COPYRIGHT 2000, 2001 All Rights Reserved All screens, source code, and executable code are copyrighted. Any reproduction without written consent of Magnum Digital, Inc is expressly prohibited. Magnum Digital, Inc assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, nor any liability for damages resulting from use of this software. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Windows 95 or NT 4.0 or later. Less than 5 megabytes of hard disk space for MDI-FMM and any Livestock Manager. INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE Install the CD in the drive: The Auto-Run feature should begin the installation process. If it does not: Click on ‘Start’, ‘Run’ Type: ‘D: Setup’ (Assuming D: is your CD drive). Click on ‘OK’ The installer will put a shortcut icon on your Windows Desktop for the Cow-Calf Manager. The Maintenance Manager will be installed in the ‘agridata’ folder, but the shortcut will not be installed. To put a shortcut on the Desktop for the Maintenance Manager: Click on ‘Start’, ‘Programs’, ‘Windows Explorer’. Double-click on the ‘agridata’ folder under C: (left column of the screen) RIGHT click on ‘ADPFMM’, then select ‘Create Shortcut’. Drag the SHORTCUT to the desktop. SET MONITOR RESOLUTION TO 800 X 600 OR HIGHER. If the program screens are too large for your monitor, Exit all programs and RIGHT click on an empty area of the desktop (the windows screen). Select ‘Properties’, then ‘Settings’. In the lower right corner of the dialog box you will see the words ‘Screen Area’. On older computers (and some new ones) the screen area pointer is probably pointing to 640 X 480. Move the pointer to the right to 800 X 600. Accept the changes, and then restart the MDI software. FOR ADDITIONAL HELP OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Magnum Digital, 264 SE 581, Warrensburg, Mo 64093 Phone (660) 747-2255 Fax (660) 747-7487 Web Site: www.magnumdigital.com Email: support@magnumdigital.com MDI FARM MAINTENANCE MANAGER: Open the Maintenance Manager by double clicking on the appropriate icon. PASSWORD PROTECTION The MDI Maintenance Manager has Password Protection available. If you desire to use the password feature, click on ‘Edit Password’ on the Main Menu. Since there is not a current password, leave the Old Password edit box blank. Enter the new password in the ‘Enter New Password’ edit box then verify it in the ‘Verify New Password’ edit box. ENTERING DATA In the ‘Main Menu’ click on the ‘Farm Name’ button and enter the information about your farm or ranch. Select a category from the Main Menu and enter the desired data. Click on the ‘Finance Information’ button and enter the appropriate finance information. Click on ‘Service Information’ or enter data in the service section on the right side of the screen (as appropriate) to keep track of all service and maintenance. A serial number (or name, as appropriate) must be entered in the modules for equipment, buildings, etc, before the Finance and Service/Maintenance files may be created and used. The program uses serial numbers of equipment (tractors, autos, trucks, etc) and names of buildings and individuals as file names for Finance and Service records. Therefore, if you ever change the serial number (or name, as appropriate) you must go into the ‘agridata’ folder and change the file names to match. Make sure no serial number or name is used more than once. To enter a new record click on the ‘New’ button at the bottom of the screen and a blank screen will appear. Enter data for the new record then save it. Any time a new record is created or an old one is changed, it must be saved before it can be printed. Once multiple records have been created in a module the user may step through the file by clicking on the ‘Previous’ and ‘Next’ buttons to view all records in the file. PRINTING To print records simply click on the ‘Print’ button at the bottom of the screen. DELETING A RECORD A record may be removed from the file by clicking on the ‘Delete Record’ button. This deletes the record shown on the screen and its associated financial and service records. If it is desired to keep (archive) a record, the files should be saved to a diskette or other removable media before the record is deleted from the file. SERVICE INFORMATION Larger modules (Tractor, Combine, Backhoe, and Bulldozer) take up the entire screen for information about the machine, so a separate screen was created to keep track of services on these machines. Clicking on the ‘Service Information’ button brings up a Service/Maintenance Information screen. Enter data as needed. The ‘Description’ box of the Service/Maintenance modules may be used to enter general information about a service or repair. To make a new service entry, click on the ‘New Service’ button. A blank screen will appear and the new information may be entered and saved. Once multiple entries have been made the user may step through the file by clicking on the ‘Previous’ and ‘Next’ buttons to view all services. COST HISTORY A list of all service/maintenance entries for a particular item may be obtained by clicking on the ‘Cost History’ button at the bottom of the service screen. Enter the date period for which you would like to see all entries that have been made. A composite list of dates and hours/miles at which services were performed, a brief description of what was done, and the cost of each service is displayed. The program calculates and displays, at the bottom of the screen, total hours/miles, cost per hour/mile, and total cost of all service performed during the date period indicated. MDI COW-CALF MANAGER PASSWORD PROTECTION The MDI Cow-Calf Manager has Password Protection available. If you desire to use the password feature, click on ‘Edit Password’ on the Main Menu. Since there is not a current password, leave the Old Password edit box blank. Enter the new password in the ‘Enter New Password’ edit box then verify it in the ‘Verify New Password’ edit box. VETERINARIAN, INSURANCE, AND INVENTORY INFORMATION The MDI Cow-Calf Manager Main Menu has space available for entering veterinarian and insurance information for quick reference. Complete Vet and Health records are available in the ‘Reports Menu’. After livestock information has been entered or changed, the cattle inventory in the center of the ‘Main Menu’ will be upgraded automatically the next time the program is started. FARM/RANCH NAME In the ‘Main Menu’, Click on the ‘Farm Name’ button and enter the information about your farm or ranch. This information is then printed at the top of all reports that are printed. JOURNAL There is a general-purpose journal available to be used as you desire. It can be used for keeping notes about the livestock or anything else that one might want to keep record of. BREED LIST The MDI Cow-Calf Manager comes with a Breed List containing almost all the known breeds of cattle. This breed list can be edited to enter new breeds, change existing entries, or delete entries. Just click on ‘Breed List’ in the Main Menu. Normally you would want to delete all entries you do not use, and enter any new ones you might need. You might want to enter crossbreed names (Angus/Hereford, etc). You can delete the entire list by clicking one button. When you click on an empty breed edit box the breed list drops down automatically. Simply click on the breed you want and it is entered into the edit box automatically. GESTATION PERIOD When the user enters the date a cow or heifer is bred the due date is entered automatically. The default gestation period is 282 days, which is about the middle of the various breeds. This period can be changed by clicking on ‘Set Gestation’ on the Main Menu. SET FILE PATH The program is set up with default settings of ‘C’ Drive and the ‘agridata’ Folder. The user can change the Drive and Folder for all files if required. These parameters should not be changed unless you have a real need to change them and you are very familiar with working with Paths, Folders, and Files. SEMEN INVENTORY The Cow-Calf Manager has a complete, auto-updating, semen inventory. Information is entered in the Semen Inventory section of each bull from which semen has been obtained. When a straw (or straws) has been used to inseminate a cow or heifer, the number of straws used automatically reduces the bull’s inventory. Clicking on the ‘Semen Inventory’ button on the Main Menu will produce a list of all bulls that currently have semen in inventory. The list shows information about each bull, and how many straws are in each canister and tank. DATE EDIT BOXES, DATE FORMAT, and DROP-DOWN CALENDAR Due to the fact that the date is used so extensively by the program a specific date format had to be chosen. The one that was chosen was the international system showing the day with two digits, a space, the month with three characters, a space, and the year with four digits (EX: 07 Sep 1999). This format is by far the clearest to understand, and the least likely to cause errors. All dates must be entered using this method. The program will show a warning if this format is not used, and tell the user which date was entered in error. Life is made easier, however, by the implementation of drop-down calendars. When you click on an empty date edit box a calendar will pop up on the screen. You can change the month by clicking on the arrows on the left and right sides of the calendar, or by clicking on the month and selecting the desired month from the list that appears Click on the year and use the spin control to increase or decrease the year. When the correct month and year are displayed simply click on the desired date and it will be entered into the date edit box. ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION Animals are identified by five different methods: A Name/Number, Tattoo, Registration #, Ear Tag # and EID. The only method that MUST be used is the Name/Number. This is the first edit box on the screen, and a name or number may be entered. The name can be made up of any combination of letters and numbers up to 29 characters long. You may use any number: Commercial operators may prefer to use only an ear tag number. In that case, the ear tag number should be placed in the Name/Number edit box. It could be the number ‘1’, or ‘3249/8340’, or any number up to 29 digits long. All sorts, lists, and look-up routines use the Name/Number. The other four edit boxes may be used as desired. NO COUNT A method has been provided which allows a record to be created for an animal, but not count that animal in the inventory. This is useful when you have records of animals for pedigree purposes only, or when you sell an animal or it dies, but you want to keep its record. It is also used when you move an animal from one category to another, like calf to heifer, or heifer to cow, but want to maintain both records. The program checks the ‘No Count’ box automatically when an animal is transferred, when a sale report is created, or when a mortality report is created. Simply click on the buttons in the lower right area of the calf or heifer screens to move the calf or heifer as indicated. You may check the ‘No-Count’ box manually when the animal is a No-Count for any other reason. A dialog box will be displayed asking if the record is for pedigree purposes only. Click ‘Yes’ if the record is a no-count for any reason other than Sale, Death, or Transfer. A small window near the ‘No-Count’ box indicates why the record is a no-count. This window will not show information until the next time the animal’s record is displayed. REPORTS MENU The Reports Menu is activated by clicking the ‘Reports’ button in the upper middle area of the screen of each animal category. COMMENTS A ‘Comments’ screen has been provided for each animal. The Comments Screen is activated by clicking the ‘Comments’ button in the upper middle area of the screen of each animal category. PRINTING To print a record, click on the ‘Print’ button in the upper middle area of the main animal category screens, or at the bottom of the other screens. Some records require the landscape mode, to be printed correctly. A statement near the ‘Print’ button on the screen indicates this. After clicking the ‘Print’ button a dialog box will appear, allowing the user to configure the printer as necessary. When needed, click on ‘Properties’ and select ‘Landscape’. DELETING A RECORD A record may be removed from the file by clicking on the ‘Delete Record’ button. This deletes the record shown on the screen and any other records associated with it (e.g. Breeding Records). If it is desired to keep (archive) a record, the files should be saved to a diskette or other removable media before the record is deleted from the file. HERD LISTS Clicking on ‘List Cows’, ‘List Calves’, ‘List Bulls’, ‘List Heifers’, ‘List Steers, or ‘List Feeders’ (Upper middle of screen) will display a list of all animals of the current category (Cows, Bulls, Heifers, etc.) belonging to the same herd as the animal currently displayed. To view a list of a different herd simply use the ‘Previous’ and ‘Next’ buttons to select an animal belonging to the desired herd, then click on ‘List Cows’, ‘List Calves’, etc. INOCULATIONS AND PROCEDURES Each animal has its own Inoculations and Procedures record. Enter the data into the record as indicated. You may also apply an inoculation or procedure to the records of all animals, of the same category, in the herd. If, for example, you enter an inoculation or procedure on the record of a cow, BEFORE you save the record, you may click on the ‘Apply Change to Herd’ button. This will cause the entry to be entered into the shot records of all COWS in the herd. If you want all bulls in the herd to have the same entry, select a bull in the herd, make the same entry in his shot record, and, BEFORE you save the record, click on the ‘Apply Change to Herd’ button. GENETICS The pedigree chart gets its data from the records in the files. If you want to enter the sire and grandsire for an animal you own but neither the sire nor grandsire are in your inventory, click on ‘New Bull’ and create a record with the sire’s name/number in the Name/Number edit box, Click the No-Count box, then ‘Save’. Then click on ‘New Bull’ and create a record with the grandsire’s name/number in the Name/Number edit box. Enter the sire of each animal by clicking on the appropriate Sire edit box, then selecting the sire from the drop-down list. Enter his dam (if known) the same way. Click the ‘No-Count’ check box for each animal not in inventory, then save the record. The pedigree chart will now show all available records. The number of generations that can be entered is unlimited. The chart will show four generations on the screen at one time but clicking on the arrows on the right side of the chart will continue to show the next (preceding) generation until you run out of entries. Clicking on the ‘Reset’ button on the left side of the pedigree chart will move back to the animal whose record currently has the focus. COWS (ON MAIN MENU) When this button is selected a list of cows will appear. The list shows the Name/Number of the cow, its Tag Number, and the Herd to which that cow has been assigned. Click on a cow’s Name/Number to display the data screen of that particular cow. Information for a specific cow is entered on the left side of the Screen. Several edit boxes have drop-down menus offering the user a list of items to choose from. Simply click on the desired item and it will be entered into the edit box automatically. Once Names/Numbers have been entered for the Sire and Dam (whose records have already been created) clicking on the ‘>‘ button to the right of either name will cause the program to go directly to that animal’s record and display it on the monitor. Pelvic height and width can be entered with up to two decimal places. The area will be computed and entered automatically. To enter data for additional cows click on ‘New Cow’ at the bottom of the screen. A blank data screen will then be displayed. Once additional cows have been entered the ‘Previous Cow’ and ‘Next Cow’ buttons may be used to navigate through the cow records in the file. Clicking on ‘List Cows’ (top middle of screen) will display a list of all cows belonging to the same herd as the cow whose data screen is currently displayed on the monitor. The list includes each cow’s name/number, age, birth date, pelvic area, average weights of offspring, number of calves included in the averaging calculation, and the date the cow last calved or is due to calf again. THE BREEDING RECORD for the cow is on the right side of the screen. Edit boxes have been provided for Pasture-Bred Exposure Period (‘Date From’, and ‘Date To’). There are also edit boxes for ‘Date Bred’, and ‘AI Date’. If the cow is pasture bred only, you could put the ‘Date From’ date in the ‘Date Bred’ box because this is the first date on which the cow could be bred. If the ‘Date Bred’ box is If the cow is Hand Bred or Artificially Inseminated only (no pasture breeding), put the date in the ‘Date Bred’ box. When the cow’s breeding date is entered, whether by a bull or AI, the due date is calculated and entered automatically. If a cow is bred by AI, then pasture exposed, fill in the Exposure Period dates and put the AI date in the ‘Date Bred’ box and in the ‘AI Date’ edit box. If a pregnancy check is performed and the number of days bred is put into the ‘Days Bred’ edit box, the number of days bred will be subtracted from the pregnancy check date and the resulting Date Bred will be installed in the ‘Date Bred’ edit box. If the new Date Bred is 14 days or more after the original AI date, the program will assume the cow was bred by the clean-up bull and an X will appear in the little box to the right of the clean-up bull’s name. If the new Date Bred is within the 14 day window, an X will appear in the little box to the right of the AI bull’s name A gestation table is available for the convenience of the user; just click on the ‘Gestation Table’ button. The table is based on a 282 day gestation period. To enter additional breeding records click on ‘New Record’ at the right, bottom of the screen. A blank data screen will then be displayed. Once additional records have been entered the ‘Previous Record’ and ‘Next Record’ buttons may be used to navigate through the breeding records in the file for this cow. Click on the ‘>‘ button to the right of the ‘Sired By’ and ‘Bull Used’ edit boxes to go directly to their records. The ‘List Calves’ button displays a list of all calves from this cow. The list includes the name/number, tag number, date of birth, sire, weights (including 205 adj wean wt), and sex of each calf. When the calf has been born and the data has been entered into the breeding record, including a calf name/num, click on the ‘Find Calf’ button and a calf record will be generated automatically including available data that pertains to that calf. The new calf record will then be displayed on the screen. The ‘Find Calf’ button may also be used to go to an existing record. LIST BRED COWS (MIDDLE OF COW SCREEN) Click on this button to produce a list of all cows due to calf during a date period chosen by the user. ‘Date From’ and ‘Date To’ edit boxes will appear for the user to enter the date period. CYCLE DUE DATE (MIDDLE OF COW SCREEN) After cows have been bred, either by a bull or AI, this list will show when their next cycle is due. It will continue to show the first cycle due date for several days after it is due, then it will show when the second cycle is due. Several days after the second due date has past the cow will be dropped from the list. BREEDING INFORMATION (RIGHT SIDE OF COW SCREEN) Clicking this button will bring up a screen allowing the user to enter additional information about the breeding of the cow. It includes space for recording information about the owner of the bull used, or the bull from which semen was obtained. When a cow is bred by artificial insemination and the information is entered on this screen the number of straws used will automatically be deducted from the bull’s semen inventory. CALVES (ON MAIN MENU) When this button is selected a list of calves will appear. The list shows the name/number, tag number, of each calf and the herd to which each calf has been assigned. Click on a calf’s Name/Number to display the data screen of that particular calf. Several edit boxes have drop-down menus offering the user a list of items to choose from. Simply click on the desired item and it will be entered into the edit box automatically. Once Names/Numbers have been entered for the Sire and Dam, and records have been created for each one of them, clicking on the ‘>‘ button to the right of either name will cause the program to go directly to that animal’s record and display it on the monitor. When the Birth Wt, Wean Wt, and the Date Weaned are entered, the weaning age of the calf, in days, and the 205 day adjusted wean weight will be calculated and entered automatically. A calf can easily be moved from Calf records to Bull, Cow, Replacement Heifer, Steer, or Feeder records by clicking on the appropriate button in the lower right section of the screen. When this is done a new record is automatically generated in the new category and all applicable data copied to that record. Also, the ‘No Count’ check-box is checked (automatically) so this animal will no longer be counted in inventory as a calf. It will now be counted as one of the category it was sent to. This allows the calf record to be maintained even though the animal was transferred to another category. Click on ‘List Calves’ (upper middle of screen) to display a screen for listing the calves. There are two radio buttons labeled ‘All Calves’, and ‘Specific Herd’. Clicking on the ‘All Calves’ button will cause all calves in the file to be listed (Except No-Counts). Click the ‘Specific Herd’ button to list of all calves belonging to the same herd as the calf whose data screen is currently displayed on the monitor. If a year in entered in the ‘Birth Year’ edit box, then only calves born in that year will be listed. The list includes the name/number, tag number, birth date, sire and dam, weights, sex, color, and horn status of each calf. BULLS (ON MAIN MENU) When this button is selected a list of bulls will appear. The list shows the name/number and tag number of the bull and the herd to which that bull has been assigned. Click on a bull’s Name/Number to display the data screen of that particular bull. Information for a specific bull is entered on the left side of the screen. Several edit boxes have drop-down menus offering the user a list of items to choose from. Simply click on the desired item and it will be entered into the edit box automatically. Once Names/Numbers have been entered for the Sire and Dam, and records have been created for each one of them, clicking on the ‘>‘ button to the right of either name will cause the program to go directly to that animal’s record and display it on the monitor. Enter pelvic height and width in whole numbers. The area will be computed and entered automatically. To enter data for additional bulls click on ‘New Bull’ at the bottom of the screen. A blank data screen will then be displayed. When additional bulls have been entered the ‘Previous Bull’ and ‘Next Bull’ buttons may be used to navigate through the bull records in the file. Clicking on ‘List bulls’ (upper middle of screen); will display a list of all bulls belonging to the same herd as the bull whose data screen is currently displayed on the monitor. The list includes each bull’s Name/number, age, birth date, pelvic area, scrotal size, average weights of offspring, number of calves included in the averaging calculation, and the last date the bull was tested. The Breeding/Test record for the bull is on the right side of the screen. To enter additional breeding/test records click on ‘New Record’ at the right, bottom of the screen. A blank data screen will then be displayed. Once additional records have been entered the ‘Previous Record’ and ‘Next Record’ buttons may be used to navigate through the breeding/test records in the file for this bull. The ‘List Calves’ button displays a list of all calves from this bull. The list includes the Name/number, date of birth, dam, weights (including 205 adj wean wt), and sex of each calf. When the calf has been born and a new calf record has been created (From the dam’s breeding record), click on the ‘>‘ button to the right of the calf’s Name/Number and the data screen for the calf will be displayed on the monitor. REPLACEMENT HEIFERS (ON MAIN MENU) When this button is selected a list of heifers will appear. The list shows the names/numbers and tag numbers of the heifers and the herds to which the heifers have been assigned. Click on a heifer’s Name/Number to display the data screen of that particular heifer. Several edit boxes have drop-down menus offering the user a list of items to choose from. Simply click on the desired item and it will be entered into the edit box automatically. Pelvic height and width can be entered with up to two decimal places. The area will be computed and entered automatically. Once Names/Numbers have been entered for the Sire and Dam, and records have been created for each one of them, clicking on the ‘>‘ button to the right of either name will cause the program to go directly to that animal’s record and display it on the monitor. A heifer can easily be moved from Heifer records to Cow or Feeder records by clicking on the appropriate button in the lower right section of the screen. When this is done a new record is automatically generated in the new category and all applicable data copied to that record. Also, the ‘No Count’ check-box is checked so this animal will no longer be counted in inventory as a heifer. It will now be counted as one of the category it was sent to. This allows the heifer record to be maintained even though the animal was transferred to another category. STEERS (ON MAIN MENU) When this button is selected a list of steers will appear. The list shows the names/numbers and tag numbers of the steers and the herds to which the steers have been assigned. Click on a steer’s Name/Number to display the data screen of that particular steer. Several edit boxes have drop-down menus offering the user a list of items to choose from. Simply click on the desired item and it will be entered into the edit box automatically. Once Names/Numbers have been entered for the Sire and Dam, and records have been created for each one of them, clicking on the ‘>‘ button to the right of either name will cause the program to go directly to that animal’s record and display it on the monitor. FEEDER CATTLE (HERD) (ON MAIN MENU) The Feeder Cattle screen is for entering information about a particular herd or group. Any number of herds may be created by clicking on the ‘New Herd’ button at the bottom of the screen. This screen is used primarily as a guide to keep track of the data necessary for maintaining a feeder herd. All entries are manual and no calculations are done except in the ‘Equipment/Facility Cost’ section (described later). A record may be kept for each individual feeder by clicking on the ‘Individual Feeder Info’ button near the bottom left of the screen. If this is done then genetics and inoculation records, etc, may also be kept for each animal. Enter the beginning and ending dates of the feeding period at the top of the screen. You may enter daily feed consumption and cost information as indicated on the left side of the screen. The equipment and facility cost information may be entered on the right side. If the MDI Farm Maintenance Manager program is used, the equipment and facility cost information may be entered automatically. Click the ‘Equipment/Facility Cost’ button. This brings up all the cost information from the Maintenance Manager (for the feeding period indicated) and records it in the left column of each group. The user may now enter, in the right column, the percentage of each cost used for livestock production. Once all entries are made, click on ‘Save and Exit’. The costs for each category will be calculated and entered into the edit boxes on the screen automatically. LONGHORN INFORMATION To the right of the ‘Horn Status’ edit box is the ‘Longhorn Info’ button. Clicking this button brings up a dialog box, which allows the user to record longhorn measurements from 10 months to fifteen years of age. The measurements include Tip to Tip, Around the Pole, and Base Circumference. LIST ALL PURCHASES This report lists all Purchases made during the date period chosen by the user. LIST ALL SALES This report lists all Sales during the date period chosen by the user. ALL CALF SALES This report lists all Calf Sales during the date period chosen by the user. PURCHASE (THIS ANIMAL) This report is generated any time an animal is purchased. All the above animal Purchase reports are based on this one. Therefore, this report should be generated any time an animal purchase is made. SALE (THIS ANIMAL) This report is generated if an animal is sold. All the above animal Sale reports are based on this one. Therefore, this report should be generated any time an animal sale is made. When this report is completed an Invoice/Receipt can be printed. When the Date Sold is entered the No-Count box will be checked and the ‘reason’ box will have the word Sold in it. The No-Count check and Reason will not show until you go out of the program and back in again. This animal will not be counted in the inventory and will not show up in the Name List which is generated when an animal category button is clicked on the main menu. CALVES SOLD (THIS COW/BULL) This report creates a list of all calves sold from a specific cow or bull. It lists the sale information of each animal, and the total revenue generated by this animal. You could create a calf record each time you sell semen (and check the calf’s No-Count box) and that revenue would be included in this report. LIST NO-COUNT RECORDS This report lists all records that have the No-Count box checked. It describes the animal, indicates why it is a no-count, and the date it became a no-count. List of Polled, Scurred, Horned, De-horned Allows the user to select a category and list all animals in that category. EPD’S The EPD record provides a place to enter and maintain EPD information. It does not do any calculations. FEED INVENTORY The feed inventory lists 14 different types of feed. Seven are fixed: Hay, Silage, Grain/Mix, Concentrate, Corn, Salt, and Mineral. The other seven are defined by the user by clicking on the ‘Custom Setup’ button. The feed system is auto-updating for both consumption and acquisitions. Initially, the user will enter the current inventory of feed on hand, and a typical consumption rate for one animal for one day. The consumption rate is calculated by dividing the feed used in one day by the total number of cattle, including calves, cows, steers, and bulls. The program keeps track of the total number of cattle in inventory, so each day it will multiply the consumption rate by the total number of cattle, and deduct that amount from the inventory On the ‘Custom Setup’ screen the user can also set minimum feed values. Once these are set, when the user clicks on the ‘Feed Inventory’ button, if any feed amount in the inventory is below the minimum select, the computer will beep and a dialog box will appear showing which feed is low. When feed is purchased, or moved into inventory from your own fields, click on the ‘Add New Acquisition to Inventory’ button to make an entry. But before making an entry, click on the ‘Select Supplier from List’ button and enter at least one supplier, including what type feed is available. If you raise some or all of your own feed, put your own farm/ranch name in the list. To enter another supplier simply click on ‘New Supplier’ and enter another one, etc. Once a purchase has been recorded the inventory will be updated automatically. Although the database will be updated, the update will not show up on the Feed Inventory screen until you go out of the inventory and back in again, or click on ‘Update Purchase’ on the Feed Inventory screen. Click on the ‘List All Purchases’ button at the bottom of the Feed Purchase screen to get a list of all purchases, by date period. This screen may be printed. MORTALITY REPORT This report is used to keep track of all data relative to the death of any animal. When a date of death is entered the No-Count box will be checked and the ‘reason’ box will have the word Death in it. The No-Count check and Reason will not show until you go out of the program and back in again. The No-Count check and Reason will not show until you go out of the program and back in again. This animal will not be counted in the inventory and will not show up in the Name List which is generated when an animal category button is clicked on the main menu.