A MEMBER REFERENCE NUMBERS


If you are sending payment by cheque to Holstein UK, please ensure that you write your membership reference number on the back (e.g. U01/000037706). We have recently started printing the Holstein UK bank details, account number, account name and sort code on the invoices so that members who wish to pay by BACS have the details on the invoice to make the payment. It appears that some members are mistakenly copying down the Holstein UK account number on the back of their cheque rather than their membership reference num- ber.


BUYING EMBRYOS?


If you are buying embryos, there are a few points to consider before you make the purchase with regard to registering the resulting progeny with Holstein UK.


1. Check with Membership Services to see if the donor dam already has a DNA result logged on the system, or you can look at the ani- mal’s fact sheet on the Holstein UK website.


2. If the donor does not have a DNA profile, is she still alive so she can be tested?


3. If the donor is dead, a DNA profile can be built only if she has at least three progeny that are still alive.


4. If a DNA reconstruction is not possible, progeny can only be registered as ASRs.


RULES FOR CLASSIFICATION


The Holstein UK board wished to remind members about the rules governing the Type Classification Scheme. The section on Applications states the following rules


Application must include ALL heifers that have calved for the first time since the previous


visit


ALL first calved animals brought into the herd since the previous visit and not already classified


The percentage of heifers classified in participating herds is cur- rently running at only 69%. This figure should be 100% to ensure that breed improvement is not compromised.


NEW SERVICE FROM HOLSTEIN UK


Holstein UK has launched a brand new service for classifying members, and it’s free. Called ClassACT, the web-based service is designed to allow you to make more of your classification data. Using the tool, specific strengths and weaknesses can easily be identified to al- low more informed breeding decisions to be made. You can read much more about ClassACT on pages 8-11 of this issue of The Journal.


know As the weather slowly changes to


autumn and the end of the year starts to loom large, we can reflect on events past and look forward to those still to come. The largest event for Holstein UK has been the National All Breeds Show,


which was held as part of the RABDF’s Dairy Event and Livestock Show at The NEC, Birmingham for the first time (see pages 22 – 29). As always with an inaugural event, we have noted some areas that could be improved on for 2012, but the consensus from both exhibitors and visitors was that the Show has finally found the correct venue to showcase the best of UK Black & Whites. The professional environment of The NEC as a dedi- cated exhibition venue means that the event as a whole is now something to rival anything in the world, and we know we have the cows to match. I for one am really looking forward to next year’s event and building on the experience of this year to create an even better event for the Society and our members.


As usual, our HYB members have been busy.


We held three training days along with Genus ABS, thanks to the generosity of the Ellengrove, Lakemead and Styche hosts who hosted the events. These were a great success and we plan to repeat the idea next year, so keep an eye out for details. We also sent a team to the European Young Breeders School at Battice, in Belgium. Our intrepid seven did both themselves and the Society proud, with many fine individual per- formances. You can read about their adventure, starting on page 90.


Looking forward, we have the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show coming up, and I urge you all, as I do every year, to try to get along for a few hours. It’s an event that always fills us old ‘uns with genuine hope for the future of our breed, as the intensity of competition is tempered with friendly rivalry and bucket loads and skill and enthusiasm. Our youngsters deserve a bigger audience – play your part in giving them one! By the time this reaches you, we will have had our AGM and we will have a new President in Jimmy Hull, of Fortland fame, who I know is look- ing forward to meeting as many of you as he can in the coming months. I would like to pay tribute to immediate Past President Bernard Liddle, who has been immense during his year in office and has visited almost every corner of the UK, surpris- ing many by appearing at their events. His energy levels have never wavered and, with the support of his wife Marnie and the farm staff at Dalesend, he could not have given more to the role. Thank you Bernard.


I would also like to thank my colleague Annabelle Doig, who has decided to return to her native Norfolk to pursue other opportunities. Her contribution to The Journal and the website have been invaluable.


THE JOURNAL OCTOBER 2011 3


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