With us from the start

With us from the start Scot Wright knows when he’s on a good thing. The King Island beef producer has been using Practical Systems software to manage his farm since the company’s beginning in the early ‘90s.

Although he had never even used a computer before, Scot decided Practical Systems was for him after going to an information day with a mate.

“I was never going to have a computer. But afterwards I thought ‘gee I wouldn’t mind having that myself’ and I’ve
gone from there,” Scot said. “I’d never used one but the software has taught me.”

“The best thing about Practical Systems software is that it is user-friendly,” Scot said. “I even move the cattle in Stockbook as soon as
I move them in the paddockthat’s how much I use it”.

“I’d never used a computer but the software has taught me. The auditor is very happy with me. We do two audits and we get through them in an hour.”

Scot uses individual animal management software Stockbook on his laptop, which allows him to make changes on the go while working in the yards. He links it with his Ruddweigh scales allowing weights to be automatically uploaded into the software.

Scot sells his Angus yearlings for export to Japan and uses Stockbook to ensure his animals meet the export requirements. Both his Japanese export market and his Cattlecare accreditation require regular intensive auditing.

“The auditor is very happy with me. We do two audits, for both my Charlyn Angus Stud and my mate’s property Borradale Park, and we get through them in an hour.

“He can say ‘show me some cattle treatments’ and I can just click a button and there it is up on the screen without hunting through piles and piles of paperwork.”

According to Scot, using Practical Systems farm accounting program Cashbook Plus! is just as easy.

“I’ve recommended Cashbook Plus! to heaps of people,” he said. “At BAS time you just hit the button, you reconcile everything, it’s all simple and then at tax time I just email in my 12 months.

“You can ask ‘what did I spend on fertiliser last year?’ And bang it’s there. It’s so easy to find out things like that, with all the programs.”