A3O-UncMter Farming, Saturday, April 8,1989 BY KARL BERGER Special Correspondent SAN FRANCISCO, CA A controversial proposal to allow grade Holsteins into the herdbook of the nationwide Holstein Asso ciation has been dealt another setback. The association’s 16-membcr board of directors, meeting in San Francisco March 29-April 1, vot ed not to introduce a proposed bylaws change at the upcoming national convention that - if approved by delegates there -- would have paved the way for some grade Holsteins to gain registered status. Although the decision doesn’t rule out absolutely the possibility of voting on such a bylaws change in Minneapolis, Minn., June 27-28 -- individual members can prop ose their own bylaws amendments for consideration at the conven tion - it makes it highly unlikely, according to Zane Akins, the asso ciation’s executive secretary. Nothing short of a bylaws change will bring such animals into die herdbook, Alans said. However, a number of Holstein leaders say the setback does not spell the end of such efforts. They expect the association eventually will approve some means for grade Holsteins to become regis tered, a move that advocates say will increase participation in asso ciation activities and increase the pool of elite cows and bulls used for genetic advancement. “It’s going to come. If it doesn’t come in 1989, it’ll be 1990 or 1991,” Nelson Gardner, a director from Bridgewater, Va.. said recently, noting the increasing market worldwide for embryos and semen from grade cattle. The vote against introducing it at this year’s convention is the PRO-CUT ALFALFA VERY HIGH DISEASE RESISTANCE PLUS RESISTANCE TO APHIDS. PRO-CUT IS VERY LEAFY AND IS BECOMING A FAVORITE AMONG DAIRYMEN IN OUR AREA. PRO-CUT IS OUR MOST POPULAR ALFALFA VARIETY BECAUSE OF ITS QUALITY STANDS. What Will Your Stand Look Lite 3 Years From Now? Plant Pro-Cut High Disease Resistance Chemgro Seeds Holstein Directors Vote Against By-law Advance Grade-Up Plan Changes To second defeat the “National Iden tification Program,” as Holstein officials have dubbed the grade-up proposal, has suffered since it emerged from a director appointed committee in late 1987. Delegates to the 1988 convention in San Diego defeated the initial proposal of the Holstein Identifi cation Task Force in a close vote, 126 to 116. The task force subse quently revised the plan to address some of the shortcomings per ceived by its critics. As outlined to members attend ing the recent series of Winter Forum meetings the association conducts each year, the revised grade-up process still would involve four main steps. Like the similar “genetic recovery” prog rams already in place in the Jersey and Guernsey associations, the Holstein plan would start with a grade cow that is manifestly Hols tein in appearance. This founda tion cow would have to be proper ly identified and - in contrast to the previous version - be sired by a registered Holstein. Female offspring of this cow, if sired by a registered Holstein, would be eligible for provisional registration under Step 2 and their offspring, with similar criteria, under Step 3. Female offspring from registered sires and Step 3 dams would qualify for Step 4 registration, the first to include provisional status in the herdbook. Such animals would have to be enrolled in the association’s clas sification program and, as cows, in the official Dairy Herd Improvement testing program. These animals would carry a “QE” designation -- for qualified entry - in the herdbook. Finally, all male and female offspring of these QE cows would be eligible for registration in the Chemgro P.O. Box 218, State Street East Petersburg, PA 17520 1-717-569-3296 1-800-346-4769 (GROW) herdbook, although they and their descendants would continue to carry the QE suffix. This stipula tion marks another change from the proposal voted on in San Diego, which would have dropped the suffix in subsequent generations. The revised plan also calls for slightly greater fees than the ear lier version proposed. If adopted, the basic cost for an association member to register a Step 4 animal would be $43 if all the animals being registered in each of the steps were young calves and $l6l if each of the animals were cows. As before. Only Step 4 animals would be required to be alive at the time registration is sought The new, proposal also contains more detail about identification and blood testing requirements as well as various other related issues. Nonetheless, the revised plan has run into much the same oppos ition that its predecessor faced. At the Winter Forum in Culpeper, Va., March 8-9, Marlin Hoff, a breeder from New Windsor, Md., said he objects to the lack of a live animal requirement until Step 4, arguing that this makes it too easy for a cow jockey to manipulate the process and for breeders to catch up lapsed registrations. “I don’t think we should make it possible for people to stop regis tering and keep their own records on these cows and allow them to catch it up as easily as this would,” Hoff said. Denny Remsburg, another Maryland member, said, “The dead animal thing is a quick fix for people who want to be in the registered business immediately.” Both Remsburg and Hoff said the process would discriminate against faithful registered breeders. 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Ephrata, PA 17522 Waynesboro, PA (612) 881'1915, Toll Free 1-800-422-3371 (717) 354-4631 (717) 762-1093 At the Winter Forum in State College, Pa., the following week, participants voted against pro ceeding with the grade-up propos al in its current form and. in a clos er tally, against proceeding with the plan if the animals so regis tered are identified in a separate herdbook. The idea of a separate herdbook for QE animals emerged from the Winter Forum in Wis consin, where a majority of the participants were opposed to the proposal in its current form. It was this kind of opposition that dictated the directors’ deci sion in San Francisco, Akins said. Surveys at the 14 Winter Forum meetings held across the country indicated that only 51 percent of those voting supported going ahead with the grade-up proposal. The directors “didn’t feel that was sufficient support,” Akins said. Before that meeting, John Cope, a director from Grantham, Pa., said, “The real struggle of the directors is the fact that it’s such an even count of people with Parasite Testing Program Offered EPHRATA (Lancaster) The Easter Lancaster County Adult Farmer progam will offer a free parasite testing program on Mon day, April 17, and Tuesday,. April 18. Any farmer in the area is invited to bring up to four samples of feces from beef and dairy cattle, horses, swine, sheep, or goats to one of six collection sites. The samples will be collected between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. both days at the follow ing locations: Brecknock Elemen tary School, Caernarvon Elemen tary School, Blue Ball Elementary School, Summit Valley Elemen- uAs strong stands one way or the other. We still seem to be in a state of polarization on this issue and what we’re striving for is some way to have the two sides come together on a give-and-take basis.” The directors’ decision does not mean the end of the identification task force, which will continue to meet to discuss the related issue of a uniform animal numbering sys tem. according to Akins. He rad other Holstein leaden said they think it likely some form of a grade-up program will be imple mented eventually. One association insider who asked not to be identified said that ,it’s mainly the high profile mem bers. those who attend Winter For um meetings and go as delegates to the national convention, that are in opposition. The rank and file membership support the concept three to one, he said. “Just about everybody would say it’s inevitable,” Akins said. “It’s a matter of when and in what form.” tary School, Aaron Groff’s Farm Store, and Aaron Shirk’s Animal Health Store. The samples should be collected fresh in clean containers that can be tightly closed such as plastic bags, freezer containers, or small jars. Each sample should be care fully labeled with your name and address as well as the type of animal. This testing is done by Hoechst- Roussel Agri-Vet Co. in their Sommerville.'NJ., laboratory and results will be mailed to you. For further information, call 717/354-4525. UAS- SILAGE INOCULANT • University developed and patented • Reduces dry matter loss • Reduces mold growth • Retains nutrients • Extends bunk life • Contains- Plantarum-2B And Sues Yen *5.00 For Eteh *l.OO Ytalnmf Ask For By Name UAS-SELAGE EVOCULANT Po NofSifth For Subsirfuftsl Dealer Inquiries Invited HiOCUlA^*
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