iLivestock: A year in review

As 2023 comes to an end, we at iLivestock would like to take a moment to reflect on our journey and achievements in the past year. It has been a busy and exciting year for us, as we have launched new features, expanded our reach, and partnered with various organisations to improve the businesses of livestock farmers around the world.

New features and integrations

One of our main goals is to make iLivestock the most comprehensive and user-friendly app for livestock management. To achieve this, we have introduced several new features and integrations in 2023, such as:

• Fresh Farmer Scheme: This is a special programme for smallholders and new entrants to the livestock sector, offering them discounted rates, free training, and access to our online community. We want to support the next generation of farmers and help them grow their businesses with iLivestock.
• New Breeding Screens: We have added new screens for sheep and cattle farmers to help them monitor and improve their breeding performance. These screens allow farmers to view and record key information such as lambing percentage, calving interval, and genetic traits.
• New EID reader and weigh heads equipment integrations: We have integrated iLivestock with more electronic identification (EID) reader devices and weigh heads. This means that farmers can use iLivestock with a wider range of devices to capture and analyse data from their animals.
• Inventory checker: This is a new feature that allows farmers to check the inventory of their animals in iLivestock by managing them in groups. This feature helps farmers to keep track of their stock levels, identify missing or stolen animals, and reduce errors and discrepancies.
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Global expansion and partnerships

Another goal of ours is to make iLivestock available and accessible to farmers across the globe. In 2023, we have made significant progress in this regard, such as:

• Exploring farming practices in Argentina: We have embarked on an exciting project to explore the farming practices and challenges of livestock farmers in Argentina, one of the largest beef and sheep producers in the world. We have visited several farms and met with local farmers, researchers, and government officials to learn more about their needs and how iLivestock can help them.
• Partnering with Edinburgh University: We have established a partnership with the University of Edinburgh, one of the leading institutions for animal science and veterinary medicine in the UK. We provide training and education opportunities for students and staff, to improve data-driven farm animal practices.
• Joining the celebration of UK Lamb: We have joined forces with the National Sheep Association (NSA) and other organisations to celebrate the quality and diversity of UK lamb. We have participated in various events and campaigns to promote the consumption and appreciation of lamb, such as the Love Lamb Week, and the NSA Sheep Event.

Customer success stories

Of course, none of our achievements would be possible without our loyal and satisfied customers, who are the driving force behind iLivestock. We are always delighted to hear from our customers and share their success stories, such as:

• Hayden Woolley: Hayden breeds large scale shedding sheep with iLivestock. He has been featured in Farmers Weekly, where he talked about his passion for EasyCare sheep genetics and how iLivestock helps him manage his flock of over 2,000 ewes.
• Zoe Norton: Zoe is an English sheep farmer who breeds pedigree North Country Cheviots with iLivestock. She has been using iLivestock since 2019 and has seen significant improvements in her flock performance and record keeping.
• Steve Penberthy: Steve is a sheep farmer from Cornwall who was one of the early adopters of iLivestock. He has been using iLivestock since 2017 and has praised its ease of use, reliability, and customer service. He has also recommended iLivestock to many of his fellow farmers.
• Damian Barson: Damian is a sheep farmer from England who switched from dog training to sheep farming with iLivestock. He has been using iLivestock since 2020 and has grown his flock from 30 to 300 ewes. He has also improved his lambing rates, reduced his mortality rates, and increased his profits with iLivestock.
• George Sturla: George farms sheep and cattle in North-Wales with iLivestock. He is a first-generation farmer, and has been using iLivestock since 2021 and has found it invaluable for managing his herd of 150 beef cattle.

Looking ahead

As we look forward to 2024, we have many plans and aspirations for iLivestock. We want to continue to improve our app, expand our market, and partner with more organisations. We also want to engage more with our customers and the wider farming community, and attend more events and shows. Some of the events that we are planning to attend in 2024 are:

• NSA Scotsheep, 5 June
• Royal Highland Show, 20-23 June
• NSA Sheep, 30 July
• Borderway Agri Expo, 1 November
• AgriScot, 20 November
• Welsh Winter Fair, 25-26 November

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at any time. We would love to hear from you.

Happy New Year from the iLivestock team! 🎉