Definition: A digital livestock record book logs weights, ADG, and expenses in-season so the fair report is assembled continuously — not reconstructed from receipts the week of weigh-in.
Why spreadsheets and blank PDFs fail:
- Missing mid-season weigh-ins destroy ADG credibility.
- End-of-season expense dumps miss categories judges expect.
- No live projection means feed decisions are guesswork.
Worked example: Family A logs weekly in ShowPen → ADG 1.8, projected 262, expenses categorized. Family B opens the county Excel on July 20 → missing three weigh-ins, feed is one lump sum. Same pig, very different book quality.
Extension templates remain useful standards for format; digital project logs supply the living data underneath. ShowPen’s free calculators discover demand; Free plan covers one animal; Pro unlocks multi-animal families and full export.
See the record book checklist, breakeven, and the ADG calculator.
Next step: Replace end-of-season panic with a free ShowPen project.