Do you track your animals with a livestock breed association registry? If so, you likely add details about newborn animals, and then make updates for measurements, characteristics, timelines, behaviors, and other EPDs. You can export data from Farmbrite to import to the registry, and update animals in Farmbrite from the registry data as well. All of this can be accomplished by using the Registry Number to connect your records to move data back and forth.
Quick Summary
- You can export basic data from the livestock dashboard with a single action.
- You can export secondary records like measurements, treatments, and yields from custom reports.
- You can import updates to animal data from the livestock dashboard.
- You can also import measurements and yields from the livestock dashboard as well.
Setting a Registry Number on Your Animals
The first set making this connection is to add a Registry Number to your animal records. You'll find the field under the identification section of an animal records. You can add this on the record itself through Farmbrite and save, or you can import the registry number for up to 1000 animal at once using a spreadsheet. If your animal records already exist in Farmbrite you can simply download the records, add the registry number, and then reupload the same spreadsheet. Check out this article for a full walkthrough on that process, and look further in this article to see an example as well.
Once you have a registry number associated with your animals, you'll have a few ways to export their basic data. Each option provides a spreadsheet of the data that you can use to import the information into your registry database.
Exporting Animal Details
You can easily export animal record data from the main livestock page. Take a look at this article for a full walkthrough; you'll have two easy options for this depending on which records you'd like to export. The registry number is a standard field that is always included in either of these exports.
- You can set filter on your livestock list first, and then using the option to Download Records to export just the animals displayed on the page. That way you can find the specific animals you are looking for based on type, breed, age, status, etc., and then only export the records that meet that criteria you set.
- You could also choose to Download All Records to export all animals, including sold, archived, inactive, butchered, deceased, etc. This provides a spreadsheet of all animal data regardless of the filters set on the page.
Exporting Data from Custom Reports
If you'd like to export more than the basics from the record, you can can create custom reports for treatments, measurements, breeding records, notes, and yields. This feature helps you choose the exact data you'd like to see, and then export it as a spreadsheet. You can also create basic livestock custom reports if you do not want all of the data in the standard exports outlined above. You can essentially create your own spreadsheet with whatever data fields you'd like that are important for you. You'll find a full tutorial on creating custom reports here.
The most important aspect of any of these is to include the registry number field on any custom report you create. That way it will be included as a column in the spreadsheet download, and thus you can easily match it to your registry database to upload the data.
In the example below, we create a custom report for livestock measurements. This includes the registry number, measurement date, and measured weight. The report is also filtered to only include cattle measurements taken in the last 90 days, so we can easily keep the registry updated with recent records. This is just a quick example; you can add whatever columns or filters you need, including custom fields that you have created.
Importing Data From Your Registry
This connection can be used to import data as well. The process is similar to what we outlined above, but you'll be adding data based on the registry number as the identifier. If you have made changes in the registry and you want them to reflect in your animal records in Farmbrite, you'll have a few ways to accomplish that.
- You can create new animal records using the Import Records feature. If you have the basic data in the registry but are just getting started with Farmbrite, you can export the details from the registry and then easily create the animal records in the system. Check out this article for a full tutorial on the process.
- You can update your animal record basics using the Bulk Update From File feature. As long as the spreadsheet file has the registry number on it, you can upload it to Farmbrite to make changes to other basic information about the animal. The same article linked above also outlines this process from start to finish.
- You can also upload yield and measurement records in bulk using your registry number. You'll find these options under under the same menu on your livestock dashboard; you can choose to Import Animal Yields or Import Animal Measurements from them. You'll map the registry number from your file to the "Animal" field, and Farmbrite will use it to identify the record to associate the yields or measurements to.
Have question about your needs for your specific registry? Reach out to us, we are glad to assist!