Data Acquisition & Analysis     Overview of FHARM's functionality     Training

Data Acquisition and Analysis From Day One, Drs. Jim and Guichon have believed that closely tracking individual animal production events is the key to success. Today, with millions of animals in the FHMS data warehouse, it would be logistically impossible to track them without our FHARM (Feedlot Health Animal Record Management) software program, which we developed especially for beef producers. FHARM is continually updated and meets or exceeds the requirements of beef producers in many areas, including procurement, production, marketing, regulatory compliance and national identification. It's available to all FHMS clients for tracking and controlling animals. It is like having a consultant on-site and also a financial management tool. FHMS understands that the successful operation of a modern cattle production facility requires real-time data and analysis. 'From the earliest days of establishing our feedlot consulting practice, we knew that closely tracking individual animal production events was the key to success.' - Dr. Timothy Guichon     Overview of FHARM's functionality:       Interacting with FHMS   One of FHARM's most important features is the fact that the data collected from beef producers, no matter how far away, can easily be sent straight into our data warehouse via dial-up modem or the Internet. Although the system is highly automated, our staff monitors incoming information and thus sees production problems as they occur and responds at once.   On-line Health Protocols   By inputting a diagnosis, the system generates a recommended treatment.   Record Keeping   The system records every event in an animal's feedlot life. The record includes processing, treatments, weight, movement and other data, which can be easily accessed by entering the animal's identification code.   Financial Tracking   The costs associated with each event in the feedlot production cycle are recorded, and expense reports can be generated in a variety of formats.   Compatibility with Livestock Production Equipment   FHARM uses a "serial concentrator" called Animal Weighing and Controlled Sampling (AWACS*), so it can "talk" to other kinds of specialized equipment. Thus, it can accept data from scale heads, digital thermometers, bar-code scanners, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers, electric eyes and other measurement systems. FHARM can also control sort gates, medicine dispensers and other external devices. * Trademark of Mix-Weigh Inc.   "Help" Feature   With FHARM's easy-to-use help function, users simply type in their query and the system shows how to accomplish the task. Our staff is also available to answer questions by phone.   Multi-User/Multi-Site   The FHARM software can be loaded onto several computer stations at a feedlot, all linked to the same data. Accordingly, several staff can access it at once and everyone has the same up-to-date information to work from. As for security, different access levels can be set.   Windows Friendly   With simple point-and-click menus, FHARM is very easy to use.   Capacity   The system can handle very large amounts of data very quickly, generating information with little or no waiting time   Versions of FHARM   Depending on the type and size of a cattle operation and the features desired, clients will receive different versions of the software.   Training   FHMS provides complete FHARM-user training, either at our office or on-site. Typically, the training is done in a one-day seminar. Specific training in the financial aspects of the software is also available to owners and accounting staff.       FHARM data collected from beef producers can be easily sent to our data warehouse via internet   FHARM tracks Morbidity and mortality data collected on a bi-weekly basis for analysis   FHMS provides complete FHARM-user training, either at our office or on-site