Milk collection software built around fat, SNF and farmer pay
A counter app that prices each can on the spot, a farmer ledger that settles on time, and route, herd and retail records behind it.
Dairy software records twice-daily milk collection, prices it from fat and SNF readings, keeps each farmer's ledger and pays by cycle. It also covers route-wise collection against chilling-centre receipts, cattle and feed records for farms, and sales to retailers. It is built for cooperative societies, private collection centres and farms that sell milk.
Where the day goes wrong
- 01
Typing errors in readings
A mistyped fat or SNF value changes a farmer's pay and is found only when he complains.
- 02
Rate chart changes
A circular changes the rates from a given date, and the old rate stays in force for days afterwards.
- 03
Advances and deductions
Feed and cash advances are deducted late, twice or not at all, and the farmer disputes the statement.
- 04
Route shortages
Milk collected on a route does not match what reaches the chilling centre, and no one can trace the gap.
- 05
Retail credit
Shops take milk and curd on credit that is chased by phone at month end.
What we build for you
- 01
Collection counter app
An Android app that records farmer, shift, quantity, fat and SNF, prices the milk and prints a slip, even offline.
- 02
Rate chart engine
Cow and buffalo rates with effective dates, so each day's milk is priced on the right chart.
- 03
Farmer ledger and payments
Pay cycles, deductions for feed and advances, bonus, and a statement farmers can actually read.
- 04
Route reconciliation
Collected against received at the chilling centre, route by route and shift by shift.
- 05
Herd and feed records
Cattle tags, calving and insemination dates, vaccinations, daily yield and feed used, for farms with their own herd.
- 06
Retail sales and credit
Route-wise sales of milk and curd with invoices, credit limits and collections.
Half past five at the collection counter
The can is poured into the weighing vessel, a sample goes to the milk analyser, and the farmer waits while a slip is written by hand. A society secretary in a village near Theni does this twice a day, for every member, every day of the year. At the end of the pay cycle the same notebook entries become a payment, and the farmer expects the total to match his own memory.
Software for this trade has to survive that counter: weak signal, a Bluetooth printer, a queue of people holding cans, and an operator who types fast and will not wait for a screen to load.
How the price is built
Milk is not paid by the litre alone. Quantity is combined with fat and SNF readings and priced from a rate chart or a formula, usually different for cow and buffalo milk. For example, a reading of 4.2 fat and 8.4 SNF earns more per litre than 3.6 and 8.1, so one wrong digit changes a farmer's pay.
Rate charts also change, often after a union circular, and the new rates apply from a date. Get that date wrong and a week of milk is paid at the wrong price.
Where the litres turn into lost rupees
- Manual readings. A mistyped value or a missed shift is noticed only when the farmer complains.
- Rates applied from the wrong date. Old rates stay in force after a circular.
- Advances forgotten. Feed and cash advances are deducted late or twice.
- Route shortages. Milk collected on a route does not match what reaches the chilling centre.
- Retail credit. Shops buy milk and curd on credit that is chased by phone.
The counter app and the ledger behind it
- Collection counter app. Records farmer, shift, quantity, fat and SNF, calculates the rate and prints a slip. Entries are saved on the phone first and synced later.
- Rate chart engine. Cow and buffalo rates with effective dates, so a circular applies from the right morning and earlier milk keeps its earlier price.
- Farmer ledger. Pay cycles you define, deductions for feed, cash and share capital, bonus, and a statement the farmer understands.
- Route and chilling-centre reconciliation. Collected against received, route by route.
- Herd and feed records for farms that keep cattle: tag number, calving and insemination dates, vaccinations, daily yield and feed consumed, so cost per litre becomes visible.
- Retail sales. Milk, curd and other products by route, with invoices, credit and collections.
The hardware question, answered honestly
Many electronic fat analysers and weighing scales can send readings to a phone by Bluetooth or cable, and some cannot. We check the make and model before quoting, because the answer decides the design. If your analyser cannot connect, the operator types the value from the display and the app rejects readings outside a sensible range. Our pages on IoT-connected apps and offline-first apps explain how we approach both. Send VS Tech Builders the make and model of your analyser and we will tell you which design applies before you commit to anything.
Start with one centre and one pay cycle
Do not roll out to every society at once. Run a single collection centre through one full pay cycle alongside the notebook, compare totals with the farmers watching, and only then extend. A farmer who receives an accurate statement becomes the best argument for the new system.
Cost, and a note for cooperative societies
A collection-centre Android app typically starts around ₹65,000, and a complete dairy system with ledger, routes and sales typically starts around ₹85,000, over 8 to 14 weeks. If your union or federation supplies its own software to member societies, ask them first, because ours would sit beside it rather than replace it. The guide to staff apps for field teams explains how we handle phones that go offline for hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can the app read fat and SNF directly from our analyser?
Sometimes. Many electronic analysers and weighing scales send readings through Bluetooth or a cable, and some older models cannot. We check your make and model before we quote. When a direct connection is not possible, the operator types the reading from the display and the app rejects values outside a sensible range, which catches most typing mistakes.
How do farmers get paid and see what was deducted?
You define the pay cycle, whether weekly, ten-day or fortnightly. At the close of each cycle the system totals milk value, subtracts feed, cash advances and share contributions, and prints a statement the farmer can read. We can export a payment list in the layout your bank asks for in its bulk-transfer option, once we have seen the format.
What happens in a village where the mobile signal drops?
Collection entries are saved on the phone first and synced when a connection returns, so a dead signal does not stop the counter or lose a shift. Slips still print through a Bluetooth printer. The only thing that waits for signal is the office view, which updates as soon as the phone syncs.
We collect milk and also sell it to shops. Can one system cover both?
Yes. The collection side feeds bulk stock, and the sales side records milk, curd and other products delivered to shops by route, with invoices, credit and collections. If you pasteurise or pack milk yourself, that is a larger scope with batch and plant records, and we would scope it separately.
Further reading
Software built for dairy farms and milk societies.
Describe your business and the problem in a few lines. We reply within one business day with an honest recommendation, a scope and a fixed price.