This has been an interesting discussion to say the least.
Currently several Canadian breeds have made a move towards a whole herd reporting system. This means that the fee schedule is based on cows in production, rather than calves. In these programs, the cost typically is $20 per cow. This will include a registration for the calf in that production year, a transfer for the calf and a transfer for the female in the year she is enrolled. More importantly it allows the breeder to participate in the breed's performance program.
The breeds which are not on a whole herd system typically have a graduated fee schedule depending upon the age of the calf when it is registered. The highest price I have seen for a registration under this system is $100, for a calf over 18 months of age.
While the animal pedigree act is fairly clear, that an animal cannot be sold as purebred without papers, it is difficult to enforce, and relies more on breeder integrity than the strong arm of the law. If a papered animal is sold (even for slaughter) the buyer can demand that the paper be transferred. The act also forbids pricing a bull with and without the papers (eg: he's $1500 or $1250 without the papers) and/or charging the buyer for the transfer.
No matter what type of sire (purebred, crossbred, etc.) you choose, the information you use to make your decision is paramount. The theory is that good information should provide you a better opportunity to select the right bull. This is the driving force behind complete herd reporting, as we can track fertility, growth and carcass traits and remove bias due to the entire herd being reported. Probably the greatest strength of a breed association is the ability to combine data from herds in order to evaluate the true genetic merit of an animal rather than how it was fed.
My personal thoughts on the use of any sire on our cows at home (commercial or purebred): I want all the data I can get and prefer EPDs over ranks and indexes and if a purebred is not good enough to register and transfer, then it is not good enough for me to buy.
Currently several Canadian breeds have made a move towards a whole herd reporting system. This means that the fee schedule is based on cows in production, rather than calves. In these programs, the cost typically is $20 per cow. This will include a registration for the calf in that production year, a transfer for the calf and a transfer for the female in the year she is enrolled. More importantly it allows the breeder to participate in the breed's performance program.
The breeds which are not on a whole herd system typically have a graduated fee schedule depending upon the age of the calf when it is registered. The highest price I have seen for a registration under this system is $100, for a calf over 18 months of age.
While the animal pedigree act is fairly clear, that an animal cannot be sold as purebred without papers, it is difficult to enforce, and relies more on breeder integrity than the strong arm of the law. If a papered animal is sold (even for slaughter) the buyer can demand that the paper be transferred. The act also forbids pricing a bull with and without the papers (eg: he's $1500 or $1250 without the papers) and/or charging the buyer for the transfer.
No matter what type of sire (purebred, crossbred, etc.) you choose, the information you use to make your decision is paramount. The theory is that good information should provide you a better opportunity to select the right bull. This is the driving force behind complete herd reporting, as we can track fertility, growth and carcass traits and remove bias due to the entire herd being reported. Probably the greatest strength of a breed association is the ability to combine data from herds in order to evaluate the true genetic merit of an animal rather than how it was fed.
My personal thoughts on the use of any sire on our cows at home (commercial or purebred): I want all the data I can get and prefer EPDs over ranks and indexes and if a purebred is not good enough to register and transfer, then it is not good enough for me to buy.
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