Extension Animal Science Offers Basic Spreadsheet Skills For Cattle Recordkeeping
DR. SHANE GADBERRY
LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
Although blackleg is brutal and costly, it is also completely preventable through vaccination. A new workshop is being offered through county Extension offices covering the basics of using a spreadsheet program for recording and summarizing beef cattle production records. The program is designed for cattle producers who are seeking a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach for basic recordkeeping. The hands-on class provides examples in Microsoft Excel and LibreOffice Calc. For the budget minded, LibreOffice is an opensource, fully functional office suite that includes a spreadsheet program. The program is free to download over the internet.
The four-hour class includes working with an example cow herd inventory to create a layout, enter records, apply formulas, sort and filter and utilize pivot tables to summarize herd records. While the workshop focuses on how to build spreadsheets, the class also discusses some disadvantages of spreadsheets on a local device for recordkeeping in comparison to other options available today.
The workshop fee is $50 and covers the costs for a 45-pageworkbook with step-by-step instructions, a USB drive with example worksheets and refreshments. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptops to the class, and laptops will be available to use during the workshop for participants who own desktop computers. For more information, contact your local county Extension agent. ∆
DR. SHANE GADBERRY: Associate Professor, Ruminant Nutrition, University of Arkansas