Whole Herd Reporting

An annual assessment for our members

What is Whole Herd Reporting?

Whole herd reporting (WHR) is an annual assessment charged on all reproductively mature fullblood and purebred Akaushi animals that are 24 months of age or older. Through this assessment, a breeder is entitled to register one calf born to each female during that year, and a single transfer of ownership of the progeny before the progeny reaches 24 months of age if female and 30 months of age if male. The assessment on herd sires covers the registration of calves sired by the bull during the year of service. In other words, this assessment allows for purebred and fullblood Akaushi animals 24 months of age or older to be considered “active” for the following 12 months. Progeny are only allowed to be registered to dams that were considered “active” during the birth year of the progeny and sires that were “active” during the year the progeny was conceived.

Why Do We Use Whole Herd Reporting?

Today, since DNA is required on Akaushi progeny, every animal is registered through the American Akaushi Association to ensure and maintain the purity of the breed. Rather than requiring a calf-based registration fee that discourages the reporting of complete contemporary group information and requires multiple fees for routine transactions, WHR simply requires a single, annual payment that covers most common breeder expenses. Other than this being a system designed to improve the reporting on Akaushi animals, WHR equitably distributes the cost of running the association across the membership based on the ownership of purebred and fullblood animals.

Spring Herd Assessment vs. Fall Herd Assessment

The spring herd assessment includes fullblood and purebred cattle 24 months of age or older that were born between Jan. 1 and June 30. The fall herd assessment includes fullblood and purebred cattle 24 months of age or older that were born between July 1 and Dec. 31. Each breeder will receive a preliminary inventory report prior to the assessment being sent out that will list all active animals in the herd. This is the time for breeders to report to the association if any of the animals listed may have died, been culled or sold, in order to prevent being charged for animals that are not currently active within the herd. This is also the time to add any animals that are active within the herd that may not be listed on the inventory report. These changes must be reported before the WHR assessment invoice goes out to ensure each breeder is billed correctly.

What are the Benefits of Whole Herd Reporting?

WHR offers simplicity with one fee covering most common breeder expenses. This will help remove the effects of reporting bias and ensures a more complete reporting of transfer of ownership. With complete reporting comes new selection tools for breeders, such as fertility and survivability expected progeny differences (EPDs) along with the ability to calculate reproduction and production herd averages. Without complete reporting, the credibility of Akaushi EPDs is reduced.

What About ET Calves and Multiple Births?

An assessment must be paid on all embryo transfer (ET) calves unless the recipient dam is active. If the recipient dam is active, no additional assessment is due for the calf. If the assessment of the donor dam has been paid, the donor dam is allowed one natural calf registration. Now, if a cow of assessment age were to have twins or triplets, there would be no further charge other than the dam’s original annual assessment.

As an association, the Akaushi team is here to serve our breeders, and we look forward to doing that every day. Have any questions? Contact us!