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BILL, since my CR hasn't been consumed yet today, Holstein has made it too convenient to catch up all those generations in the future, in case a really good one is born down the road. Trying to sell somebody a program when the skidsteer needs tires, with too small a milkcheck will not work this time around. Nobody needs your milk or your genetics, unless they can get it at a steal of a price. p.s. they want it delivered, too.

This is just a observation, Holstein USA does not attempt to force Sales individuals/organizations to transfer the bought animals. It is left up to the purchaser! Bottom line, the registered pool base becomes so much smaller.

Tex and Tony are right on our co-op here in Michigan has a big amount of money going out but no results but nothing will change if don’t change the people that are not getting job done

Great idea tex. Where do we start? Kansas City? Brattleboro? Minneapolis? I'm on board. From generic milk to genetics we have to be the worst industry to promote ourselves. Why? Tons of money. Are we so 'let's keep it in house' that we cant think outside the box? There are better people in advertising than what is employed in this industry now. Go pay for it. This ain't working.

Oldster if you buy registered cattle you can decide what you buy. Grade cattle maybe you don't know. Jeff didn't say what the selection criteria was, just that they were more profitable. I'm beginning to think a 1/5 of crown and an afternoon with Robert Kraft wouldn't make you happy.

Amen Tex-Amen

Im not sure that we have the right people on the Holstein board that can make these decisions. Its like many other leadership positions, the people that really need to be in these positions and making these decisions are too busy to do it.

You make an interesting point, Jeff, but you could buy 2 pots of registered Holsteins from 2 different breeders and be disappointed with 1 load. The genetic path that a breeder chooses will affect the productive outcome. You don't need papers for that. Every day the genetic pool is rising, so be sure to select cattle that fit your requirements, using all the tools available. Winning the big show would not be 1 of them.

I work with a dairy that bottles there own milk. before I started they had gotten up to 400 head with just sale barn cattle. didn't work. when I started they were at 350 with buying some decent commercials. better but still not enough milk. ownership screaming for more milk. we bought a potload of registered 2yrlds through an auction. loved them. seen the value. culled and have bought registered as needed. today milking 250 getting 200 gallon more a day. I never thought there was that big a difference. our breed associations are not there to market our milk. they are their to promote our cattle. we need to go back to the question a few weeks ago and rally on new York's comment. pretty soon our coops are going to get rid of the label and just put milk on the side of the carton with magic marker

Milk price is a certainly a big factor but there will always be a large dairy industry in the U.S. regardless of milk price, the question is, will those producing the milk find value in the services of HAUSA? The bottom line is that we need to identify the superior performing, functionally correct cows and learn to like the way they look. Then the Holstein Association needs to provide the leadership to make that kind of cow the model for type evaluation. That will bring the purebred and commercial breeders together instead of widening the gap as is currently happening.

john's comment is 100% correct. Don't know what else needs to be said.

The most important thing breed associations can do to enhance the value of registered animals is to work with other breed associations, coops and government entities to ensure that farmers receive a decent price for milk. Nothing has hurt the registered industry like these prolonged troughs of horrible prices. It destroys the incentive to keep the farm let alone go into dairy farming. Why would someone want to buy an asset that guarantees the investment will cost you money in the long run?