INTRODUCTION TO DAIRY GOAT RECORDS

DAIRY HERD IMPROVEMENT
1985

ASHBROOK, P. F.

Dairy herd production records are as important in successful dairy
goat husbandry as they are to today's modern dairy cow farm. Dairy
goat owners and the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) have
long recognized production recordkeeping as an essential management
tool. For the progessive dairy goat owner and breeder---from those
owning two goats to supply the family's table to those with several
hundred goats in a commercial dairy--- production records will
permit precise management decisions in such areas as efficient
feeding culling for profitability, and the genetic evaluation of
sires and dams.

Dairy goat production records are compiled under the auspices of
the National Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Progam (NCDHIP).
This cooperative progam serves both dairy cows and dairy goats,
with dairy producers, Dairy Herd Improvement Associations (DHIA),
and the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) working together in the
system. Cows and goats are treated uniformly and tested similarly.
Dairy goat owners enjoy the privileges of testing their does under
the larger National Dairy Herd Improvement Association (NDHIA)
umbrella developed and largely supported by the nation's dairy
cattle producers, and with the full cooperation, support and advice
of the Extension Service.

Production testing has a long history among dairy goat owners in
the United States. The American Milk Goat Record Association,
ADGA's original name, issued its first Advanced Registry (AR)
Certificate for a milk record on March 5, 1919. A total of 93 AR
records were made by the end of 1926. These early records were
based on an average of 10 pounds of milk per day, 1 day each week
for 4 consecutive weeks. This early testing progam started dairy
goat breeders along the road toward official testing.

In 1927, ADGA's progam of AR testing came under the rules of the
American Dairy Science Association. In 1939, the first certifiate
of production for a dairy goat was issued on the basis of a DHI
test, thus, moving the dairy goat industry beyond such early
methods as selective testing and 1-day testing.

For many years, the numbers of goat herds on official production
test remained small. In 1966, only 35 goat herds were on DHI test
nationwide. Five years later, there were 97 herds on test. By 1976,
the number of herds on DHI test had passed SOO. Today, more than
1,500 goat herds are on test with a total of more than 15,000 does
being officially production tested. Unlike cows, the majority
(currently more than 93 percent) of dairy goat herds are on Dairy
Herd Improvement Registry (DHIR) test. Official records are
forwarded by dairy record processing centers (DRPC's) to the breed
registry for publicity, recognition, sire and doe evaluation, and
pedigree preparation.

The sudden and rather explosive growth in DHI testing of dairy
goats nationwide was caused by a number of factors. The dairy goat
has grown in popularity during the last decade, as indicated by
rapidly increasing numbers of registrations, transfers, 4-H
projects, and shows and exhibits. The systematic publication of
production records by ADGA since 1945 has certainly encouraged the
use of production testing. But the most significant factor has been
the advent of cooperative, group or circle testing.

Until the early 1970's, goat owners had the same record plans
available to them as dairy cattle owners---official DHIA, official
DHIR, and nonofficial owner-sampler. At that time, dairy goat goup
testing was developed to enable small herd owners to participate in
NCDHIP without excessive costs. Compared with dairy cattle, goat
herds are small. The average herd on DHI test has about 10 milking
animals. For this reason, the standard charges for DHIA testing
often made the costs of production testing prohibitive for owners
of small herds. Group testing reduced these costs considerably
since only volunteer labor was involved and has made official
production testing feasible for every goat breeder.

To reduce testing fees in goup testing, herd owners are trained to
perform the DHI supervisor's responsibilities. At the same time,
the national uniform rules are followed. (See Fact Sheet L-5 for a
more detailed explanation of goup testing.)

The NCDHIP Policy Board has as one of its committees a dairy goat
committee comprised of representatives from CES, National DHIA,
DRPC's, the Agricultural Research Service-U.S. Department of
Agiculture (ARS-USDA), and ADGA. Recommendations for progam changes
reach the policy board through this committee. Hence, dairy goat
owners and ADGA have the opportunity to be heard in this manner, as
well as through their local, regional and state DHIA's.

Today, the dairy goat production testing progam is indebted deeply
to those who have supported its development: the Extension Service,
which at all levels has offered invaluable encouragement, training
and counsel; the National DHIA, under whose umbrella the progam
developed; ARS-USDA for its research in such vital areas as
projection factors and sire evaluation; DRPC's across the nation
for the efforts in accommodating the dairy cow system to dairy
goats; and the board of directors of ADGA whose vision and
leadership over the years have focused often on production testing.

Production testing is essential to the serious dairy goat owner and
breeder. Testing helps producers breed more productive and
efficient dairy goats and will help producers meet the economic
demands on the dairy goat industry in the 1980's and 1990's.





תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתThe National Dairy Database (1992)תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת
תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת\NDB\DAIRY\TEXT\DP103500.TXTתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת


%f TITLE;INTRODUCTION TO DAIRY GOAT RECORDS
%f COLLECTION;DAIRY HERD IMPROVEMENT
%f ORIGIN;Pennsylvania
%f DATE_INCLUDED;June 1992