📖 Help & Knowledge Base

🚀 Setting Up Your Farm Account

From signing up to having your first animal logged — this guide walks you through getting Cow-Q-Lator ready to use in under 10 minutes.

Step 1 — Create your account

1. Go to cowqlator.com and click "Start Free Trial"No credit card required. Your trial lasts 14 days with full access to all features.
2. Enter your name, email, and passwordUse an email address you check regularly — you'll receive important billing and reminder notifications here.
3. Check your inbox and confirm your emailClick the confirmation link to activate your account. Check your spam folder if you don't see it within a minute.
4. Name your farmEnter your operation's name — this appears on reports and is visible to any team members you invite.

Step 2 — Explore your dashboard

Once inside, you'll land on the Dashboard. This gives you a quick overview of your herd, upcoming reminders, and any overdue tasks. The left sidebar (or bottom nav bar on mobile) is how you move between sections.

What to do first

• Add your first animals (see Adding Animals)
• Set up your pasture locations (see Locations)
• Invite any ranch hands or a bookkeeper (see Inviting Your Team)

🐄 Adding Animals to Your Herd

Every animal in your operation gets its own profile — tag number, weight history, breeding records, vet visits, and more. Here's how to add them.

Adding a single animal

1. Go to Animals in the sidebarThis is your master herd list.
2. Click "Add Animal"A form will appear with fields for the animal's details.
3. Fill in the key fieldsAt minimum, enter the Tag Number, Species/Type, and Sex. Birth date and purchase date help with age calculations and reports.
4. Add a weight entryEnter the current weight and date. This becomes the first entry in the animal's weight history.
5. Assign a location (optional)If you have pastures or lots set up, assign the animal to one now.
6. Save the animalThe animal now appears in your herd list and its profile is ready for vet records, breeding entries, and more.

Importing a herd list

If you already have your animals in a spreadsheet, use the Import & Export section in the sidebar to upload a CSV file. Download the template first to make sure your columns match the expected format.

Animal types supported

• Cow (beef and dairy)
• Bull
• Heifer
• Steer / Calf
• Any custom type you define

👥 Inviting Your Team

Cow-Q-Lator supports multiple users on one farm with role-based access. Ranch hands can log records without touching your financials.

User roles explained

• Admin — Full access to everything, including billing and user management. Assign this to co-owners only.
• Ranch Hand — Can add and edit animal records, log vet visits, and update weights. Cannot access financial reports or billing.
• Viewer — Read-only access. Great for a lender, vet, or advisor who needs to see records but not change anything.

How to invite someone

1. Go to Owners & Users in the sidebarFound under the Admin section at the bottom of the nav.
2. Click "Invite User"Enter their email address and select their role.
3. They'll receive an email invitationThey click the link, create a password, and land directly in your farm — no farm setup required on their end.

🍼 Recording Calf Births

The best way to record a calf birth is directly from the mother's profile — this automatically links the calf to the dam so you don't have to search for her manually.

Recording a birth

1. Find the mother in your herd and open her quick panelTap or click her name to open the animal quick panel.
2. Click "Record Calf"This opens the calf birth form pre-linked to the dam.
3. Enter the birth dateUse today's date for a live birth, or back-date if you're catching up on records.
4. Enter the tag numberIf you haven't tagged the calf yet, you can use a temporary identifier and update it later.
5. Enter birth weight if knownThis becomes the calf's first weight entry and is used in growth tracking.
6. SaveThe calf appears in your herd and is linked to its dam's record.

Viewing calving history on a cow

Open any cow's animal profile and scroll to the Calving History section. You'll see all recorded calves, birth dates, and birth weights in one place.

✅ Using the Check Herd Feature

Check Herd is a fast way to walk through your pasture or pen and confirm every animal is accounted for. Think of it like a digital headcount — done right from your phone.

How it works

Check Herd pulls up your list of animals assigned to a location and lets you tap through each one to mark it as seen. Any animal you don't confirm shows up as missing at the end of the check.

Running a herd check

1. Open the Animals section and tap "Check Herd"Or access it from the Quick Entry button (+) at the top of the screen.
2. Select the location or pasture you're checkingThe list populates with every animal assigned to that location.
3. Tap each animal as you account for itScan tag numbers, or tap the animal's name/tag in the list. Confirmed animals are marked with a checkmark.
4. Review the summary when you're doneAny unchecked animals are flagged. You can add a note about missing animals or leave the check open to finish later.
5. Save the checkThe result is logged with a timestamp so you have a record of when each check was completed.

🐂 Using Groups to Track Bull Exposure

The Groups feature lets you put a set of cows together with a bull for a breeding season. Cow-Q-Lator will calculate expected calving dates for every cow in the group automatically.

Why use Groups for bull exposure?

When you run a bull with a group of cows, every cow has roughly the same exposure window — which means similar expected calving dates. Instead of logging a breeding entry on each animal one by one, you set up the group once and let Cow-Q-Lator do the math.

Setting up a bull exposure group

1. Go to Animals and find the Groups sectionGroups can also be accessed from an individual animal's profile.
2. Click "Create Group"Give the group a name — something like "Spring Bull Pasture 2026" works well.
3. Set the bull turn-in date and pull dateThese are the start and end of the breeding season. The exposure window is used to calculate earliest and latest expected calving dates.
4. Select the bullSearch for and add the bull from your animal list. His breeding history will be updated automatically.
5. Add cows to the groupSearch by tag number or name. Add as many cows as you turned out with the bull.
6. Save the groupExpected calving dates (based on a 283-day gestation) are calculated for each cow and added to the Farm Timeline as calving reminders.

📍 Using Locations to Calculate Fertilizer Costs

Locations let you define your pastures, pens, and lots — including acreage. With acreage logged, Cow-Q-Lator can calculate how much fertilizer product you need and what it'll cost, right from the location record.

Setting up a location

1. Go to Locations in the sidebarFound under the Tools & Data section.
2. Click "Add Location"Give it a name that matches how you refer to it on your ranch — "South Pasture", "Lot 3", "Hay Meadow", etc.
3. Enter the acreageThis is what enables fertilizer calculations. Enter the total acres for that pasture or field.
4. Add any notesSoil type, last fertilizer application date, or other details you want to remember.
5. Save the locationIt now appears in your location list and can be assigned to animals.

Calculating fertilizer costs

1. Open the location you want to fertilizeClick on it from the Locations list.
2. Find the Fertilizer Calculator sectionIt appears on the location's detail page.
3. Enter your application rateFor example, 200 lbs of 46-0-0 (urea) per acre.
4. Enter the product cost per ton or per bagCow-Q-Lator calculates total product needed and total cost based on the location's acreage.
5. Review the summaryYou'll see total pounds/tons of product and estimated total cost for that pasture.

📅 Viewing the Farm Timeline

The Farm Timeline is a chronological view of everything happening on your ranch — calving due dates, scheduled sales, vet appointments, reminders, and equipment service dates, all in one place.

What shows up on the timeline

• Expected calving dates — Calculated from bull exposure or AI breeding records
• Planned sale dates — From your Sale Planner entries
• Reminders — Any custom reminders you've set
• Vet & vaccination due dates — Logged on individual animals
• Equipment service reminders — From your Equipment records (Pro)

Navigating the timeline

1. Go to Farm Timeline in the sidebarFound under Daily Operations.
2. Scroll forward and back through datesUpcoming events are listed chronologically. Past events are shown in a muted color.
3. Tap any event to see detailsYou can jump directly to the related animal, sale, or reminder from the timeline entry.
4. Filter by typeUse the filter options to show only calving events, only sales, etc. — useful when you're focused on one task.

🔔 Setting Up Reminders

Reminders make sure nothing falls through the cracks — from a scheduled preg check to renewing a grazing lease. Set them once and they'll show up on your Farm Timeline when they're due.

Creating a reminder

1. Go to Reminders in the sidebarFound under Planning & Financials.
2. Click "Add Reminder"A simple form appears.
3. Enter a title and due dateBe specific — "Preg check on spring heifers" is more useful than "Vet visit".
4. Add notes if neededVet's phone number, what supplies to have on hand, etc.
5. Link to an animal (optional)If the reminder is for a specific animal, you can link to their profile directly.
6. SaveThe reminder appears on your Farm Timeline and will show as overdue if the date passes uncompleted.

💰 Using Shared Cost Groups

Shared Cost Groups are designed for farms with multiple owners who share the same cattle operation. They let you split expenses — like feed, hay, or supplies — between co-owners automatically, based on how many head each owner carries in the herd.

Is this feature for you?

Shared Cost Groups are only relevant if your farm has multiple owners whose cattle are managed together in the same animal list. If you are the sole owner of your herd, you won't need this feature — track your expenses through the standard Expenses section instead.

A typical example: four co-owners each have cattle running together on the same property. All animals appear in one herd list. When a feed purchase comes in, it needs to be split between the four owners in proportion to how many head each one has — not split evenly. Shared Cost Groups handle that automatically.

How costs are split

When you set a cost group to split based on Cows in the main herd group, Cow-Q-Lator calculates each owner's percentage of the total herd at the time each cost is recorded, then applies those percentages to the expense to determine each owner's share.

Percentages are not locked in at the start of the year. Each time a new cost is entered, the split is recalculated based on current headcount. If an owner sells animals or adds cattle mid-year, their cost share adjusts accordingly going forward.

The owner ledger

Because shared expenses are typically paid out-of-pocket by one person at a time, Shared Cost Groups maintain a running ledger for each owner showing:

• Total owed — each owner's cumulative share of all costs in the group
• Total purchased — what each owner has actually paid for out of pocket
• Running balance — who is ahead and who is behind on their share

This makes it easy to see at a glance whose turn it is to make the next purchase in order to keep everyone close to even on their share of the group's expenses.

Setting up a Shared Cost Group

1. Go to Shared Cost Groups in the sidebarFound under Planning & Financials.
2. Click "New Cost Group"Give it a name that reflects the expense category — for example, "Feed — South Pasture" or "Hay Purchases 2025".
3. Choose the split methodSelect "Cows in main herd group" to split costs based on each owner's current headcount as a percentage of the total herd.
4. Save the groupThe group is now ready to receive cost entries.
5. Add costs as they occurEach time an expense is incurred, enter it in the group. Cow-Q-Lator calculates ownership percentages at that moment and posts each owner's share to the ledger automatically.
6. Record who made the purchaseIndicate which owner actually paid for it. This updates their "Total purchased" balance and keeps the running ledger current.

Reading the ledger

Open any Shared Cost Group to see the full ledger for each owner — their total owed, total purchased, and current balance. A negative balance means an owner has paid more than their share so far; a positive balance means they are behind and should be next to make a purchase for the group.

🏷️ Planning a Sale

The Sale Planner helps you project income from upcoming cattle sales, track actual results, and compare your expectations to reality — all without a separate spreadsheet.

Creating a sale plan

1. Go to Sale Planner in the sidebarFound under Planning & Financials.
2. Click "New Sale"A form opens for the sale details.
3. Enter the sale date and market or buyerThis sets the event on your Farm Timeline.
4. Add the animals you plan to sellSearch by tag number. For each animal, enter an expected sale weight and expected price per pound (or per head).
5. Review the projected incomeCow-Q-Lator totals up the projected sale value across all animals in the plan.
6. Save the saleIt appears on the Farm Timeline with the projected value displayed.

Recording actual results

After the sale, open the sale record and enter the actual weights and prices for each animal sold. Cow-Q-Lator will show you the variance between projected and actual — and mark sold animals as inactive in your herd.