How to Export Your Herd File from DairyComp 305

Why You Need a Herd Export

When you prepare for an interstate cattle movement, your veterinarian needs animal-level data to complete the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). For each animal on the shipment, the CVI requires breed, sex, age or birth date, and official identification (840 RFID number). For a shipment of 20 or more animals, gathering this information manually is time-consuming and error-prone.

DairyComp 305 (commonly called DC305) is the most widely used herd management software for dairy operations in the United States. It already stores the data your vet needs: cow numbers, names, breeds, birth dates, lactation information, status, and — if entered — 840 RFID numbers (EID).

Exporting this data to a CSV file saves 30 to 60 minutes of manual entry per movement. Instead of reading tag numbers off a list and typing them into a CVI form, you export the file once and upload it to a tool that organizes everything automatically.

The exported file can be uploaded directly to Therio's free Movement Prep Tool, which parses the data, identifies animals missing 840 RFID numbers, and organizes the information your vet needs for the CVI — all without any data leaving your computer.

What Data to Include

Essential Columns

At minimum, include the following items in your export:

• ID (cow number) — the farm management number used to identify the animal on your operation.
• NAME — the animal's name, if assigned.
• BRD (breed) — breed code (HO = Holstein, JE = Jersey, etc.).
• BDAT (birth date) — the animal's date of birth.
• LACT (lactation number) — current lactation number.
• STAT (status) — current status code (M = milking, D = dry, S = sold, etc.).
• EID (electronic ID) — the 840 RFID number, if recorded in DairyComp.
• SEX — sex of the animal.

Optional but Useful Columns

• DIM (days in milk) — useful for identifying lactating vs. dry animals.
• FDAT (fresh/calving date) — date of most recent calving.
• SIRE — sire identification, useful for breed verification.
• DAM — dam identification.
• REG (registration number) — breed association registration number, if available.

Step-by-Step Export

DairyComp 305 offers several methods for exporting animal data. The following are the most commonly used approaches. Menu paths and command syntax may vary by DairyComp version — consult the DC305 help documentation for version-specific details.

Method 1: COWFILE Command

The COWFILE command is the most common way to export a complete animal file from DairyComp 305:

Method 2: LIST Command

The LIST command provides more control over the output format and is useful for custom reports:

At the command line, type a command like:

This generates a report with the specified items for all animals. From the resulting report, you can typically export or save to a file. The exact save/export process from a LIST output may vary by DairyComp version.

Method 3: Export Menu

Some versions of DairyComp 305 include a graphical export option through the File menu or a dedicated Export menu item. Navigate to File > Export (or similar) and follow the on-screen prompts to select animals, columns, and output format. Consult the DairyComp 305 help documentation for your specific version.

Choosing the Right Format

DairyComp 305 can export data in several formats. Here is what you need to know about each:

• CSV (comma-separated values) — Recommended. The most widely compatible format. Works with the Movement Prep Tool, Excel, Google Sheets, and virtually all data tools. Columns are separated by commas, one row per animal.
• Tab-delimited — Also works with the Movement Prep Tool. Columns are separated by tab characters instead of commas. Some users prefer tab-delimited when animal names or other fields contain commas.
• Fixed-width — Not recommended for import into other tools. Each column occupies a fixed number of characters. Harder to parse and more prone to alignment issues. Use only if specifically required by another system.

Therio's Movement Prep Tool accepts both CSV and tab-delimited formats. If in doubt, choose CSV.

What the Columns Mean

DairyComp 305 uses abbreviated column names (called “items”). Here is a quick reference for the most commonly exported items:

Uploading to the Movement Prep Tool

Once you have exported your herd file from DairyComp 305, you can upload it to Therio's free Movement Prep Tool to organize the data for your CVI.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues uploading or parsing your exported file, here are common causes and solutions:

Other Herd Management Software

While this guide focuses on DairyComp 305 because it is the most widely used dairy herd management software in the U.S., the Movement Prep Tool accepts CSV files from any source. If you use a different system, the same principles apply: export your animal data to CSV with columns for ID, breed, birth date, sex, and 840 RFID number.

• PCDART (Dairy Records Management Systems) — supports CSV export of animal data. Column names may differ from DairyComp conventions.
• BoviSync — cloud-based herd management with export capabilities. Data can be downloaded in CSV format.
• Dairy Plan (GEA) — supports data export in various formats including CSV.

Regardless of which software you use, the key is to produce a CSV file with a header row containing recognizable column names and one row per animal. The Movement Prep Tool will match common column name variations automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

• Valley Agricultural Software — DairyComp 305
• USDA APHIS — Animal Disease Traceability for Cattle
• DairyComp 305 help documentation — consult within the application for version-specific command syntax and menu navigation

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