Agriculture · head to head
Bushel vs Datamars Livestock
Datamars Livestock
Agriculture
EID tag, weigh scale and livestock data platform behind the Tru-Test brand
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Bushel has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Bushel pricing is not published for the agribusiness products; Datamars Livestock the software exists to sell tags, readers and scales, so its feature depth in breeding, financials and grazing planning is well short of dedicated herd management systems.
- They diverge on capability: Bushel covers Digital scale tickets, Datamars Livestock covers EID and visual tag management.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Bushel and Datamars Livestock actually diverge.
| Attribute | Bushel | Datamars Livestock |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Web, iOS, Android, Windows |
| Founded | 2017 | Unknown |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Agriculture).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Bushel
- Digital scale tickets
- Contract management
- Settlement tracking
- Delivery scheduling
- Multi-location management
- Price notifications
- Offer management
- Mobile access
Only in Datamars Livestock
- EID and visual tag management
- Weigh session capture
- Average daily gain
- Auto-drafting
- Traceability records
- Bluetooth reader sync
- Treatment and animal events
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Bushel
- Grain trading and contract workflows between farmers and elevatorsnot Datamars Livestock
- Payments between agribusinesses and growersnot Datamars Livestock
- Quoting and CRM for ag retailersnot Datamars Livestock
- Replacing paper processes across the grain supply chainnot Datamars Livestock
Datamars Livestock
- A beef finisher drafting cattle to a target weight automatically at the crushnot Bushel
- A sheep producer tracking lamb growth rates by sire to inform ram selectionnot Bushel
- A New Zealand farm needing NAIT-compliant movement records generated from the same scans used for weighingnot Bushel
- A grazier comparing average daily gain across mobs on different paddocks or supplementsnot Bushel
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Bushel
- Pricing is not published for the agribusiness products
- Sold as many separate modules, including CRM, portals, Trade, Bushel Pay, quoting and loyalty
- Its value depends on network effects across the 3,500 grain and ag retail facilities already connected
Datamars Livestock
- The software exists to sell tags, readers and scales, so its feature depth in breeding, financials and grazing planning is well short of dedicated herd management systems.
- A migration to new cloud software is scheduled from January 2026 for Tru-Test indicator and reader customers, which puts historical Data Link desktop records at risk if they are not exported deliberately before support changes.
- Hardware lock-in is real: the automatic capture that makes the platform useful depends on Datamars and Tru-Test devices, and a farm with Gallagher scales gets a much thinner experience.
- Software being bundled with hardware means it has never been priced or sold on its own merits, so there is no published cost, no clear upgrade path and no leverage if the bundling arrangement changes.
- Traceability support is country-specific and uneven, so a farm outside the main New Zealand, Australian, UK and North American markets may find its national scheme is not directly supported and needs manual file preparation.
Pricing, plan by plan
Bushel
Free- Bushel FarmFree
- Grain contracts & settlements
- Scale ticket access
- Delivery scheduling
- Bushel for Elevators$undefined/month
- Customer portal
- Mobile ticketing
- Offer management
Datamars Livestock
On request- Datamars Livestock$undefined/year
- Historically bundled with purchase of Datamars and Tru-Test hardware
- Tag, reader and weigh indicator hardware is the actual cost
- Cloud platform terms changing with the January 2026 migration
Which should you pick?
Choose Bushel if
- You need digital scale tickets.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want contract management.
Choose Datamars Livestock if
- You need eid and visual tag management.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
- You also want weigh session capture.
Questions people ask
- Is Bushel or Datamars Livestock better?
- Neither clearly leads. Bushel starts at Free and Datamars Livestock at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Bushel or Datamars Livestock?
- Bushel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bushel and On request for Datamars Livestock.
- Does Bushel or Datamars Livestock run on more platforms?
- Bushel runs on Web, Ios, Android. Datamars Livestock runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
- Can I use Bushel for free?
- Yes. Bushel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datamars Livestock starts at On request.
- What is Bushel best used for?
- Bushel is most often used for grain trading and contract workflows between farmers and elevators, payments between agribusinesses and growers, quoting and crm for ag retailers, replacing paper processes across the grain supply chain. Of those, grain trading and contract workflows between farmers and elevators and payments between agribusinesses and growers are not what Datamars Livestock is typically brought in for.
- What can Bushel do that Datamars Livestock cannot?
- Bushel covers Digital scale tickets, Contract management, Settlement tracking, Delivery scheduling. Datamars Livestock covers EID and visual tag management, Weigh session capture, Average daily gain, Auto-drafting.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Bushel: What subscription tiers does Bushel offer?
Bushel offers multiple tiers for farmers including Rainfall, Lite, and Essentials. Specific pricing and feature comparisons are available on their pricing page at bushelpowered.com/farmers/oldpricing.
SourceDatamars Livestock: Do I have to pay for the software?
It has historically been included with purchase of Datamars and Tru-Test hardware. The January 2026 cloud migration is the point at which to confirm what the ongoing terms are.
Bushel: Does Bushel offer services for agribusinesses beyond farmers?
Yes. Bushel serves agribusinesses with solutions including Customer Relationship Management, Customer Portal, Commercial Portal, Trade, Bushel Pay, Farm Management, Website Management, Professional Services, Loyalty Program, and Quoting.
SourceDatamars Livestock: What happens to my Data Link records?
They need to be migrated to the new cloud platform. Export your historical weigh sessions before the transition rather than assuming everything carries across.
Bushel: Does Bushel offer payment processing?
Yes. Bushel Business Account includes payment processing with interest-bearing capabilities. Banking services are provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. Interest rates are variable and subject to change.
SourceDatamars Livestock: Will it work with Gallagher scales?
Not natively in the way it works with Tru-Test hardware. You lose the automatic session sync that is the main reason to use it.
Datamars Livestock: Does it handle NAIT and NLIS?
Yes, for New Zealand and Australia respectively, generating movement and identification records from the same EID scans used for weighing.
Related pages
More on Datamars Livestock
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