NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
September 28, 2000
The North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association membership recently took a major step toward making computerized cattle record-keeping software more affordable.
Earlier this summer, NDBCIA members unanimously approved a proposal to drop the price of the CHAPS 2000 software package to $50 -- and even lower, $30, for individuals who are Beef Quality Assurance certified.
The price is a drop from $350 for first time buyers and from $175 for individuals who upgraded from the older CHAPS III version.
"We know CHAPS 2000 is the best computer program available for the beef industry," says David Dockter, immediate past president of the association. "It keeps records from conception to consumption, giving producers data on cow families within their herd and comparing benchmark trends against other producers."
Dockter said CHAPS 2000 gives "owners and/or managers a tool with which they can best collect, interpret and analyze data within their beef cattle enterprise. It is a Cadillac system--and now it is affordable to everyone. CHAPS 2000 is the most complete software package available in the beef industry tracking data for the cow-calf, backgrounding, finishing yard and packing enterprises."
Kris Ringwall, a North Dakota State University beef cattle extension specialist who is also executive secretary of the NDBCIA, said the price reduction "represented a firm commitment by NDSU and the NDBCIA to provide business, economic and educational opportunities for those in the beef industry."
For more information or to order the program, contact the NDBCIA at (701) 483-2045, or write 1133 State Ave., Dickinson, ND 58601 or go to www.CHAPS2000.com on the Internet.
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Source: Kris Ringwall (701) 483-2045
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629