For many ranchers, sale day is their primary marker of progress. But the price called after the gavel drops or you shake hands on the deal doesn’t always tell the full story.

Noble Research Institute’s regenerative ranching manager Josh Gaskamp says a handful of simple, free smartphone applications can help streamline monitoring and measurement efforts on your way to your regenerative ranching goals.

“A lot of these are tools ranchers can use to track their progress,” Gaskamp says. “You get a snapshot in time that tells you what plants you’re seeing in your pasture, when you moved those cattle to what paddock, what the condition of your soil was before you started a new management practice.”

Whatever that data point is, if it is stored in your smartphone or a digital app, it’s easily accessible and searchable to track progress over time.

Gaskamp and several Noble regenerative ranching advisors share how they use these (mostly) free apps on the ranch.