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When to use more than one dairy forecaster
When to use more than one dairy forecaster

Record milk income for multiple dairy farms under the same Farm Focus subscription.

Updated over a week ago

If you have multiple supply numbers that sit under one GST number, and you want to separate production for each, you’ll need to create an additional dairy forecaster. There is no extra charge for this. The additional dairy forecaster is required as you can only allocate one planned event per month on the dairy forecaster.

Use management tags to track other revenue AND expenses AND livestock for your separate supply numbers, if you want to view each as a standalone business. Click here to learn more about management tags.

Create an additional dairy forecaster

You will need to create an additional dairy forecaster for your second dairy farm.

Create a milk production code

First, create a new extended code for the second farm.

  1. Go to Settings > Codes > Farm Codes > Income. Hover over Milk Production and click on the three vertical dots

  2. Select New Extended code

  3. Complete the New Extended Code Modal

  4. Ensure the information in this modal is the same as the information included in the original "This season" extended codes. The type needs to be set as Milk solids. This ensures a new dairy forecaster is created. The new extended code modal contains additional information that needs to be completed including specifying:

    1. the dairy company you will be supplying

    2. your business model (Owner, Contract, Share milker) and if appropriate your share percentage.

  5. The KPI Reporting Group should be set as (Milk-Dairy)

  6. Select Done to save.

TIP: Creating a code this way saves time, as the Parent category code defaults to the category you selected.

Using the additional dairy forecaster

Now if you go to Plan > Dairy Forecaster you get the option to select between two dairy forecasters. When creating your plan enter the kgMS you intend to produce for each milk supply number in the appropriate dairy forecaster.

Once your Actuals are entered, the Headers for the Increase Adv, Capacity adjustment, and Base payment columns will be overwritten with the description you coded on the milk income invoice/transaction. The previous data in these columns become irrelevant once Actual data is entered for the month. The Actuals section will be greyed out. You can click on the three vertical dots at the right-hand side of the item line to view the actual invoice/transaction with your coding information.

If you have income planned for a month and have not yet received the milk income, or you haven't yet coded the transaction, you will have a red alert to notify you to enter your actual data for that particular month.

You can also edit the management tag directly in the Dairy Forecaster if you wish to change the tag for your milk income.

Other examples of using a second dairy forecaster

  • If your business model changes i.e. from lower order share milking to 50/50 share milking

  • Due to personal preference, you want more than one forecaster

Scenario  

Kara share milks a total of 800 cows, 400 owned by herself and 400 by the farm owner.

  • For the 400 cows she owns, she receives 50% of the milk income and for the 400 owned by Greg, she receives 22% of the milk income.

So that she can keep the income from each separately, she uses two milk production codes.

Create a milk production code

You can create a new code from anywhere in your farm business.

  1. Click on Settings > Codes > Farm Codes

  2. Locate the category that you want to add an extended code to. Hover over the code and click on the three vertical dots.

  3. Select New Extended code.

  4. Enter a code abbreviation i.e. 22% and a Name i.e. 22% milk income and complete the rest of the required information.

  5. Select Done to save.

TIP:  Make sure the Type displays Milk solids (same as category).  This turns the dairy forecaster on for the extended code.

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