Dynama+ Dynama
Step 4 Complete the Dynama worksheet
The Dynama worksheet automatically takes values from the Dynama+ AECalc, Prices and Huscosts worksheets and combines them with data about births, losses, sales and purchases to build a ten year sequence of livestock schedules.
A livestock schedule (Dynama HERD TABLE 7) provides a snapshot of the structure and productivity of a cattle herd for up to a decade. Once the performance of the cattle business has been identified in the livestock schedule, the Dynama worksheet connects its cattle trading outcomes to cost, asset and loans input to project cash flow, net income, debt and net worth.
Dynama worksheet sections in detail
The opening and closing month and year of each period of the budget identified in the AECalc worksheet.
Any twelve month period can be used as the basis for the budget (e.g. calendar year or financial year), but this decision will affect how the Dynamaplus program is used. Originally the Dynamaplus program was designed for a production cycle which begins with the number of cows on hand with purchases, sales and the number of females spayed added more or less in that order. The number of new calves and deaths are calculated on the breeders remaining after purchases, sales and spayed females have been allowed for. This system is used in both the Dynamaplus and the Breedcowplus programs and requires the budget year to be based on the production year.
In northern Australia, a production year that runs January to December may best fit property operations.
To accommodate users budgeting on a financial year, Dynamaplus also allows users to calculate the number of new calves on the opening breeder numbers, which by June 30th will usually be what is left after all breeder sales have been made. This system will suit some users, but it is not compatible with data transferred from the Breedcowplus program. The command Tools | Breeder Base for new calves accessible in the Dynama worksheet allows users to set the method of calculating the number of new calves.
If the Taxinc worksheet is to be used to calculate estimates of livestock trading profit and taxable income, budgeting will need to be based on the financial year.
The filename and path appear automatically at the top of the Dynama worksheet and change if the file is saved under a different name. The File | Save command saves the file under the name shown. The filename and path also will appear as part of the page footer when Dynamaplus worksheets are printed.
Comments concerning supplement or husbandry plans can be recorded in the memo page area to the right of the screen.
Data Tables 1 to 6 - Deaths, Calving and Prices
The first four data tables in the Dynama worksheet only require entries for the first year if values are expected to remain the same over time. Year one are normal data entry cells (dark blue text). Years two to ten are allow override formulas (red-brown text).
These formulas copy the initial values to the second and subsequent years in each table but may be overridden with value entries if later years are expected to have different values to the first year. Overridden formula cells have bright red text. Reset overridden cells by placing the cursor on the cell (or cells) and either selecting the Range | DeOverride command, or clicking on the toolbar button “Restore formula results.”
Figure 34 shows Table 1 of the Dynama worksheet. The values entered for annual death rates are automatically copied to the remaining years of the program unless they are overwritten. The values shown for death rates are the same as those used in the Breedcowplus example file. Figure 35 shows the death rates for all males are entered in Table 2 of the Dynamaplus worksheet. Herd bull death rates are transferred to HERD TABLE 7. It must be remembered that stock that are purchased and sold in the same year will not have a death rate applied against the opening number as this class of stock is not “carried” for the entire year. Adjustment to sale prices or weights may have to be made if significant losses occur in purchased stock.
Figure 35 Male death rates Figure 36 shows the data entered into Table 3 of the Dynama worksheet for the example file.
Figure 36 Weaning rates table from Dynama Re Data Table 3 – Weaning Rates: The weaning rate on "Cows mated 1 year" is based on the number of calves counted as weaned from "Heifers 1 year" as per the start of year description. Actual mating for those weaners may have been early in the current budget year, or in the previous budget year. Weaning rate for each age group of breeders is multiplied by eligible breeders in that group to determine "new calves" produced for the budget year. Purchase prices shown in Table 4 of the Dynama worksheet should be entered so that they include (on a per head basis) all of the costs associated with purchasing the cattle unless such costs are not separable from the general property costs that will be entered later in the worksheet as part of fixed or overhead costs. Data tables 5A and 6A are female and male sale prices that are taken directly from the Prices worksheet. Any desired changes to the values shown in these tables are best made in the Prices worksheet. Tables 5B and 6B (to the right of Tables 5A and 6A), are opening inventory values. Closing inventory values are taken off the opening values of the next year. Prices for “new calves” are to set sale prices only. “New calves” will have their closing values set off the opening values for heifer and steer weaners for the following year. As the role of inventory values is to provide an estimate of the asset value of the overall herd, not just the sale cattle, inventory values can be altered if the sale prices are not an accurate representation of overall group values. These values are used to determine herd value and to calculate net income. To change an inventory value in Table 5B or 6B, override the formula with the desired value. Inventory values of bulls almost certainly should be changed to reflect the paddock value of the total group of cattle, not just the sale value or purchase price. The inventory value for bulls should be somewhere between the cull price and the average purchase price.
Herd Table 7 - Herd Growth, Transactions and Carryovers
Table 7 is the livestock schedule that underpins the Dynamaplus program. It takes the opening number for each class of cattle for the year, adds purchases, deducts sales, transfers spays out of the breeder groups then calculates deaths, new calves, and closing numbers. It can be easier to enter data into Table 7 if row and column headings are locked in place. This enables scrolling to the right to later years without losing the headings. Headings can be locked by placing the cursor at the top left of Table 7 and then clicking on L on the toolbar.
Required entries to complete the livestock schedule for year one include:
- opening numbers for each class of livestock (at the beginning of year one)
- purchases
- spaying, and
- sales
The closing numbers from year one become the opening numbers for the next age group the following year. The year one closing numbers of new calves is divided between weaner heifers and steer weaners in the opening numbers of year two.
The number of new calves can be calculated either from the opening number of breeders plus purchases less females spayed or set aside and sales or from just the opening number of breeders. The method used can be selected from the alternatives shown in the dialog box that displays when the green drilldown cells at the top of Table 3 or Table 7 are clicked on or the command Tools | Breeder Base for new calves is run. The method selected is then displayed at the top of Table 3 and Table 7.
The closing number of new calves equals calves produced by the breeder herd plus calves purchased minus calves sold. This calculation may be overridden with a numeric entry if actual numbers are being entered in the budget in place of the calculated figures.
Opening numbers are required for all classes of cattle in year one. It may be helpful to define age groups for the Dynama worksheet more precisely by the year brands on the cattle. Nominate the number to use on new calves with the command Tools | YearBrand #. Brand numbers will then be entered against new calves and against all male groups in all years. These replace the na labels in the Spay column, e.g. if the first year of new calves are #4s, the weaners will be #3, the yearlings #2 etc., and next year’s new calves will be #5.
The livestock schedule shown in Table 7 allows the female herd to be split up into two age groups for heifers (one and two year old heifers) and twelve age groups for older breeding females (years three to thirteen and then all females fourteen years and older in age).
Figure 37 shows the first year of Table 7 of the Dynama worksheet from the example file.
'Note that Dynamaplus and Breedcowplus calculate numbers to different levels of precision' There are some minor differences between the numbers shown in the Dynamaplus example file and the numbers shown in the Breedcowplus example file. Breedcowplus numbers are calculated to full precision but displayed as whole numbers, whereas Dynamaplus numbers are integers and calculations are rounded to integers. Numbers transferred from Breedcowplus are integers. This is why some numbers appear slightly different. The number entered for Cows sold or spayed after mating is calculated by adding up the total number of females sold and taking away the sales number for one year old heifers as they were not mated and taking away the number for ten year old cows as they were also culled and not mated. If herd data is imported from a Breedcowplus file, the number of cows sold after mating is automatically transferred to the first year of HERD TABLE 7. Where the Transfer Breedcowplus Autosales macro is used to set up a sales and culling strategy across all years, the numbers of stock sold out of HERD TABLE 7 are based on the percentage values entered in the AutoSales table located to the far right of Table 7 in the Dynama worksheet. They are rounded to whole numbers. Quite often when building a livestock schedule for a northern Australian breeding property, the numbers in each age group of male cattle and heifers on hand will be known but the age breakup for the breeding herd is unlikely to be accurately known. The best estimate of the split up of the breeding herd into age groups can be used as a starting point and varied later if necessary. Modelling the herd in Breedcowplus first and then transferring the values to Dynamaplus - as has been done in the examples provided - will also provide an approximate breakup of the female herd into age groups that can then be adjusted where necessary. Purchases in extensive northern Australian breeding herds will most commonly be bulls but other purchased livestock need to be identified and added to the relevant classes in Table 7 of the Dynama worksheet where necessary. They are entered in the purchases column of Table 7 in the year in which they are purchased. Spaying can be surgical or it can mean keeping surplus cows separated from bulls. Cows shown as spayed or surplus in Table 7 will transfer out of their age groups into the spayed and surplus cow group. For all fourteen year old cows and all five year old bullocks, formulas are set to automatically sell 100 percent of the number on hand at the start of the year. Deaths are calculated in Table 7 on the opening numbers plus purchases less spays and sales. Spayed cow deaths in Table 7 are based on the opening number shown plus new spays minus sales. This assumes that sales occur early in the year. If some deaths are expected before sales, these may be factored in as negative entries in the Purchases column (with purchase price set to zero). The use of this “dirty” approach to calculating deaths should be noted on the Memo and any printouts should be corrected by hand with Deaths written over the top of Purchases.
AutoSales and AutoSpay
Sales and spays can be made by manual entry or by formula. The formulas that set the rate of sales or spaying refer to an input block located at the far right of Table 7. In that input block the percentage of livestock sold from each class of cattle or the absolute number to be sold can be set. These inputs for sales and spays are known as AutoSales or AutoSpay values and are set to zero until they are changed. Figure 38 Austosales and Autospay table located to the right of HERD TABLE 7 The AutoSales and AutoSpay feature of Dynamaplus can be useful in setting herd targets identified in the herd modelling undertaken in the Breedcowplus program. The herd structure modelled in Breedcowplus can be transferred as a sales and spaying target to the AutoSales and AutoSpay input table. This facilitates the transition from the current herd structure to the desired herd structure within the livestock schedule of Table 7. The values shown in Figure 38 are those used to structure the herd in the Breedcowplus example file. Once these values are entered in the AutoSales part of Table 7 of the Dynama worksheet the initial herd structure will very quickly adjust to the herd structure previously modelled in the Breedcowplus program. The balance of numbers across the years can be checked by looking at the overall numbers for adult equivalents, sales, new calves and purchases calculated for each year of the livestock schedule and shown at the bottom of Table 7 in the Dynama worksheet. Whilst AutoSales will largely automatically transition a herd from the current structure to the AutoSales structure, the transition will occur sooner with some manual intervention in the first few years. A useful trick is to adjust breeder sales to achieve the required number of new calves as quickly as possible – since the new structure will all flow from this number of calves. The number for new calves at the head of the Preferred Residual column in the AutoSales input block is the number generated in the Breedcowplus file used as the basis for the AutoSales transfer. To compare the number of new calves as produced by the existing breeder sales with the target number of new calves, ensure that the cursor is in the body of Table 7 of the Dynama worksheet within the year of interest and press the F11 key. Figure 39 shows an example of what is displayed if the herd is largely stabilised. Entries for AutoSales can be either the percentage of opening number that is to be sold or the number to be kept from each group (the Preferred Residual). AutoSpay entries are the percent of opening numbers to be spayed. If AutoSales entries are made in both columns of the AutoSales data input block, sales are calculated for both entries and the larger number displayed. This allows a minimum cull to occur in those years when opening numbers are less than the preferred residual. For example if AutoSales entries are 5 percent and the number 500, and the opening number for the class of cattle is 600, sales are 100 (600-500) as the figure nominated for the AutoSales percent would only sell thirty cows (5 percent of 600) giving a residual of 570. If the opening number were only 400, sales will be 20 (5 percent), despite the opening number being less than the preferred residual. AutoSales and AutoSpay values may be entered manually or the target herd modelled in Breedcowplus and the sales policy transferred to Dynamaplus using the File | Transfer Breedcowplus | AutoSales command. This command will provide entries for female groups as preferred residuals, except for the final age cull. Entries for male groups are a percentage of opening numbers. For example, if the cow culling age in Breedcowplus is eight years, AutoSales will show preferred residual entries up to age seven, then 100 percent sales for eight year old cows and older. If the maximum male turnoff age is 4, AutoSales will enter 100 percent sales for four year old steers and older, and there may also be % entries and sales out of younger groups. AutoSales transfers from Breedcowplus combine sales before and after mating and females spayed to calculate the “desired residual” or the percentage “sale” of opening numbers for each female group. These are the numbers in the AutoSales table. In the livestock schedules for each year, sales and spays are again separated. Sales equal total disposals less spays. Overriding a spay number with another value will see sales change to maintain the same number of disposals. Overriding the sales entry will not alter the spay number. Sales calculated by AutoSales automatically reduce by the number entered in the spayed or surplus column. The AutoSales formulas do not distinguish between sales before mating and sales after mating. If you ignore this distinction, the number of cows upon which bull requirements are calculated will be understated. To fix this, enter for each year the number of cows expected to be sold or spayed after mating. This is the first entry in the small block of data beneath the main part of Table 7. Failure to do this will affect only the calculation of bull requirements. Weaning rates The weaning rates used to calculate new calves (or, more precisely, new weaners) are applied by default to the number of breeders mated and kept. The correct entry for weaning rate therefore depends on whether empty cows have or have not been removed. A pregnancy rate of 80 percent and pregnancy survival to weaning of 90 percent would result in a 72 percent weaning if the empties stayed in the herd. If the empties were removed, the weaning rate would be 90 percent. Other combinations are possible, such as removal of some of the empties or the selective sale of PTIC (pregnancy tested in calf) breeders. If changing the breeder sales strategy is going to alter the weaning percentage on cows mated and kept, then the weaning rate shown in Table 3 of the Dynama worksheet should be adjusted. As a guide, mating and weaning numbers before and after the adjustment can be checked with the F12 key. Place the cursor on the required age group of breeders in the required year of Table 7 and press F12.