HerdLife · Custom Dairy Software
Escape the $75,000 AfiFarm trap.
Custom-built dairy herd management software. Same capability as the industry standard — without the proprietary lock-in, the dedicated tower computer, or the six-figure quote. Your data, your devices, your dairy.
Built for Torres Dairy, Lewis County · Jose Torres, OwnerIn daily use since 2025Built in Grays Harbor, WA
The Problem
The industry standard is a hostage situation, not software.
Talk to almost any dairy running AfiFarm or DairyComp 305 and the story is the same:
- $75,000–$150,000+ for a new system install (hardware + software + wiring).
- ~$130 per cow per year in ongoing fees — forever.
- Proprietary data format — your records are unreadable without their software.
- One dedicated tower computer running everything. One power surge and it's gone.
- On-site technician visits required for maintenance and calibration.
- Limited data export — their own API can't even transfer health events or exit records.
- Cloud backups can only be restored through their software.
For a family-run dairy, that’s not software — it’s a trap.
What HerdLife Does
Everything AfiFarm does. Nothing AfiFarm forces on you.
Cow lifecycle tracking
Every animal tracked from birth — breeding, calving, days in milk, lactations, dry periods, medications, vet checks. Reproduction status auto-calculated from actual events, never a stale checkbox.
Role-based access
Admin, Worker, Vet, Viewer — each role sees only what it should. Workers log daily activity from their phones. Vets record pregnancy checks. Inspectors get read-only access to the reports they need. Secure invite links, no shared passwords.
Inspector-ready in seconds
Expected calvings, medicine logs, herd status. CSV or PDF, with a full audit trail — who entered what, when, and why. When inspectors show up, you don't scramble.
Works on any device
Web-based. Check your herd from your phone in the barn, your tablet in the office, or your laptop at home. Your workers and vets use their own devices. No dedicated tower computer. No single point of failure.
Bilingual
English and Spanish, in the same interface. Critical for crews that include Spanish-first workers.
Your data is yours
Open standard database. Full export anytime. No proprietary format. If you ever want to switch software, your data goes with you. That's the whole point.
The Numbers
AfiFarm vs. HerdLife
| AfiFarm | HerdLife | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | $75,000 – $150,000+ | Fraction of the cost |
| Ongoing fees | ~$130 per cow per year | Flat monthly maintenance |
| Required hardware | Proprietary sensors + dedicated PC | Any device with a browser |
| Data format | Proprietary (locked) | Open (standard database) |
| Where it runs | One machine in your office | Anywhere, any device, any team member |
| Data portability | Limited API — can't even export health events | Full export, your data is yours |
| Backup strategy | Their cloud, their software required | Standard backups, no vendor dependency |
Run Your Own Numbers
Your dairy. Your numbers.
Slide your herd size and time horizon to see what staying on AfiFarm actually costs over the next several years.
AfiFarm path
$205,000
~$75,000 install + $130,000 in per-cow fees over 5 years
HerdLife path
$59,000
~$35,000 one-time build + $24,000 in maintenance over 5 years
You keep
$146,000
Estimated over 5 years — and you own the platform.
Rough estimate. AfiFarm anchors based on published install costs (~$75k+) and ~$130/cow/year ongoing fees. HerdLife numbers shown are representative — exact scope is quoted per dairy after a free discovery call.
How Jose Runs It Now
Jose checks his herd from his phone in the barn. His vets log in from their own devices to record preg checks. When an inspector shows up, the report is ready in seconds. And the data lives in a standard database that belongs to him.
Free Consultation
The conversation costs nothing.
20 minutes on the phone or in person. No pitch. I’ll ask what software runs your herd today and what about it makes you wince. If there’s a fit, I’ll come back with a one-page proposal. If not, you’ve still got a free consultation from a local engineer.
Or just visit the main Elma Digital site to learn about other things we build.