase of mule based cross breds lambing in March and April. Clare said
“Each year we keep 20% of lambs as replacements and in the future we aim to revert to a closed flock. To do this it is crucial that we select lambs from the best performing ewes to keep as replacements. Making an informed decision relies on analysing data and therefore investing in management software is essential.
I spent a great deal of time researching the software products on offer and chose Select Sheepware for a number of reasons. Following the method adopted by most sheep farmers in New Zealand, our approach is very much production orientated. Select Sheepware was the only system I found that gave a kg of lamb per ewe and a £ per ewe. For me this was vital.
We have introduced a number of breeds to the flock and using reports generated by Select Sheepware I have now identified the best performing blood lines. Introducing an electronic reader has made an incredible difference to efficiency. Data can so easily be added and for the first time we have been able to record the weight of lambs at six weeks.
Select Sheepware has become an essential part of our farm management system. Using the reports we have identified that one of our rams was getting the lambs to finish weight on average eight days earlier and his lambs made an average of £9 a head more than the other rams. It’s this type of information that’s so valuable for us in making management decisions. ”
Andrez & Alison Short
(Falkland Islands)
Andrez and Alison Short run sheep, cattle and pigs at Swan Inlet
Farm in the Falkland Islands in the
South Atlantic. The farm is only 400 hectares lying
either side of a river valley and is considered a smallholding by
Falkland standards!
It can be a difficult environment for sheep farmers, the soil has
a low pH (averaging around 4) and the mild growing season is short
with long, fairly cool winters topped off with unseasonal snow and
hail, and strong winds. Swan Inlet is the nucleus for a group
breeding consortium, producing rams for the other farms from its 280
strong ewe flock. The Shorts said
“We are constantly trying to raise the bar and strive towards our
genetic goal – a worm resistant, dual purpose sheep with 20 micron
wool and a Wool Production Potential of 6%, able to raise a lamb
unassisted to weaning. This necessitates the collection of a vast
amount of data in order to index ewes and constantly review those
which are underperforming for culling.”
“We have used a variety of different homemade spread sheets over
the years for the purpose but now have everything under one
umbrella, able to cross reference at a click. We have been using the
programme for only a few months and have already entered a
considerable amount of historical data. We have found it easy to use
and can already see that it will be a very valuable management
tool.”
“A great strength is George at TGM solutions. He responds quickly
and enthusiastically to any calls for help and has also developed
the software for our particular needs. We love the idea of being
able to review an individual ewe’s history and this has already paid
dividends; highlighting trends we were unaware of. We look forward
to lambing later this year (November) and using other aspects of the
software such as mothering ability.”
Ian McDonnell
(Portaferry,
Northern Ireland)
“For many years I had been looking
for a system that could assist me in making decisions on which sheep
should be kept as replacements. Select Sheepware has given me the
opportunity to do just this. I find the reports very clear, concise
and practical and I can look at a ewe’s performance over the years.
I select replacements from the highest performing ewes and after a
few years these decisions have resulted in noticeable improvements
in lambing percentage, ease of lambing and mothering ability in the
flock.
Introducing a reader saves hours of
inputting data manually. The real advantage of using the Psion
reader is that I can look up a ewe’s history when I am working with
them. I’ve found this to be really valuable and it’s particularly
useful when I’m making final decisions on culling.
The system records vital
information such as mothering instincts, for instance if the ewe
follows well. Problems such as prolapse and udders are also recorded
and I take this into account when making culling decisions. Real
improvements to flock performance can be made by culling under
performers.”
Adam & Margaret Grieve
(Queensland,
Australia)
Adam and Margaret Grieve operate a 4000ha property
about 600kms west of Brisbane,
just south of a small town called Muckadilla, in
Queensland, Australia.
The enterprise consists of a White Dorper stud of
120 stud ewes and about 3000 commercial ewes
together with about 500ha cultivation for wheat as
well as cattle. The Grieves started using Select
Sheepware three years ago and said:
“We have found Select Sheepware to be a great
general management tool and it also makes it easy
to identify problem ewes in the flock, we now find
it essential for our pedigree flock.
We tried a number of management
programmes before deciding on Select
Sheepware. Both of us find it simple to use and
it converted for use in Australia without any
problems. The program is evolving all the time
and George at TGM Solutions is very open to
ideas for improvements. It’s always great to see
suggestions that we’ve made in future updates.
Possibly one of the best attributes of Select
Sheepware is the backup and help from TGM Solutions.
Even though the distance from Muckadilla to Ireland
is vast, the response is very quick. Emails are
usually waiting in the morning, or in the case of
when hands on problem solving is needed,
somebody can easily connect to our own computer and
remedy the problem.”
Ken Gibson
(Westmeath,
Ireland)
"I find the Select Sheepware
software makes it very easy to find
underperforming ewes, for culling or crossing with terminal rams,
through the PAST PERFORMANCE REPORTS. Likewise, it is easy to find
the most prolific, healthy ewes to cross with maternal rams for our
own
replacements. TGM support staff are second to none and update the
programme regularly."
Kim & Marlene Woolfitt
(Canada)
"The
Tech/Support response is timely and saves us from a lot of
frustration by walking us through any confusion or problems that may
arise. They can even gain control of our computer through the Net,
resolving
the issues while talking to us by phone. This is amazing when you
know they are a continent away."
Greg Groh
(Kentucky, USA)
"Working with
TGM over the years - and George Megarry in particular - has been
quite the pleasure. I particularly appreciate how they went out of
their way to accommodate the emerging scrapie recording requirements
over here in America."
Select Sheepware Customer Testimonials
