Summary of AJCA, NAJ Board Meetings June 2024

The summer meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ) Boards of Directors were held June 18 and 19, 2024, at the Sheraton Monarch Place Hotel, Springfield, Mass. Actions taken are summarized.

AJCA-NAJ-AJSC Finances
The 2023 year-end audited financial statements for the companies, the auditor-reviewed 2023 Research Fund, and the year-end financial summary for Scholarship and Special Funds were presented and approved.

Unaudited financial reports through May 31, 2024, were reviewed, showing:

•  AJCA revenues of $1,464,674 and expenditures of $1,362,786, for net income before the All American Show & Sale of $101,888;
• NAJ revenues of $253,860 and expenditures of $245,915, for net income of $7,945; and
• All-Jersey Sales Corporation (Jersey Marketing Service) revenues of $44,664 and expenditures of $43,120 for net income of $1,544.

Market value of investments at May 31, 2024, was $7,370,337.

 

Breed Improvement Program Updates
Effective October 1, 2024, the type traits appraisal team will begin collecting body condition score as a linear type trait when appraising. The data will be used for research on cow fertility. It will not be part of the calculation of final score.

In addition, the Board approved the allocation of $20,000 from the AJCC Research Foundation to assist with data collection for a new Whole Herd Reporting program. It will be a system to maintain an accurate record of heifers and cows that have left a customer’s herd and the animals that remain in the herd. For USJersey Area Representatives to collect data effectively, a command or report listing of current females in the herd and females that have left the herd will be produced from the participating owner’s herd management software each month. As USJersey records more data, the association would be able to provide PTAs for longevity (survival) starting from birth rather than from first calving. It will also improve the accuracy of management tools, including HerdView and JerseyMate for USJersey customers.

 

New Program for Large Herds
The board approved implementation of a new Performance program consisting of the following:

• Minimum herd size: 1,000 Jersey cows

Fees paid on the number of first lactation Jersey cows in the herd.

• Herd fee: $400
• Cows 1 to 50: $30 per cow
• Cows 51 to 100: $25 per cow
• Cows 101 to 300: $20 per cow
• Cows over 300: $15 per cow
• Optional subscription to JerseyLink, HerdView, and JerseyMate: $2,000 annually

Fees will cover the following services with the AJCA:

• Appraisal of first lactation cows.
• Older cows scored at STEP rates.
• Registration credit for animals under six months old equal to the number of first lactation cows.
• Registrations in excess of registration credits, and registration for animals over six months old processed at regular registration rates.

The program will be effective October 1, 2024.

 

 

Policy of Jersey Journal
The board approved the policy of the Jersey Journal, which is provided below.

The purpose of the Jersey Journal is to promote Jerseys and to serve as the media to carry Jersey news and ads to the owners of Jerseys and other interested parties. To fulfill this purpose, the following policies have been established by the Board of Directors:

Editorial Policy. The editorial policy of the Jersey Journal is to reflect the positions and programs of the Jersey breed as established by the Board of Directors.

Advertising Policy. The policy of the AJCA concerning breed advertisements in the Jersey Journal is that all advertising may include references to Registered Jerseys and those eligible for Identification services of the AJCA as well as animals of other dairy breeds owned by the advertiser. Advertising involving politics and ads criticizing Jerseys and/or Jersey programs will be declined.

As an integral part of the AJCA recorded name, Generation Count must be published and included with shortened names. Ads must include bulls’ Breed Base Representation values when available. Advertising offering semen for sale must completely identify the seller.

The Jersey Journal will use CDCB genetic evaluations for foreign animals if information is available. If CDCB information is not available, the information’s origin will be listed.

Letter to the Editor. This column is made available to include discussion of opinions, policies and problems, and other subjects provided the comments are constructive. Derogatory letters mentioning individual names or animals will not be published, neither will political or anonymous letters.

When the Editor receives ads or letters which are believed to be questionable, these will be referred to the Development Committee of the Board. A majority vote of the committee will be final. When the committee is divided or so requests, the material in question will be submitted to the Board of Directors for a decision.

Jersey Youth Academy
The next class of Jersey Youth Academy will be held in July 2025. The board reviewed the application, and it will be available online on September 1, 2024. The deadline to apply is December 1, 2024.

At the 2025 AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings, the first Jersey Youth Academy fundraising auction will be held. The auction will rotate every other year with the AJCC Research Foundation Auction.

Release Date of “The Jersey” for Public Use
Beginning September 1, 2024, the three versions of “The Jersey” will be placed on the USJersey website for customers to download for non-commercial farm promotional purposes, letterhead, checks, and awards. The copyright rules of the AJCA prohibit any commercial use for financial gain and distribution of the images.

Upcoming Annual Meeting Sites
In 2025, the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings will be held in Lexington, Ky., on June 25-28 at the Embassy Suites.

The board accepted an invitation from the Missouri Jersey Breeders for the 2026 meetings. They will be held in Springfield, Mo.

 

National All-Jersey Inc.
The board received an update from General Manager Erick Metzger on the Federal Order hearing and the brief filed by NAJ. NAJ recommended the following:

• Updating skim-solids standards in Class III and Class IV skim milk price formulas. Producers have increased the skim-solids in milk and the price formulas need to reflect the increased components;
• Updating the formulas annually. Producers are rapidly increasing components, both butterfat and protein. The National Milk Producers Federation’s proposal to update skim-solids every three years using a three-year average means the price formulas will always be below the actual skim components.
• Converting the four remaining fat-skim orders to multiple component pricing. Updating the skim-solids standards will over-value manufacturing milk in the southeast. Several processors testified that the fat-skim orders should be converted to MCP. NAJ outlined four options to address the pricing disparity.

1. 1. 1. Re-open the current hearing to consider expanding MCP to all FMMOs.
      2. Hold a separate hearing in the future to consider expanding MCP.
      3. Use the skim components of a similar order, such as the Northeast Order as de facto components for the southeast.

NAJ staff has also been working with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service to include butterfat and protein in the monthly milk production report they publish. Butterfat and protein have been increasing rapidly in recent years, leading to a disconnect between milk production and component production.

Charlie Garrison, The Garrison Group LLC, Washington, D.C., updated the NAJ board on continuing topics in the government that will impact the dairy industry. Among the topics covered were:

• Farm Bill
• The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act
• Tax Policy
• International Trade

Jersey Marketing Service (JMS) reported on a the spring sale schedule. Private treaty sales have been increasing throughout the spring and JMS has fall orders as well to fill.

Next Meetings
The AJCA Board of Directors will meet November 6 and 7, 2024, at the Hilton Garden Inn-Airport, Louisville, Ky. The NAJ Board will meet November 7.