New features have been added and functionality improvements made to the popular sheep management tool to make it more user friendly and efficient.
The free app assists producers to examine the impact of lambing and joining dates on management activities at key times during the reproductive cycle to improve operational efficiency and flock potential.
“The refresh takes the Lambing Planner app to the next level, adding more value to this useful digital tool,” DPIRD development officer Katherine Davies said.
“A great new feature is the choice to register an account, allowing reminders to be sent for upcoming tasks, such as ram in and out dates, pregnancy scanning and lamb marking, and ordering supplies.
“Registration also enables users to save plans to the cloud so they can be accessible on other devices.
“There is also the option to mark tasks as complete, include notes to each task, add plans to their digital calendar and to share plans as a PDF or directly to another Lambing Planner app user.”
The app still has useful information on ewe and ram nutrition, condition score targets at different stages and reproductive management, alongside a short best practice guide for lambing with links to further information.
A short instructional video is also available, as part of the app and online, to guide users through the changes and how to get the most out of the app.
The previous version of the app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times on Apple devices across Australia, as well as internationally by users in China, the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and beyond.
The app has come a long way since its origins as a paper based tool, developed by the department and the ASHEEP & BEEF grower group, with support from Meat & Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation.
ASHEEP & BEEF chairman David Vandenberghe said the Lambing Planner was one of the group’s founding products, which continues to assist sheep producers to optimise flock fertility – a driving force to increased profitability.
“The paper based product was built in 2003 as a tool to guide producers through a sequencing formula, where one hundred per cent lambing outcomes were an expectation – not a surprise,” he said.
“Producers, researchers and industry continue to raise the bar on lambing outcomes so the latest round of updates is important to bring in new information and functionality to keep moving forward.”
The app won gold at the 2017 TECH Design Awards and is one of the department’s most popular digital tools.
The updated Lambing Planner app is free to download on iOS and the update will soon be available for Android devices.
For more information and links to download visit www.agric.wa.gov.au/apps/lambing-planner.
The paper based tool is still available from DPIRD’s Katanning office by emailing katanning.customerservicecoordinator@dpird.wa.gov.au or telephoning 9821 3333.
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