Inventory Reporting is the American Angus Association’s whole-herd reporting program. At its foundation, the program is designed to ensure each female in your herd receives a record every year. Whether she had a calf, did not calve (e.g., donor, open) or is culled from the herd, it is important to account for that information in her production record, every year.  

Approximately 30% of herds participating are in the fall-calving enrollment (May 1-July 15), while about 70% of herds are in the spring-calving enrollment (Nov. 1-Jan. 15). A question that often arises is for herds that calve in more than one season: when should they enroll, and how do they manage two different herds within the same enrollment? 

How to manage multiple calving seasons

No matter if you calve in one season or multiple, the Inventory Reporting program is designed to work with your herd. While all females in your herd are “enrolled” at one time (either Nov. 1-Jan. 15 or May 1-July 15), they can be managed as separate herds within the program by using the “Calving Season” feature. 

Females can be designated as spring or fall calving. By designating their calving season, the group of females can then be filtered/sorted to manage and submit data. 

While this is an optional feature, it allows for multiple-calving-season herds to be able to manage those females as a group to meet requirements, rather than showing all females as one large group. 

The calving season can be managed through the Inventory Reporting female list in Login, or there is a Calving Season Search and Edit feature that allows for updating the calving season for multiple females at one time. After females are assigned a calving season within the Inventory Reporting list, those females can then be filtered for to see which females among that group are missing a production record for the year. 

Does the program fit my herd?

Currently there are more than 1,050 herds participating in the program from 42 different states. These herds range in size from one female to more than 4,000 females in the herd. Many of these operations calve in more than one season and successfully complete enrollment in the program. 

Not only does Inventory Reporting ensure each female in your herd receives a record every year, but it also helps you to be a better data manager. With the annual enrollment and data submission requirements, this helps to keep records current for each female every year. Participating in Inventory Reporting unlocks a variety of management reports as well as opens the door to being eligible for recognition for your hard work collecting and submitting phenotypes through the Data Driven Herd recognition program. 

To commit to complete female production records, no matter if you calve in one season or multiple, start your herd’s journey with Inventory Reporting. Select the enrollment period that best suits the majority of your herd, Nov. 1-Jan. 15 for primarily spring calving or May 1-July 15 for primarily fall calving. Once enrolled, you will complete an annual enrollment for your herd to ensure your herd’s complete records have been submitted.  

Editor’s note: For more information, please contact the American Angus Association Member Services Department at 816-383-5100.