Watch Tower · Applied Intelligence for your Business · Cattle ranches and feedlots

Goals and KPIs for cattle ranches and feedlots, with the assumptions written down

The goal: Keep the herd healthy and gaining, keep animal-movement and feed records in order, and know the cost per head.

We agree three to five goals with you, each with one KPI. Every KPI is written out: what it measures, the record it comes from, the period, where it stands today and the assumptions behind the number, plus the guardrails that mustn't get worse while you work on the goal.

Open the free demo A fictional company in your industry, opened in the Console. No card needed.

What you see

Home in the Watch Tower Console

An illustration of the Watch Tower Console's Home with sample data: the goal, three KPI cards with their trend and this week's review. — Your goal, the KPIs that show it and this week's review, on the first screen you open. An illustration with sample data. The demo opens a sample in your industry.

For owners and managers of cow-calf, stocker and feedlot operations

What it looks like for cattle ranches and feedlots

The KPIs, cards and questions below are examples of what we set up with you. The names and units are made up.

KPIs, with the assumption behind each

Cost per head per dayFeed, health and yardage cost per animal per day, per lot.Assumption: Feed cost from delivered rations; yardage at your set daily rate.

Animals with official IDAnimals that need official identification for interstate movement and have it on record.Assumption: Counted from the tag record against the movement list.

Treatment records completeTreatments with product, dose, date and withdrawal date recorded.Assumption: A treatment missing any field counts as incomplete.

Cards on the work tracker

Tag the heifers moving out of state with official electronic ear tagsHerd manager · due Thu · Lot 14
File the VFD copy for the new medicated feed orderOffice manager · due Today · Feed order 0921
Fix the float valve at the north pasture tankRanch hand · due Tue · Water point N-2

Records you already keep

Herd and tag records
Treatment and Veterinary Feed Directive records
Feed and weight records
Pasture and pen lists

Assets in the register

Pastures, pens and yards
Herds and lots
Feed trucks and equipment
Water points

Questions your team can ask Bifrost

Which lots cost the most per head per day this month?
Which animals moving next week are missing official ID?
Which treatments are still inside their withdrawal period?

Bifrost answers from the records in your own workspace and shows how each number was worked out.

How it runs

Goals and KPIs, step by step

Start from one goal or decision that matters this quarter.
Pick one KPI for it, from records you already keep.
Write down the definition, the period and every assumption behind the number, so anyone can check it.
Set the guardrails, then review the numbers with us every week.

The barriers this crosses

Intent: Why do I need AI at all? We start from the person's own goal, decision or task and show what changes for that goal, in their words.
Use: What exactly would I use it for? We name the specific uses by role and by industry: the decision, the calculation, the plan, the brief.

Rules and facts for cattle ranches and feedlots

What the records have to show

Since 5 November 2024, official ear tags applied to cattle and bison covered by the animal disease traceability rule must be both visually and electronically readable.Source: USDA APHIS, Animal Disease Traceability
Records of Veterinary Feed Directive orders must be kept for two years by the veterinarian, the distributor and the client.Source: 21 CFR 558.6, Veterinary feed directive drugs

A summary for planning work, not legal advice. Check the source for the full rule and any state requirements.

Start

See it on a sample company first

Founding 10

$2,000 for setup and the first 3 months of Watch Tower, then $250/month. Ten places. We set up your team, goals and KPIs, asset register, map and work tracker with you, then review it with you every week.

Hardware implementation is quoted separately. Start with the demo; you can order from inside it.Open the free demo

Questions

Common questions

We keep everything in a notebook and a spreadsheet. Is that enough?

Yes. A spreadsheet of pastures, lots and tags is enough to start. We take it in during week 1 and give you a written list of what's there and what's missing.

Why write the assumptions next to each number?

Because a KPI people can't check is a KPI people stop trusting. Each number in your Console shows the record it came from and the assumptions behind it, so a manager and a dispatcher or foreman read it the same way.

We don't have clean data. Can we still set KPIs?

Yes. We start from the records you have and write down what's missing as an assumption. As the records get better, the KPI gets better, and the review tracks that too.

What does Watch Tower cost for cattle ranches and feedlots?

Founding 10 covers setup and the first 3 months in one payment, then a monthly price; the numbers are on this page and on the pricing page inside the demo. Hardware implementation is quoted separately.

Goals and KPIs in other industries