Welcome to the herd information section of your dairy farm carbon assessment! This guide will walk you through entering details about your cattle.

Step 1: select your main breed

Start by choosing the main breed of cattle on your farm. For example, if you primarily have Holstein cows, select "Holstein" from the dropdown menu. Once you select a breed, the system will automatically suggest some standard values to help you complete the rest of the form.

Step 2: tell us about your meat/male calves

Before we get into your herd numbers, we need to know how long you typically keep your meat calves (male calves) on the farm. Simply select one of the options, such as "less than 3 months" or "more than 3 months."

Step 3: enter your herd numbers

Now it's time to enter information about the different types of cattle on your farm. For each category, you'll need to provide:

- How many animals you had during the year

- How many you sold that year

⚠️ The table must be complete in order to proceed with the rest of the form. Fill all empty boxes with either a number or "0"

Here's what you'll need to fill in:

Milk Cows

Enter the total number of milk cows you had and how many you sold. For example, if you had 100 milk cows and sold 25 during the year, enter these numbers in the respective fields. Include the dry cows in that category.

Heifers

For heifers, we've included a helpful calculator to make things easier. Click in the field to open the calculator and enter:

- How many you had at the start of the year

- How many you had at the end of the year

The calculator will work out your average number of heifers for the year. Then, enter how many you sold.

Calves

Similar to heifers, enter your numbers for calves and how many you sold during the year.

Meat Calves

Finally, enter how many meat calves you sold during the assessment period if you kept them more than 3 months.

Step 4: enter animal weights

The last section is about the weight of your animals. To make things easier, we've pre-filled this section with standard weights for your selected breed (look for the book icon - that's how you can spot these standard values).

For each type of animal (milk cows, heifers, calves, and meat calves), you'll see:

- Live weight

- Sale weight

If you know your actual numbers are different from these standards, feel free to adjust them. For example, if your milk cows are heavier than the standard weight shown, simply enter your actual average weight.

❓ Open the help sections

Look for the help sections marked with ❓ icons throughout the form. These will explain:

- Why we need this information

- Where you can find this data on your farm

- How this information impacts your carbon assessment

Remember, the more accurate your numbers are, the better your assessment will reflect your farm's actual situation. But don't worry if you're not sure about some values - use the standards 📖 that's exactly what they are for!

Frequently Asked Questions: Herd

What if I have multiple breeds in my herd?

Select the breed that makes up the majority of your herd (the breed you have the most of). For example, if you have 80 Holstein cows and 20 Normande cows, select Holstein as your main breed.

I don't track my average animal weights. Should I just use the standard values?

The standard values (marked with a 📖 book icon) are there to help you! If you don't have exact weights, these are good estimates based on typical weights for your selected breed. However, if you do any of these:

Weigh your animals during veterinary checks
Have sale records with weights

Use these real numbers instead, as they'll give you a more accurate assessment.

How do I calculate my average number of animals if they changed throughout the year?

Use the built-in calculator tool! Enter the number you had at the start of the year and the number at the end. The calculator will work out the average for you. For example:

Start of year: 24 heifers
End of year: 15 heifers
Calculator will show: 20 average heifers for the year
Click on "insert result"

What counts as a 'sold' animal?

Count any animal that:

Was sold to another farm
Was sent to slaughter
Left your farm permanently for any other reason

Don't count animals that:

Were born on your farm and stayed
Were transferred between age groups (like a calf becoming a heifer)

My meat calves stay for varying lengths of time. What should I select?

Choose the option that represents what happens to most of your meat calves. If it's roughly split, choose the longer time period to ensure your carbon assessment captures the maximum potential impact.

What if I don't sell any animals in a particular category?

That's perfectly fine - just enter "0" in the "sold" field for that category. You still need to enter the total number of animals you had in that category during the year.

I keep detailed monthly records. Should I enter the highest number of animals I had, or an average?

Use the calculator tool to help you find the average. If you want to be very precise, you can:

Add up the number of animals you had each month
Divide by 12
Enter this as your number at the start of the year
Enter your final month's number as your end of year figure The calculator will then give you an accurate average.

☝️ Remember: It's better to be approximately right than precisely wrong. If you're unsure about exact numbers, use your best estimate based on your records and experience.

Still have questions?

Our team will gladly answer them in English, German or Polish
from Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM CET

simply call: +49 30 91 73 95 45

or email: help@rootglobal.io

02 Herd Page