Summary of AJCA, NAJ Board Meetings November 2024

The fall meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ). Boards of Directors were held November 6 and 7, 2024, at the Hilton Garden Inn-Airport, Louisville, Ky. Actions are summarized below.

Finances. Financial statements for the AJCA and National All-Jersey Inc. and Subsidiary, All-Jersey Sales Corporation (Jersey Marketing Service) were reviewed. Through nine months, the AJCA reported revenues of $2,397,868 and expenditures of $2,373,981 before the All American. NAJ reported revenues of $430,566 versus expenditures of $442,292. JMS revenues were $62,763; expenditures were $78,102. A net loss through September 30, 2024, for all organizations was reported of $3,178 before the All American.

Budgets for 2025 were approved. Total AJCA revenues were budgeted at $3,126,265 against expenditures of $3,124,257. The AJCA budget was based on 97,500 registrations, 15,000 transfers, 145,000 cows enrolled on all performance programs (138,000 on REAP), 200,000 JerseyTags units, 6,475 genomic and ID qualification tests, and 227 pages of paid advertising in Jersey Journal.

The budget for NAJ was based on 940 Equity investors and All-Jersey Sales Corp. revenues of $133,000. The budgeted revenues for NAJ-AJSC combined were $696,750, and budgeted expenditures of $695,708 were approved.

Market values of investments at September 30 were: Building Fund, $1,705,427; Investment Trust, $1,172,888; Scholarship and other awards funds, $1,082,633; Jersey Youth Academy, $656,899; and AJCC Research Foundation, $3,235,445.

The board of directors approved the budget for Class IX of Jersey Youth Academy to be held in July 2025.

The Investment Advisory Committee met with investment managers on November 10 to review current portfolios and set investment strategies for 2025.

Value-Added Component to FLAIR Program. The board amended the enrollment rules of the FLAIR program to require all first-lactation Jerseys, registered or unregistered, to be enrolled in the program and include registrations for the unregistered cows.

Jersey Performance Index (JPI) Updates. The AJCA board of directors reviewed the upcoming standard base change in April 2025. The board voted to reconvene the JPI committee to review JPI, Jersey Udder Index, and type base change considerations and the presentation of PTA-type traits.

New Stand-Alone Package. Jersey owners who are not enrolled in the REAP program, can purchase the services of HerdView, JerseyLink, and JerseyMate by providing Whole Herd Reporting data. The cost is $2,000 annual base fee for the first 500 cows and then $0.50 per additional cow.

The board approved Whole Herd Reporting in June 2024. It is a system to maintain an accurate record of USJersey customers’ heifers and cows that have left the herd as well as those that are currently in the herd. This will make USJersey reports more useful because females no longer in the herd will not be included in reports. When enough records of heifers and cows leaving the herd have been collected, USJersey will provide Predicted Transmitting Abilities for longevity (survival) starting from birth rather than starting from first calving.

Regional and National Shows. Effective with the 2025 regional shows, funding levels will be based on a sliding scale for numbers exhibited in the previous year’s junior show (2024). Funding will be allocated as follows to these regional and national shows:

• California Spring Show and Northeast All-Breeds Spring Show will receive $500 for direct expenses in the youth shows;
• $1,000 will be allocated to supplement the premiums paid to junior exhibitors at both the Central National Junior Show (Madison) and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Junior Show (Harrisburg);
• The Western National will receive $1,000 for direct expenses incurred for the youth show; and
• Western National Junior Show will have $500 allocated and paid directly by the AJCA to qualifying junior exhibitors who meet the age, ownership and junior membership requirements.

Designations are also contingent upon enforcement of the PDCA Show Ring Code of Ethics, with all cows subject to ultrasound and milk sample testing.

For the 2025 All American shows, $5,000 was allocated to be divided equally among junior exhibitors.

August 1 will continue to be the date for fall show transfers for junior show eligibility. For a spring national show, April 1, will be the deadline for transfers and registrations to meet the ownership requirement.

National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest. The board of directors voted to open the National Youth Achievement contest to all youth meeting the required eligibility rules: Applicant must (1.) own one or more Registered Jerseys™, (2.) be at least sixteen (16) and be no older than twenty (20) years of age on January 1, of the contest year and (3.) be a member (junior or lifetime) of the American Jersey Cattle Association not later than December 31 of the contest year.

State associations are encouraged to continue providing their nominees for the contest. Youth who placed second through ninth in the previous year are also encouraged to reapply if they meet the requirements. The deadline is March 1, 2025.

Appointments. Named as associate chairs for the 2025 All American planning committees were Jerry Emerich, Mooers, N.Y., sale; Corey Lutz, Lincolnton, N.C., open show; Josh Gordon, Syracuse, Ind., junior activities and Julie Ziegler, Irwin, Ohio, futurity.

Jerry Emerich was appointed to the Investment Advisory Committee. Christy Ratliff, Garnett, Kan., was appointed to the Type Advisory Committee.

 

National All-Jersey Inc.

The board of directors of National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ) reviewed the recommended decisions from the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) hearing. There are seven specific changes to the price formula in the recommended decision:

1.  Increase the skim component factors in the Class III and Class IV price formulas to 3.30% true protein, 6.00% other solids and 9.0% solids nonfat.
2. Remove the 500-pound barrel cheddar cheese price from the protein price formula.
3. Update manufacturing allowances to be (a) Cheese: $0.2504; (b) Butter: $0.2257; (c) Nonfat dry milk: $0.2268; (d) Dry whey: $0.2653.
4. Update the butterfat recovery factor to be 91% from 90% in the cheese yield formula.
5. Base the Class I milk price on the higher of the advanced Class III and Class IV prices.
6. Base the Class I price for extended shelf-life products to be the average of the advanced Class III and Class IV prices, plus a 24-month rolling adjuster.
7. Update Class I differentials to reflect the current costs of serving Class I plants.

Staff reported the recommendations would have increased FMMO prices by $0.32 per hundredweight from 2019 through 2023. The estimated impact by Order ranged from $1.49 and higher in the three southeastern orders to slightly negative in California, the Upper Midwest and Arizona orders.

The increased make allowances lowered butterfat, other solids and nonfat solids by approximately $0.06 per pound. The average protein price increased by $0.07 per pound due to the elimination of the barrel cheese price and increasing the butterfat recovery factor more than offset the increase in the cheese make allowance.

NAJ staff filed comments outlining concerns with the recommended decisions, including concern on the component levels suggested and the 12-month time delay in implementing them. The gap between actual components and assumed components will be more substantial. USDA will publish a final decision by the end of the year.

Butterfat Production Increases
Combining information from USDA’s Milk Production report and the Agricultural Prices report, NAJ analysis shows that despite declining milk production, butterfat test and pounds are still steadily increasing. Through August 2024, an additional 129.99 million pounds of butterfat was produced.

 

Garrison Report from Washington
Charlie Garrison of the Garrison Group reported on agriculture news from Washington. Discussion focused on nutrition programs and the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. In addition, he updated the board with an election recap, international trade and the new Farm Bill.
Next Meeting

The next meetings of the AJCA and NAJ boards of directors will be March 11-13, 2025. The All American Planning Meetings are scheduled for March 5-6, via Zoom.

Deadlines for President and Director nomination petitions to be filed with the Executive Secretary are April 24 for AJCA (65 days prior to the Annual Meeting), and April 28 for NAJ (60 days prior).