Breedcow and Dynama
Bill Holmes, a Principal Agricultural Economist with the Department of Primary Industries, developed the Breedcow and Dynama herd management program in 1988. Graziers and advisors use the program, which has undergone continuous upgrades and improvements since its creation.
The Breedcow and Dynama package consists of nine tools, each tailored to address specific aspects of herd budgeting and management analysis.
| Tool | Purpose | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Breedcow+ | Compare the likely profitability of the herd under different management or turnoff systems |
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| Breedcow Lite | Simplified version of Breedcow+ requiring 13 inputs |
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| Dynama+ | Make forward projections when analysing different management strategies over time |
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| Investan | Evaluate investments in herd or property improvements |
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| Bullocks and Dry Cattle Trading | Evaluate short term trading opportunities |
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| Cow Trade | Evaluate short term trading opportunities |
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| Growth Path | Model the growth path of steers of heifers |
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| Live Weight Gain Calculator | Estimate liveweight gains of dry cattle on known nutrition |
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| Splitsal | Estimate weights and proportions of leads and tails in a mob of cattle |
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Breedcow Lite – a simplified analysis tool
Breedcow Lite is an easy-to-use, streamlined version of the comprehensive Breedcow+ tool, designed for graziers who need quick, informed insights about their herds, while still allowing for detailed analysis as required.
Key features of Breedcow Lite include:
- Simplified interface: requires only 13 inputs for analysis
- Quick results: generates comparative results for up to 5 scenarios in just minutes
- Comprehensive analysis: unchanged analysis capabilities from Breedcow+
- Evaluate turn-off strategies, financial impacts, management strategies, breakeven analysis
- Seamless transition: progress to full Breedcow+ file for more detailed analysis, with all Lite assumptions pre-populated
Growth Path – improved flexibility of modelling
The updated Growth Path tool now provides greater flexibility and accuracy in modelling cattle growth.
Key features of Growth Path:
- Multiple weaning periods: caters for up to 3 weaning periods per year
- Maturity: caters for reduction in growth as cattle age
- Seasonal variation: allows ‘out of normal’ adjustments to growth during wet and dry seasons, including drought condition modelling and supplementation strategies.
You can access the Breedcow and Dynama software suite free of charge at breedcowdynama.com.au. The website includes links to the comprehensive wiki user guide and helpful extension materials to assist users.
For further assistance, please contact our team at breedcow@dpi.qld.gov.au.