A spreadsheet of herds and a wall calendar
Your practice tests herds across a wide area. Each herd has a testing interval and a due date. The testing vet needs a test day and a reading day at the correct interval, both on days the farmer can have the cattle in and the vet can be there. Bank holidays and weekends get in the way.
The plan lives in a spreadsheet and on a wall calendar. Farmers are rung to agree dates. Some forget and the cattle are not in. Some tests are booked late, close to their due date. The paperwork for each herd is prepared at the last minute.
Why testing is hard to plan
Each test is really two linked visits, and they must be the right distance apart. Moving one means moving both. The planning is done by hand, one herd at a time, with a lot of phone calls.
Due dates come from official sources, and your own records may not be up to date with them. When a herd's status changes, the testing plan may change too.
Vets doing the testing also have other work. Fitting two linked visits into a diary with calvings and emergencies needs a clear view of both.
Testing is also seasonal in practice. Many farmers prefer to test when cattle are housed, which squeezes a large share of the year's testing into the same months, just when other farm work is busy. Without a forward view, the practice discovers the squeeze when it arrives.
What ad hoc planning costs
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Tests booked late | Pressure to fit tests in close to due dates |
| Cattle not gathered | Wasted visits and rebooking |
| Read days clash | Reading visits squeezed around other work |
| Paperwork at the last minute | Office stress and errors |
| No overview | Hard to plan vet capacity for busy testing months |
The testing requirements and procedures themselves are set by the relevant authorities. We do not advise on them. We build the scheduling around the dates and rules you work to.
A testing calendar that books both visits
- A herd list with each herd's due date, testing interval and contact details, imported from your spreadsheet and updated as new dates are issued.
- A due-soon view showing herds coming due over the next few months, so tests are booked well ahead.
- Linked booking. Choosing a test day automatically proposes the reading day at the correct interval, avoiding weekends and holidays you mark.
- Farmer confirmation by text with a link to accept or suggest another date.
- Reminders to the farmer ahead of each visit, so cattle are in.
- Paperwork preparation, pre-filling the forms or lists you use from the herd record.
- A capacity view showing testing load per week, so you can plan vet time.
Testing booked months ahead
Tests are booked with plenty of notice, and both visits go into the diary together. Farmers confirm by text and get reminded before each visit. The paperwork is ready before the day. The office can see the testing load ahead and plan vet time around it.
When a test has to move, because of weather, illness or a farm emergency, the linked reading day moves with it and the farmer is told. Nobody has to recalculate the interval on a calendar.
Farmers appreciate the notice. Gathering cattle is a job that needs planning on a busy farm, and a reminder a few days ahead is far more useful than a phone call the evening before.
Is TB testing planned like this at your practice?
- Herd due dates are tracked in a spreadsheet
- Test and read days are booked separately
- Cattle are sometimes not gathered when the vet arrives
- Paperwork is prepared the day before
- You struggle to plan vet capacity for busy testing months