As dairies look to become more efficient in all aspects of their operation, the industry’s major breed organizations have answered the call by providing online cattle registration.

Websites, too, are continually enhanced to offer maximum information to members and, in some cases, additional services.

Holstein Association USA Inc.
When it comes to website offerings and online registration, Holstein Association USA Inc. has taken the lead, not only in this country but worldwide. It has been offering online registration for more than a decade and receives two-thirds of its registration applications this way, says Peter Cole, executive director of association and process services for the association.

“Convenience is certainly paramount,” Cole says, noting that the Holstein system is set up so producers can download files from their herd management systems into the Holstein program.

Producers also receive a faster turnaround on registration, resulting in forms received several days faster than if mailed into the office. Plus, they can receive a price discount if they use the registered ear tags and online registration offered by the association.

The use of online registration also offers convenience for Holstein staff members with less time spent transcribing information. There’s also less likelihood of errors occurring from the transcription process.

“It’s been a great program to allow us to better serve our members and keep costs down,” Cole says.

According to Cole, it’s a relatively straightforward program to utilize and the association maintains a phone helpline specifically for online registration questions.

Under perpetual improvement, the site’s most recent one is the ability to submit digital photos online.

Keeping items user-friendly is at the top of mind for the association. Just this year, it released a total revamp of its website, www.holsteinusa.com , by adding more information and making the features similar to other websites familiar to members.

The primary reason for these enhancements is member service. “It’s a great vehicle to get information to our members in a timely manner,” Cole says. Instead of mailing forms, the association staff is able to refer callers online so they don’t have to wait to get the information they need.

Members also have the ability to search their own accounts, look up registered Holsteins online and purchase other products from the website.

Although the association does promote the ease and convenience of utilizing its web-based system, Cole says it recognizes some members will prefer to mail in forms, and the association will continue to have the capability to address those needs.

American Jersey Cattle Association
Online registration has been offered to Jersey breeders for the past decade. Today, the association is witnessing approximately 25 to 30 percent of total registrations processed through the website, reports Erick Metzger, herd services manager for the American Jersey Cattle Association.

This real-time registration program provides an immediate registration number if it passes through the program’s edits. A certificate is printed the next day and the association makes it a priority to mail out online registrations first.

While a time savings for members, the program is also more labor-efficient for the association. “It’s one less envelope to pick up and process,” Metzger says.

The association has begun using a data exchange process with the Dairy Records Processing Center and is sent information on heifer information entered through DHIA. This allows for information on date of birth, sire ID and dam registration to be prepopulated on the registration form. Once the registration is processed, the association returns its information to the Dairy Records Processing Center, resulting in more complete records and fewer animal ID errors.

Anyone interested in utilizing the online registration system must first establish an online account with the association. From there, members gain access to the system at www.usjersey.com and a helpful hints guide, which Metzger recommends reviewing prior to entering any registrations.

The association’s website is not just a tool for cattle registration but also a source for other breed information.

One of the biggest highlights is the information provided by the Jersey Marketing Service with links to the sale calendar and catalogs, where pedigrees and pictures can be viewed. Once a sale is completed, basic results are uploaded to the website.

The association has recently added its appraisal schedules to the website, providing a place for producers to reference should they misplace the paper reminder they receive.

Most of all, the website serves as a delivery mechanism for the association. “It’s a way for us to quickly and easily get information out to our members that they are most interested in,” Metzger says.

Brown Swiss Association/American Milking Shorthorn Society
For a number of years, the Brown Swiss Association had the process in place for members to submit registrations online and starting last summer both organizations implemented active online registration systems, reports David Kendall, executive secretary for the Brown Swiss Association and American Milking Shorthorn Society.

Growing in numbers, he says that 30 percent of Swiss registrations are submitted online and 25 percent of Shorthorn registrations are entered that way. In both instances, they’ve had some of the larger herds quickly adapt to the new system.

The organizations are using a system developed by a subsidiary of Holstein Association USA Inc. This system allows for quick and efficient registration. The organizations are also working with the Dairy Records Processing Center to create coordination throughout the country so producers won’t have to worry about registering animals in multiple areas.

In the long term, these steps will help increase the efficiency of the office staff and allow them to shift their focus to breed promotion and expansion, Kendall says.

In the meantime, the organizations’ websites offer a variety of information from genetic evaluations, sire lists and progeny lists to breed information and award and scholarship applications.

“We’re constantly trying to reorganize for people to find information easily and to expand the content in an organized manner,” Kendall says. The Brown Swiss Association website at www.brownswissusa.com is fairly advanced, while the American Milking Shorthorn Society website at www.milkingshorthorn.com is still working on further development.

U.S. Ayrshire Breeders’ Association
Ayrshire owners have had the opportunity to register animals online for almost five years now. Twenty-five percent of cattle are registered through this process, according to Becky Payne, executive secretary of the U.S. Ayrshire Breeders’ Association.

“It’s a fast way to get their information into the office,” Payne says, “and you don’t have to find a stamp.” It is also easy for youth to assist with completing online registrations.

“If it’s convenient to our members, it’s a benefit to us,” Payne adds. By automating these efforts, the process has led to time savings to the association.

The addition of an online pedigree system three years ago has bolstered the ease of online registrations. With access to the pedigree system, producers can find some of the information needed on the registration form right at their fingertips.

As technology continues to improve, the association would like to find a way to merge the pedigree system with the online registration system.

For now, anyone wanting to utilize the Ayrshires’ online systems can simply go to www.usayrshire.com . The registration system is very self-explanatory, Payne says. There are entry blanks to fill in and if anything is missed, producers will receive an e-mail back notifying them the process was not complete.

The website itself is constantly evolving, especially when it comes to marketing. The association has created eAyrshire, where members can buy and sell all things related to Ayrshires. It is also more aggressive at posting sale catalogs, offering information, forms and applications, and updating the news every week. The cow spotlight on the home page is also updated weekly.

The American Guernsey Association
Relatively new to the online registration systems, The American Guernsey Association has been offering this service to its members for four years and has seen 10 percent of its registrations entered this way, says Seth Johnson, executive secretary of the association.

“It’s a lot quicker and easier,” Johnson says. “They don’t have to search for an application, and we don’t have to provide an application to them.”

Johnson reports that through online registrations members are more likely to complete them every couple weeks instead of sending one big batch.

The system is simple without any barriers. Members can simply go to www.usguernsey.com and fill out the information under the registration link.

Wanting to offer the service to its members as soon as possible, the association selected a basic system that is not fully integrated. When an application is completed online it is then e-mailed as a form to the association and the staff must re-key it into the database. It is pretty close to making the integration happen, Johnson says, and when that does happen, it will provide more ease to the office staff.

From a member’s point of view this new integration will be almost identical to what they see know. An added benefit would be that they would be provided with a registration number immediately after completing the application.

Meanwhile, the association has focused on posting pedigree information online for members to have access to it.

Other information available here focuses on the Guernsey Marketing Service. Full sale catalogs with full post-sale reports have been available online for the past five to six years.

The news page helps to keep members up-to-date with show results, sale results and meeting updates.

One of the most popular features of the website is the Guernsey Cow of the Week that displays a photo and pedigree information on a specific animal selected each week.

“We try to do as much as we can with the resources we have,” Johnson says.

Red & White Dairy Cattle Association
Saving postage, money and time are the key benefits to red and white breeders using online registration. Nicole Stout, Red & White Dairy Cattle Association executive secretary, says that applications are also processed faster because they are entered directly into the association’s database.

“All of our breeders are pleased with the program, and it’s growing in popularity,” Stout says.

It is fairly self-explanatory and can be accessed through a link on the website: www.redandwhitecattle.com

There is a lot of additional information available on the website, including facts about the association, how its programs work and calendars for breeders to see what is happening in their areas.

New to her role, Stout says she is busy evaluating all of the association’s programs and any needed enhancements will come in time, but for now everything is working well and received with positive comments. PD