We all know someone who is as passionate about their favorite dairy breed as they are their favorite sports team or favorite food. Fortunately, one of the reasons we can have our favorite breeds of dairy and exhibit animals at some of the most prestigious shows in the world is thanks to dairy cattle breed associations and their long history in the dairy industry.

Hagenow ashley
Editorial Intern / Progressive Dairy
Ashley Hagenow is studying agricultural communication and marketing at the University of Minnesota .

Recognized dairy breeds in the U.S. have a corresponding breed association that offers resources to its members, establishes community among registered breeders, provides classification services, supports students through leadership and scholarship opportunities and ensures the future of the breed is in good hands. 

Benefit of the herd 

Ayrshires were brought to the U.S. around 1822 and were first raised by farmers in New England, since the humid continental climate modeled their home country of Scotland. The Ayrshire Breeders Association was chartered in 1875 and first recorded ancestry on animals at that time, which continues today. Mary Creek's family began registering cattle with the Ayrshire Breeders Association in the late 1930s under the prefix Rocky Spring. In 1963, her parents bought their own farm and started using the Palmyra prefix. Palmyra Farms LLC, located in Hagerstown, Maryland, has now registered over 5,000 females in the association.

“Registering our cattle allows us to have an official and continuous record of ancestry on all of our animals. You can actually go to the U.S. Ayrshire website and view pedigrees well back into the 1950s,” Creek says. “The other obvious reason to continue registering is the added value and credibility it adds to our animals. We definitely realize a significant premium when we sell our registered animals.”

For some breeders, the chance to register their cattle benefits the work they are doing on the farm related to herd health, reproduction and other areas. For Tanner Mashek of Hilltop Acres Farm in Calmar, Iowa, this 400-cow dairy specializing in genomic bulls, heifers and bull mothers registers cattle for reproductive improvement. Tanner’s grandpa, John, registered their first cow with the Brown Swiss Association in the 1960s using the prefix the family continues to identify their cattle with: Hilltop Acres.

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“We register our herd due to all of the embryo work we do. With doing a lot of embryo work and building more and more cow families on our farm, registering the offspring is very important to keep building up the cow families,” Mashek says. “Another reason is that we genomic test all of our females on the farm, along with some males. We put a lot of bulls in A.I., so having them registered is a must.”

One of the oldest dairy breeds, Brown Swiss cattle, descended from the Braunvieh breed in Switzerland, with the first of these cows imported to the U.S. in 1869. The Brown Swiss Association began a few years later in 1880. 

Transformational technology

Robin Alden, executive secretary for the American Guernsey Association (AGA), shares how the association has changed since its beginning in the late 19th century, from administration and cattle standpoints. The first Guernsey cow was imported to the U.S. around 1840, and the association was formed in 1877 after importers realized a need for unity in the breed and standardized traits and identification.

“In the ‘peak’ days of dairying, dozens of employees were required to keep up with recordkeeping, publication and services. The introduction of computers combined with the shrinking cattle population meant that the AGA now only employs three dedicated staff, with many functions outsourced,” Alden says. “Genomics were introduced officially to the breed in 2016, and since then we've seen genetic strides towards improving reproduction, components and type at an exponential speed.”

Support in the industry 

Nick Randle, current president of the Red & White Dairy Cattle Association (RWDCA), says the breed association supports the rest of the dairy industry through sire data, organizing events across the nation and offering support for advancing herds of Red & White cattle. The RWDCA formed in 1964 to help in the transition of accepting the red gene for coat color within the Holstein breed. Registration of cattle is key to its success.

“Animal identification is paramount, as we are largely classified on coat coloring,” Randle says. “Over the recent years, we have seen an increase in registrations, and we believe it is due to the want to keep improving the genetics of Red & White cattle.”

For Milking Shorthorn breeders, the support received from the American Milking Shorthorn Society (AMSS) is one of the key benefits to registering cattle with the breed association. The AMSS began as the Milking Shorthorn Club in 1912, since members wanted to promote the milking breed within the American Shorthorn Association. 

Lazy M Farm LLC in Stitzer, Wisconsin, and other breeders who exhibit cattle at World Dairy Expo (WDE) are supported by their breed associations through staff efforts both before and during the show. Lazy M Farm milks around 450 cows and raises approximately 400 heifers, and the farm has earned numerous champion and All-American titles at WDE. 

“At World Dairy Expo, the breed secretary is a great help for breeders with questions prior to the show and then representing the association at ringside,” says Suzie Benoit of Lazy M Farm. “They continue to gather genomic data, and when we have had champions in the past, we have sampled each animal as asked for by AMSS.”

Honoring traditions 

The American Jersey Cattle Association’s (AJCA) mission statement has been the same since its inception in 1868: “To improve and promote the Jersey breed of cattle and to increase the value of and demand for Jersey milk and Jersey cattle.” The AJCA added a milk-marketing branch to its program – National All-Jersey Inc. – in 1957 to increase the value of and demand for milk from Jersey cows.

As the association has evolved from production testing to genetic information, the AJCA board of directors and leadership further this mission and aid in advancing breed progress. “We are in the animal identification business, and we provide services that complement the official I.D. of Jersey cattle,” says Neal Smith, AJCA and National All-Jersey Inc. executive secretary and CEO. “The AJCA board of directors charts the course for the future of the Jersey breed, and the association staff executes the plan.”

Holstein Association USA (HAUSA) values its history to see how far the Holstein cow and its members have come since 1885, when the Holstein-Friesian Association of America was established. Whether through youth programs or increased milk production, HAUSA values its traditions while looking toward the future.

“Holstein Association USA has a rich history, and it’s important to keep traditions in mind, while simultaneously looking towards the future of the organization,” says a representative of the HAUSA. “Through the association’s extensive recordkeeping we’re providing something similar to ancestry.com for Holstein cattle. This is particularly important today, as consumers are looking to know more about the origin of the food on their dinner plate."

Dairy cattle breed associations were established to offer a positive identification registry for breeds while preserving breed identity. In today’s dairy industry, these associations value their history while advancing their missions to adapt to a changing dairy industry and global marketplace.