BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Holstein Association USA, Inc. (HAUSA) board of directors met in Hartford, Connecticut for the fall meeting November 18-19. President Corey Geiger led the proceedings. The board approved the 2021 Management-by-Objective Business Plan and associated budget, as presented by management.
As a show of respect and support to its members, the Holstein Association USA implemented a program in the spring to give 10 free registrations to members simply by filling out a form and having it sent to the office postmarked by May 31, 2020. The hope for the program was to take a little burden off of members during these trying times.
The free Holstein Association registration program was well received, as 1,034 members took advantage of it, and those participating had a combined savings of $85,000!
Additionally, the Holstein COMPLETE® program, which offers dairy farmers the best value for their money by incorporating registration, mating information, classification, pedigrees, genetic reports, and production records into one convenient package, continues to be popular. Members save an average of 25%, by participating in this program.
Other Business
The board approved moving forward with a three-year genetics research project which was submitted by Dr. Chad Dechow from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Dechow’s research, titled “Genomic evaluation of diet digestibility,” focuses on the genetic variation of digestive efficiency within Holsteins. Funding for the research, over the three-year period, will be withdrawn from the reserve fund. As approved by the Holstein Association USA Board in 2014, a portion of reserve fund money can be allocated for breed improvement and research.
Current research projects include a three-year project started in 2019 focused on breeding Holstein cows for heat tolerance using the slick hair gene and a two-year project started in 2020 focused on the identification of genetic and physiological aspects of double ovulation and twinning in lactating Holstein cows. Principal investigators for these projects are Dr. Anna Denicol from the University of California-Davis and Dr. JP Martins from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, respectively.
Recommendations from the Show Committee which the board approved include:
- 2021 National Spring Shows in Ohio, New York, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Utah, giving them leeway to change locations as needed;
- A tentative list of 2021 National Shows from summer through fall as planned in Ohio, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Kentucky;
- Adding three individuals to the National Judges List;
- Adding five individuals to the Qualified Judges List.
Plans are to hold the 2021 Judges Conference with the Northeast Spring National Holstein Show. If the conference cannot go on as planned at that time due to COVID-19, the Association will waive the five-year requirement for participants to attend a Judges Conference in order to be eligible for the 2022 judges list. Be sure to check our website for updates at www.holsteinusa.com.
Each year since 2009, the board allows the release, for reuse by others, of a prefix after 20 years of non-use. This policy makes it easier for new members to acquire prefixes for their herds. At the meeting, the board approved the release of 1,188 prefixes, with revocation to be effective as of December 31, 2020.
The list of prefixes to be released has been posted on the Holstein Association’s website to give notice to membership. If someone wants to permanently retire his or her prefix prior to the release date, they may contact Customer Service at 800.952.5200 and request to do so for a $100 fee.
Upcoming Meetings
The next board meetings are:
- Spring board meeting — March 25-26, 2021
- Summer board meeting — June 20-21, 2021
For more information about any of the Association’s programs and services, visit www.holsteinusa.com, or call Customer Service at 800.952.5200. For more information about ATA’s products and services, visit www.agritech.com.
–Holstein Association USA
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