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4/21/2024 2024 Linear Appraisal DebriefAs always, linear appraisal was a very rewarding experience. It was great to spend the day with my good friends from Arizona (Carrie Cochrane-Desert Bounty and Amberly Hardt-Desert Hardt) as well as my local friends. The appraiser did a wonderful job of explaining his scores and was kind and generous with his time. Five stars, definitely recommended. LA came at an awkward time. Kidding season had just started in mid-March and is not yet finished. So, most of the does were still recovering from delivering their kids and I wasn’t able to show the entire herd, but it was still incredibly valuable with regard to breeding decisions.. As some of you know, the system did a course correction a couple of years back. I'm pretty much out of the loop, but the scuttlebutt was that there was some (ahem) "grade inflation." The updated system is very rigorous and the appraiser stuck firmly and consistently to the expectation that the appraisal compares the goat in front of him to the perfect, mature goat. Just for fun, I looked up before and after photos of some famous actors in order to illustrate what that might mean. So, here's Dakota Fanning in 2003 and 2013. Now, imagine presenting the 2003 version of Dakota and have the appraiser compare that version to the 2013 Dakota. 2003 Dakota is a less mature version of herself, so her score is going to be lower, probably in the 70s range. So, young Dakota met 70% of the ideal that mature Dakota represents. The other thing that the appraiser emphasized (part of the course correction) was that A really meant acceptable, G really meant Good. Predictably, maturity played a large role in the proceedings. Here’s how my herd did:
Comparing Wildflower's and Framboise's yearling scores (AGAG 76 and AA+A 77, respectively) with their 2024 LA scores (GVGV 85 and GGGG 84, respectively) really brings home the developmental aspect of linear appraisal. Both does changed dramatically over the years.
Given that, and the shortage of appraisers, I'm wondering if it might be wise to go the AGS route and recommend omitting first fresheners from the list of does to be appraised. Their scores are not reliably representative of how they will mature. On the other hand, it is a valuable tool for vetting defects, which is why I have my bucks appraised. With that in mind, I think that it is best that the breeder not get too excited about the scores received by immature stock. The other thing that I noticed was that changes in scores tend to slow down as the doe matures, which makes sense given that the big growth spurt is from yearling to two-year old. One of the advantages of having the whole herd (or at least the freshened does) appraised is that the appraiser can provide feedback about the overall breeding program. Here are my takeaways: Strengths:
Opportunities for improvement:
Finally, here's what I've concluded about my current milking herd. First, it is a slow maturing herd, so the younger stock need more time to build the balance between strength and dairyness. Second, I'm very happy with the productivity that I am seeing on the milkstand. Finally, I'm also happy with the height and broad area of rear udder attachment on the Panache daughters. So now, I'm waiting to see how those Panache udders mature. Given the strength of MSL on these does, I expect that the teats will drop into place as the udder matures. But only time will tell. See y'all in the show ring! Comments are closed.
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