Our collection of video tutorials have been a big hit this fall, and we wanted to keep helping you with more detailed instruction in action. For those of you just beginning with CattleMax CS, or maybe even computerized record keeping itself, we understand it might be a bit overwhelming, or you might not be sure where to start.

Right now, we’re working on a brand new video series dedicated to helping you get started. Our Getting Started Series currently consists of five videos:

1. Registration and Activation
2. Herd Files: Creating, Converting, Backing Up, Restoring & Sending
3. Support Resources
4. Cattle Record Basics
5. Setting Up: Breeds, Ranches, Pastures, Cattle Groups

Are you a long-time customer who remembers something you needed help with when you were getting started? Are you just beginning with CattleMax CS now and have ideas about videos that would help? Leave a comment here with any suggestions on other videos we could add to this series.

For the month of December, we already had two online workshops designed for those just getting started with CattleMax CS or still evaluating the trial version to take a guided tour and have an opportunity to ask questions and learn from each other. Both workshops were successful, and our evening workshop boasted the largest attendance yet.

We still have four more opportunities for you to learn with the CattleMax Team through our free online workshops this month.

Next Friday, December 19^th, we’re hosting two workshops on Basic Reporting in CattleMax CS. It’s designed for producers who want to learn about using the reporting features in CattleMax and will give a basic introduction to the different reporting features and how to use them.

Then on Monday, December 22^nd, we’ll have two opportunities for you to learn how to use the extensive AI (Artificial Insemination) and ET (Embryo Transfer) inventory and breeding records in CattleMax CS. We’ll cover everything from entering your first semen or embryo inventory records to using clean-up bulls to reporting your AI success.

View the schedule and register today!

To get things started this month, Penny is hosting two workshops next Tuesday, October 21st. These first two workshops will both cover a general overview of CattleMax CS, and leave plenty of time to answer your questions.

It should be a big help for anyone who is still looking at the trial version, just purchased CattleMax, or converting from an older version and needing help learning CattleMax CS.

You can register for the 10am CST morning workshop, or register for the 7pm CST evening workshop.

We hope you’ll join us!

This meant they had lost not just their current working file, but years of historical information they could never retrieve—a situation we want to help you avoid. We know how important it is for you to always have access to your cattle records, and how lost you might be if they disappeared. We have always suggested for you to backup your records often, and store these backups in a separate location from your computer.

This fall, we decided to help you out even more. We created the CattleMax Online Backup Service, based on 13 years of proven technology from Amazon.com.

Now, when you backup your CattleMax herd file, there will be an option for “Online”. This system guarantees your records are safe and secure, accessible from any computer with CattleMax and an Internet connection, and protected from any disaster.

Learn more about the CattleMax Online Backup Service, including all the benefits it offers, or order your subscription to keep your records safe, secure and accessible.

We spent some time updating our Microsoft Access Resources page over on the CattleMax website. This list contains links to books, software, and communities where beginners and pros can learn more about using Microsoft Access.

If anyone is currently using the CattleMax Accesss Companion and has a story they would like to share, let us know over at the Power Users forum.

Penny and I moved over to MacBook Pro laptops earlier this year and have been very pleased.  Of course, CattleMax uses Microsoft Access 2007 technology so we still needed Windows.

We get a lot of questions from customers who aren’t sure if they can use CattleMax on a Mac, so we wanted to mention the available options, and share what we have found to work best.

I evaluated VMWare Fusion and Parallels and found the best performance with VMWare Fusion.

Setup is fast and easy with the step-by-step wizards.  Several retailers even sell VMWare pre-installed when you by a new computer.  Using VMWare is easy and requires no rebooting to use - just open the application and click the Run button.  The speed and performance are great and we haven’t come across any compatibility issues with CattleMax during the past six months.

Is anyone else using CattleMax on their Macs?  If so, let us know.

CattleMax on VMWare Fusion

As Cattlesoft grew, our customer service volume increased to where we needed to hire more help.  There aren’t too many people out there who understand cattle production and also can troubleshoot computer software, so this makes finding and training customer service representatives challenging, especially for a company that touts its exceptional customer service.

Last Summer, we had a predicament on our hands - most of our customer service reps were graduating from Texas A&M and moving on.  We asked ourselves “How are we going to find several customer service reps and have them trained on CattleMax for the Fall?”

It was one evening when we were out checking cows that we came up with the idea of mentioning the job listings in our customer newsletter.  Within one week had over 50 applicants for 3 positions.

After many great interviews, we hired Ken, Nathan, and Lana. Not only were they familiar with CattleMax having used it for years, but they also understand what it’s like to be on the other end of the phone.

That’s not the kind of thing you can train for, it has to be experienced.

We wanted to let everyone know about the new CattleMax CS 4200 Update that we released yesterday.

As ranches who have used previous CattleMax versions know, the new CattleMax CS version includes a new reporting system, known as “Customizable Lists”, which addressed feedback from many customers who were seeking a way to customize reports without the need to use the Report Wizard to make custom reports.  This new style works great for many because producers could dynamically resize the columns, add and remove their own columns, and change formatting styles.

However, one of the downsides of this new reporting is that it lacks certain functionality of the reports in the CattleMax 2006 version.  We came to the conclusion that both options were needed in CattleMax CS so that you have the right tool for the right job - sometimes we want to customize and sometimes we just want it to print.
So, a summary of reporting options in CattleMax CS 4.2.4200 and later

• Customizable Lists - basic lists where you can change columns and formatting
• Preset Reports - based on CattleMax 2006 reports, advanced functionality, nicer looks, columns can’t be customized
• Report Wizard - Located in the Access Companion, this lets you create your own reports from scratch, including selecting columns, sorts, and formatting.  You can look at it as Customizable Lists’s big brother.  Microsoft Access is not required for this part of the Access Companion.
• Microsoft Access - The MS Access Companion, accessible from the Reports tab in CattleMax, lets those familiar with MS Access work with their own reports and queries.

If you are a new customer or not as tech savvy, the Preset Reports and Customizable Lists are a quick and easy way to get the information you need.
Other significant updates/changes in this update:

• Enhanced Electronic ID Tag list import from files, vendors, and readers
• Improved international date formatting
• Export button now on customizable lists
• New breed interfaces for Red Angus, Gelbvieh, Maine-Anjou, and Yak
• Updated breed interface for Brangus
• Easier backing up and restoring of custom reports and queries in Access Companion

Currently using CattleMax CS?  Download the update and let us know what you think

Thanks

Terrell & Penny Miller and the Cattlesoft Team

CattleMax customers and ranches considering CattleMax for their record keeping needs can benefit by watching the videos to gain a better understanding of how CattleMax works and can benefit you.

Watch them at http://www.cattlemax.com/videos

On Sunday evening before the Short Course, customers came to the CattleMax Workshop and gained a more hands-on understanding of CattleMax CS, the newest version of our CattleMax software. There were great questions and we appreciate the customers who took time to attend our workshop.

The Wednesday morning Business Management session at the Short Course was well attended. I enjoyed talking with everyone and highlighting the importance of good record keeping, especially during the current time of high input costs. For those interested in the article I referred to during my presentation, you can download a PDF from http://agecoext.tamu.edu/resources/animal-id/information/articles.html.

After the completion of the Short Course activities on Wednesday, some familiar friends and new faces attended our afternoon CattleMax workshop. We received good questions at this workshop as well, and appreciate everyone attending and participating.

Thanks again to everyone for another great year.