Dairy Records Management Systems

What Dairy Records Management Systems does

Dairy Records Management Systems (DRMS) is a U.S. non-profit organization headquartered at NC State University in Raleigh, NC with a secondary office at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. The company operates a standardized dairy herd data processing platform that processes test-day records for dairy producers across 48 states and Puerto Rico and turns those records into herd-level decisions for producers, consultants, and DHIA service affiliates.

DRMS's product portfolio is built on a shared standardized DHIA database. The desktop application Dart is the system of record for herd events, breeding, reproduction, health, and inventory, with a mobile extension (PocketDairy, an award-winning Android app with Vet Check Maxx for vet checks) and a web-based decision platform (HerdHQ) that surfaces specialized tools: CowCompass (cow lookup including Zoetis genetics), DairyDepot and RapidReports (custom dashboards and reports), MilkMetrics (benchmarking against 9,000+ herds), HotSheetPro (SCC alerts), DecisiveDry (selective dry cow therapy), HeiferHub (heifer projections), KeepOrBeef (keep/breed/cull economics), FreshFocus with the proprietary Fresh Cow Index (25-variable transition cow score), BovineBio (customizable cow pages), and HerdHighlight (herd summaries). Dart integrates with robotic milkers, parlors, activity monitors, and feed management systems, and data is backed up via DartSync.

DRMS generates revenue primarily through recurring monthly Dart subscriptions (Core and Pro bundles), per-cow per-month processing fees with monthly minimums (usage-based, with a Large Herd Discount for 500+ cow herds), subscriptions for consultants, à la carte DHIA printed reports, DartSync backup, and add-on HerdHQ tool utilization. Distribution is via a national network of more than 20 DHIA service affiliates (CentralStar, Dairy One, Lancaster DHIA, etc.) supplemented by direct sales from the Raleigh and Ames offices. PRICING UPDATE: Dart Core and Pro bundles took effect February 1, 2026 with HerdHQ included at no additional cost for processing herds.

Name

Dairy Records Management Systems

Legal name

Dairy Records Management Systems (DRMS)

Website

https://drms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DRMS is a non-profit that operates a standardized dairy herd data platform (Dart, PocketDairy, HerdHQ) and processes test-day records for thousands of U.S. dairies across 48 states plus Puerto Rico, serving producers, consultants, and DHIA affiliates through a network of 20+ service organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Herd Management Software

NAICS

Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (11212)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Herd Management Software & Identification (RFID, EID, Data Platforms) (AFAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Precision Monitoring Software (Herd/Flock Analytics, Health Alerts) (AFAAAFAM), Dairy Farm Data, Monitoring & Precision Dairy Operations (AFAEACAO)

Keywords

• Dairy herd management
• DHI records processing
• Dairy decision tools
• Dairy genetic evaluation
• Milk production benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dart Software Subscription: Dart is offered as a monthly subscription for producers (low monthly fee, not upfront purchase) and yearly subscription for consultants. All updates included. Dart Pro and Dart Core bundles available.
2. Processing Fees: Base processing fee calculated as per-cow, per-month charge with monthly minimum, billed on test day, adjusted for test interval. Large Herd Discount available for herds with 500+ cows.
3. DHIA Records and Reports: DHI Records provided to producers and consultants by mail, downloads, or WebReports. Over 70 pre-designed lists and summaries available plus custom reports. DHIA printed reports remain priced separately and à la carte.
4. DartSync Backup: Automatically protects herd data and enables remote file support through secure background backup and syncing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

DRMS provides standardized dairy herd information, management software, and decision tools to U.S. dairy producers and consultants. Its core offerings include the Dart desktop herd management application built on DHIA-standardized data, the PocketDairy Android mobile app for cowside data entry, and the HerdHQ web-based decision platform with specialized tools for breeding, culling, transition cow evaluation, dry cow therapy, heifer planning, SCC monitoring, and benchmarking.

Product overview

DRMS offers a connected portfolio of herd management tools designed for dairy operations. The core platform is Dart, flexible herd management software built on standardized DHIA data. This desktop application serves as the central hub for herd records and integrates with PocketDairy (award-winning Android mobile app for cowside data entry) and HerdHQ (web-based decision platform). HerdHQ includes multiple specialized tools: CowCompass for cow lookup, DairyDepot for custom dashboards, MilkMetrics for benchmarking, HotSheetPro for SCC monitoring, DecisiveDry for dry cow therapy decisions, HeiferHub for heifer planning, KeepOrBeef for culling decisions, HerdHighlight for herd summaries, FreshFocus with Fresh Cow Index for transition cow evaluation, BovineBio for customizable cow views, and RapidReports for custom report building. Additional services include DHI Records processing, WebReports for online access, and DairyMetrics for industry benchmarking. All products share the same standardized database, eliminating redundant entry while ensuring consistent information across the operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dart: Proven herd management system built on standardized data for managing herd records, running reports, and supporting daily dairy decisions.
• PocketDairy
• HerdHQ
• WebReports
• DairyMetrics
• Trackers
• CowCompass
• DairyDepot
• Fresh Cow Index (FCI)
• DecisiveDry
• MilkMetrics
• HotSheetPro
• HeiferHub
• KeepOrBeef
• DartSync
• RapidReports
• BovineBio

Products and services

• Dart (PCDART) Flexible desktop herd management software for dairy producers and consultants, built on standardized DHIA data, for managing herd records, running reports, and supporting daily herd decisions. Integrates with PocketDairy mobile app and the HerdHQ web platform via DartSync.
• PocketDairy Award-winning mobile app for Android that allows users to view and input DHI data anytime, anywhere. Includes Vet Check Maxx for streamlined vet check workflows on tablets. Synchronizes wirelessly with the Dart desktop software via DartSync.
• HerdHQ Web-based decision platform that pulls herd records into visual dashboards, charts, and alerts, built on DRMS-standardized data to help producers and consultants spot issues early, track trends, and make confident decisions. Encompasses the specialized tools CowCompass, DairyDepot, MilkMetrics, HotSheetPro, DecisiveDry, HeiferHub, KeepOrBeef, HerdHighlight, FreshFocus (with Fresh Cow Index), BovineBio, and RapidReports.
• DHI Records Dairy Herd Improvement record processing services, including test day data processing, standardized data validation, integration with CDCB genetic data, and over 70 pre-designed reports plus custom reports via WebReports, mail, or downloads.
• WebReports Online portal providing all herd reports as PDFs with email notifications when herd data is processed, for anytime, anywhere reference.
• DairyMetrics Benchmarking service that allows producers and consultants to compare herd performance against standardized industry data.
• Trackers (Activity, Conception, Heifer, Inventory, Maternity) Suite of five herd performance trackers built into PCDART, providing dynamic animal lists and Excel interaction to answer specific dairy herd performance questions.
• Fresh Cow Index (FCI) Proprietary metric combining 25 individual animal variables from DHIA test-day data and CDCB genetic evaluations into a single score to evaluate transition cow performance, developed with University of Florida researchers using records from over 3 million cows.
• RapidReports Web-based custom report builder within HerdHQ that allows users to build, edit, and export reports from any web browser using Test Day or DartSync data, with user-defined alerts and links to CowCompass.
• BovineBio Customizable cow-level page within HerdHQ that displays the data users want to see via drag-and-drop tools, linking with CowCompass for the full cow story.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cut antibiotic use by 78% through Selective Dry Cow Therapy using DecisiveDry tool
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025DRMS provided 100% of the data used in the research and development of the new CDCB Milking Speed (MSPD) genetic evaluation. DRMS development team worked closely with CDCB's Milking Speed Evaluations Task Force and USDA's Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory to develop this novel trait.
• USDA Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory (AGIL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with USDA AGIL to turn raw sensor-generated Milking Speed data into valuable genetic evaluation insights. DRMS pioneered the development of a new format for transmitting sensor-based MSPD data.
• University of FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped Fresh Cow Index (FCI) in collaboration with researchers from University of Florida. FCI combines 25 individual variables using DRMS data from over 3 million cow records.
• North Carolina State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRMS has deep ties to NC State as a non-profit organization. Head of Animal Science Department serves as ex-officio member of DRMS Advisory Board. Primary headquarters located at NC State.
• Iowa State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRMS has deep ties to Iowa State as a non-profit organization. Head of Animal Science Department serves as ex-officio member of DRMS Advisory Board. Secondary office located at Iowa State.
• CentralStar Cooperative Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDHIA service affiliate providing DHI services, technical support, and DRMS product distribution to dairy producers in Michigan and surrounding areas.
• Dairy One Cooperative, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDHIA service affiliate providing DHI services to dairy producers in New York and surrounding areas.
• Lancaster DHIAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional DHIA service affiliate serving Pennsylvania dairy producers with local support and DRMS product distribution.
• CDCB (Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding)coreTechnology or IntegrationDRMS standardizes and incorporates CDCB data into herd records, including genetic evaluations, so that producers receive a complete picture of reproductive, production, genetic, and genomic information.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lely: Lely is a large dairy equipment incumbent whose T4C/Horizon management software is bundled with its milking robots, offering overlapping capabilities to DRMS while also being one of DRMS's robotic-milking integration partners.
• DeLaval: DeLaval's DelPro farm management suite competes broadly with DRMS HerdHQ across milking, feeding, and reproduction analytics, while also integrating with Dart for parlor and robotic systems in US dairies.
• Allflex Livestock Intelligence (MSD Animal Health): Allflex/Merck Animal Health offers livestock intelligence platforms (SCR monitoring, sense hubs) that increasingly compete with DRMS's HotSheetPro, MilkMetrics, and Fresh Cow Index on health, SCC, and transition analytics.

Direct peers

• BouMatic: BouMatic provides parlor systems and complementary herd management software that competes with DRMS at the data/management layer for dairy operations, particularly mid- to large-herd US customers.
• Afimilk: Afimilk offers dairy-specific herd management software, milk meters, and sensor analytics worldwide, directly competing with DRMS's Dart and HerdHQ analytics for global and US dairies seeking integrated data + sensor stacks.
• Dairy One: Dairy One is a DHIA-affiliated cooperative providing DHI records processing, herd management software, and field services to Northeast US dairies — structurally and functionally the closest peer to DRMS.
• Valley Agricultural Software (VAS): VAS builds DairyComp, the longest-standing direct competitor to DRMS's Dart/PCDART herd management software for dairy producers in North America, serving similar customers with a similar desktop-anchored, DHIA-aligned product.
• Nedap: Nedap's livestock management platform competes directly with DRMS at the dairy and broader-livestock data layer, offering cow-side identification, heat detection, and herd analytics to producers worldwide.
• GEA (DairyPlan): GEA's DairyPlan is a dairy herd management platform directly integrated with DRMS-compatible workflows (PCDART/DairyPlan interfacing documented in DRMS data), competing for the same producer mindshare on reproduction and milk production tracking.

Regional players

• CRV: CRV is a Dutch dairy genetics and herd information cooperative whose herd management offerings overlap with DRMS's genetics-integrated tools, but it is primarily regional to Europe/Netherlands rather than the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxCZtnBNzR5oz6O4IUmxRfQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/DRMSdairy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drmsdairy/posts/?feedView
• Instagraminstagram.com/drms.dairy
• Xx.com/pcdart_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dairy Records Management Systems