Checking animal location and grazing behaviour is part of the updated suite of reports for the widely-used farm management tool, Overseer. The placement of animals on farm can have a significant impact on predicted nutrient losses, and so the new reports allow for review of where animals are placed, making it easier to test the potential outcomes of changing the location of livestock and adjusting stocking rates.

While farmers have a good knowledge of where their animals are on a farm, checking where they have been entered into Overseer has been more difficult. The release of Version 6.2.1 has made this easier through the inclusion of a series of animal reports that describe how the software manages grazing animals.

“Overseer is now in its sixth full version upgrade, with multiple enhancements made to the software between versions to include further management options and to address issues that arise as the software is developed,” says Caroline Read, General Manager of Overseer. “The new Animal Reports are a response to demand for more information and a greater understanding of how Overseer manages information,” she says.

She believes the interest in Overseer demonstrates New Zealand’s desire to farm efficiently and effectively.

“The Overseer story is one that dates right back to the 1990s, with the very first Overseer software application being produced in 1999. Just like updates to other software, such as smartphone operating systems, the Overseer software has been kept updated over time to meet the changing needs of its users,” she says.

“We often field questions and ideas regarding the use of Overseer, and because there is nothing else like it in New Zealand, the development possibilities are far-reaching.” she says.

Six exciting strategic initiatives have been identified for the future development of Overseer, which will be revealed at the launch the Overseer 2015-17 Strategy at the new Overseer premises next week.

The upgraded version of Overseer – Version 6.2.1 – is now available to users, including the ‘standalone’ version. It includes the addition of three more Animal Reports and much sought after improvements to feed allocation, as well as a number of minor bug fixes. As with every release there are full release notes, and user information is available online at: www.overseer.org.nz

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