8 September 2023
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Members of Kansas State University’s agricultural and veterinary staff have released a brand-new app meant to give rural farmers a helping hand.
The new app, CalfDex, is the result of a project funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program, according to K-State. The app is free to download for iPhone and Android users.
Agricultural economist master’s graduate Jake Hefley, master’s candidate Audrey Marchek, K-state veterinarian Bob Larson and K-State livestock economist Ted Schroeder are responsible for putting the app together.
“Our team is eager to provide users with a convenient and easy-to-use modern animal data management tool to keep pace in an ever-changing industry,” Schroeder said. “Considering the growing importance of information exchange in the beef supply chain, there is value in an application that has the ability to store and upload data at the whole-herd and individual animal levels, while also facilitating easy downstream data sharing.”
The app is specifically keyed to help farmers, as it functions even when phone service is not available, according to K-State. CalfDex gives users the ability to maintain efficient and accurate calving, weaning and treatment records while also reducing the risk of clutter, data loss and misplacement commonly seen with paper records. The data on the app is stored across calving seasons for easy access.
“Because it has the capability to track multiple herds and individual animal information, CalfDex is tailored to meet the needs of all sizes of calving operations, from large purebred enterprises to a 4-H or FFA student beginning their first beef breeding project,” Schroeder said.
For more information on the app, click here. A tutorial for the app can be found by clicking here. If you have any questions about CalfDex, you can send an email to [email protected].