If you are at least 18 years old and wish to be a member but do not have any cattle, you may apply to be an Associate member. Associate members do not have voting privileges.

Life

This category is no longer an option for new members. Life memberships were issued prior to June 30, 1980.

TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP

A Regular membership is transferable in accordance with Article VIII of the Association By-Laws.

How To Become A Member

Complete an Application for Membership form. The two most important pieces of information on the application form are your Membership Name and your Tattoo Code.

Membership Name

First you must decide on a name for your membership. You may be a member as an individual, or you may have a joint membership with one or more family members or other individuals. All parties constituting the partnership, and at least two officers of a corporation, must sign the application.

A membership name may be changed later upon written request and for a fee.

Tattoo Codes

Please list three possible Tattoo Codes in order of your preference. Each possible Tattoo Code may have up to four characters (letters and/or numbers) but must end with a letter. A Tattoo Code is unique to a membership, so your code will be assigned as available.

Once used, a Tattoo Code may not be changed unless a new membership is purchased.

Date of Birth

Only Junior members are required to include their date of birth.

Joining Fee

Pay the required joining fee. Regular, Associate and Junior members pay joining fees.

Dues

Members will be assessed dues each July 1. Dues are assessed to Regular, Associate and Junior members.

Animal Assessments

Members will be assessed each year for every animal on their Active Inventory, in accordance with the Associationís Total Herd Reporting policies.

Sign the application

By signing the application you agree to abide by the Rules and Regulations of the Association and to release all animal data collected by the Association for use in breed-related programs. All partners or at least two officers should sign the application.

E-Mail Address

Please supply your e-mail address to the body of the application.

Benefits And Responsibilities Of Being A Member

BENEFITS

Regular or Life Member

You will be able to register and record all qualified animals in the RAAA Herdbook. You will also be able to exercise one vote per membership and to participate at all membership meetings and in Association programs. You will receive the breed magazine, American Red Angus, and the annual Sire Evaluation and Membership Directory. You will also receive performance reports along with other computerized reports and forms from the National Office.

Junior Member

You will be able to register and record all qualified animals in the RAAA Herdbook and will receive performance reports along with other computerized reports and forms from the National Office. You may vote and hold office in the Junior Association and will receive the Junior Newsletter, The Red Generation.

Associate Member

You will receive the breed magazine, American Red Angus, and the annual Sire Evaluation and Membership Directory, along with other mailings from the National Office. You may not vote or register cattle.

RESPONSIBILITIES

To remain a Regular member of the RAAA, you must maintain at least one animal on active inventory and/or maintain a current dues status. The RAAA fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30; if you have not paid your membership dues by December 1, you will be given until the end of the month to pay them or your membership will be inactivated on December 31. You must also abide by the Constitution and By-Laws and the Rules and Regulations. Failure to comply with the rules set forth in these documents will be grounds for suspension and/or expulsion from the RAAA. (See Article IX of the By-Laws.)

egistration Requirements

OWNERSHIP/MEMBERSHIP

The person submitting the application for registration must be a member of the Association, and must be the recorded owner of the dam at the time of calving.

RED ANGUS ASSOCIATION CATEGORIES

There are 4 Categories in the Red Angus Association of America:

Category 1A

Category 1B

Category II

Category III

What is required for registration in each of these categories?

Category 1A

To be eligible for Category 1A registration, calves must be 100 percent Red Angus. The calf must be solid red in color and polled with no disqualifying characteristics (See Rules and Regulations, Section C4). Birthdate, permanent tattoo, and actual weaning weight and date weighed are required.

Category 1B

To be eligible for Category 1B registration, calves must be from 87 percent to and including less than 100 percent Red Angus and the parents must be registered. The calf must be solid red in color and polled with no disqualifying characteristics (See Rules and Regulations, Section C4). Birth date, permanent tattoo, and actual weaning weight and date weighed are required.

Category II

To be eligible for Category II, calves must be equal to or greater than 87% up to

and including 100% Red Angus blood content having one or more disqualifying

characteristics. (See Rules and Regulations, Section C5).

Category III

Calves that are less than 87% Red Angus blood content. (See Rules and Regulations,

Section C6).

Total Herd Reporting

Historically, many beef breed genetic evaluations were based on progeny weaned and/or registered and did not require that data be recorded from females that failed to reproduce or whose progeny were not registered. By contrast, inventory based Total Herd Reporting (THR) requires collection of annual production and performance records on all cattle within a herd.

Total Herd Reporting (THR) is a simple, straightforward system designed to promote collection of performance records on all registered Red Angus cattle produced. It does not, however, seek to control which animals will be registered. That remains a decision of individual breeders.Ý With THR, performance records (or disposal codes) are required on all calves produced by each breeder, but whether any or all of those calves receive registration papers is the breederís decision. Rather than a calf-based fee structure that discourages complete reporting, the THR fee, or annual assessment, is charged on each animal in the breeding herd. Payment of the annual assessment on a cow entitles the cow owner (breeder) to register one calf born to the cow during a 12-month period and to transfer that calf to a new owner if the transfer occurs before the animal reaches 24 months of age, if a female or 30 months of age, if a male. ET birth calves are charged equivalent fees. Payment of the assessment on a bull entitles the bull owner to register calves sired by that bull and to purchase A.I./non-owner bull permits for that bull (if otherwise entitled).

Major benefits of THR include:

1. Complete reporting improves the quality of the EPDs on all Red Angus cattle.

2. Free transfers of current-year calves will ensure more complete reporting of transfers. Improved identification of bull owners increases the likelihood of participation in marketing programs and the feeder calf certification program thereby increasing marketing opportunities for Red Angus commercial cattle and subsequent demand for Red Angus seedstock.

3. Total Herd Reporting is a prerequisite for herd-reproduction and production management calculations. These calculations are meaningless with incomplete reporting.

Under Total Herd Reporting, members will pay a single annual assessment on each animal of ìassessment age.î Males and females of all categories (IA, IB, II, III) will be assessed a fee. In addition to animal assessments, membership dues will assessed.

Assessment Age

Assessment age is defined as females at least 16 months of age and males at least 30 months of age or older on the date of inventoryóSpring calving: January 1; Fall calving: July 1.

Payment of the annual assessment makes that animal ìactiveî for the following 12 months and entitles the breeder to: 1) register one calf born to each female during that 12-month period; and 2) transfer that calf to a new owner if the transfer occurs before the animal reaches 24 months of age, if female, or 30 months, if male.

… Assessment paid on a bull allows the owner to register calves sired by that bull and purchase non-owner bull permits from the Association for that bull. The bull permit fee remains a separate charge.

… Bulls under assessment age that are kept for sale will not be assessed. However, annual assessments must be paid on bulls that are younger than 30 months of age on the inventory date before any progeny can be registered or A.I./non-owner bull permits purchased. Only a member may release non-owner bull permits and an annual assessment must be paid before A.I./Non-Owner Bull permits are purchased.

… Cattle entering the inventory during the 12 months following the inventory date will be charged the full annual assessment.

Note: A.I. sires will be assessed as they become parents of recorded calves, if not assessed previously during the current year. Association rules require that A.I. sires be blood or DNA typed prior to their use.

Transfer Of Cattle On Inventory

Transfers of cattle "on inventory", i.e., of assessment age, are charged current fees. The first transfer of a young animal not yet on inventory is not charged the transfer fee, but will be charged the monthly surcharge if not transferred within two months of the sale date as described above. Subsequent transfers of young animals will be charged the same fees as cattle "on inventory".

Joint Owners

Any joint owner wishing to register and transfer progeny from a jointly owned parent, or sign non-owner bull permits for a sire during the subsequent year must pay an annual assessment.

Leased Animals

Assessments on leased animals will be charged to the lessee. If the lessor(s) and lessee(s) each desire to have an animal appear on their inventories and receive information on that animal and its current progeny, each must pay the annual assessment.

ET Calves

An assessment fee must be paid on each ET calf unless the recipient dam is "active" (i.e., current year assessment already paid), in which case no additional assessment is due. If the annual assessment on the donor dam has been paid, the owner of the donor dam is allowed one calf registration, whether natural or ET. Conditions governing registrations and transfers on these calves will be identical to those for single, natural-birth calves. Assessments paid on ET calves entitles the breeder to transfer the calf to a new owner at no additional charge if the transfer occurs before 24 months of age if a female or 30 months of age if a male.

Multiple-Birth Calves

In the case of multiple births; twins, triplets, etc., no additional assessment beyond the cowís annual assessment will be incurred on a dam.

Tracking Recipient and Foster Dams

Breeders are encouraged to submit registration numbers and/or animal identification on all recipient and foster dams. Future enhancements to our National Cattle Evaluations may allow calculation of EPDs on ET and multiple-birth calves.

Total Herd Reporting Requirements

During each 12-month period one of the following must be received for each cow on inventory:

… A calf record with all required information, including a disposal code for calves that die before weaning

… A disposal code for the cow

… A reason code for the cowís failure to produce a calf (e.g., open, embryo transfer program, moved to the next calving season).

Any cow on inventory will be inactivated unless one of these three items is reported. A reactivation fee will be required for reinstatement. If a cow goes off a memberís inventory and subsequently reappears in later years, the reinstatement fee plus the current year annual assessment will be required to reinstate the cow. Cattle may also be inactivated by the Association if a memberís account becomes delinquent. The per head reactivation fee will be charged on each inactivated animal that is reactivated, even if the animal is sold to a new owner.

If the calf dies before weaning, the breeder is required to provide the appropriate calf disposal code plus sire information, calf sex, birth date, mating, color, and HPS code.

Bulls can be inactivated and reactivated without charge. Current year assessments will be required before progeny can be registered or permits purchased. Date of death will be required on dead bulls to terminate natural service registrations at the appropriate time. AI permit purchases will have no time limit as long as the annual assessment is paid.

Adjusted weights, ratios, and EPD calculations are part of services received through the THR program. A memberís herd EPD report is mailed out to all members in January or February at no charge. Additional herd EPD reports will continue as a separate charge.

Breeding Herd Inventory

An annual inventory will be sent from the breed association to the breeder in December or early January for spring calving herds (January 1^st ‚June 30^th) and in June for fall calving herds (July 1^st ‚December 31^st). Breeders will identify those animals to be removed from inventory, add new animals of breeding age not found on the inventory report (e.g., new purchases, leased animals, etc.), and return the completed inventory report to the national office. Do not mark animals which have been or will be transferred with a disposal code. The transfer will remove an animal from inventory. These inventories will list all animals the breeder will be collecting production data on for the next 12 months.

The two-inventory system described above is recommended over single inventory systems that encompass both calving seasons. To identify which cattle will be expected to calve in the coming year, the two-inventory times, spring and fall, allow breeding inventories to be determined when cows are at the same relative stage of production ‚ regardless of calving season. The inventory times, January for spring calving and June for fall calving, are desirable because they follow weaning and pregnancy testing but precede the peak of the calving season. This allows both reproduction and production to be tracked in a uniform manner.

A member may have both spring-calving and fall-calving herds. The member may move cattle from one herd to another by designating the move as a reason code (moved to Next Calving Season) on the inventory report. Bulls may be carried on either inventory ‚ as long as the assessment is paid before any calves are registered.

Breeders must complete and report herd inventories to the association on a set schedule. The objective is to record performance data from the entire herd. Therefore, the fee assessment structure must encourage complete and unbiased reporting of data. Inventory based THR, 1) removes all financial disincentives to submitting complete production and performance data; 2) encourages producers to maintain an accurate active inventory; and 3) promotes the registration and transfer of seedstock destined for use in commercial production.

Winter/Summer Calving

Having animals move back and forth from Spring to Fall inventory is a problem for members who winter/summer calve.Ý For herds affected by this problem, a system was developed that allows a 45 day window of opportunity for those animals that calve 45 days prior to or 45 days after their respective Spring and Fall inventories.Ý For example, a spring inventory female may calve December of one season and then in January of the next calving season.

Members who take advantage of this system will need to designate on their respective Spring/Fall inventories "45 day window" for notation to the national office. An example of dates would be - designated Spring herds could calve as early as November 15^th of the previous year - designated Fall herds could calve as late as February 15^th of the following year.

Compute Option

The Compute option can be used by breeders who do not wish to register calves but want to record data. Non-owner Bull Permits will not be required on computed calves. The Compute option fee is charged per calf record submitted and is intended for progeny data from commercial cattle in grading-up programs, or animals from other breeds or registries. Examples would include records on calves from commercial dams sired by registered Red Angus bulls, or records on black Angus calves who are contemporary grouped. with Red Angus calves and whose parents are registered with the American Angus Association or the Canadian Angus Association. All complete records on Computed animals will be entered into the Association database and used in the National Cattle Evaluation and other performance calculations.

No Performance Certificates will be issued on computed animals, and they will not have EPDs.

Progeny of cows registered in the Herdbooks of the Red Angus Association may be entered in the Compute option in order to avoid using non-owner bull permits on poorer quality calves that the breeder feels are not worthy of registration. . However, no adjustment will be made on the assessment charged on the dams of such calves.

TOTAL HERD REPORTING ANNUAL SCHEDULE

Spring Calving	Fall Calving	Event
January 1	June 1	The Association sends each member a preliminary inventory based on the previous yearís inventory plus disposal and transfer information reported to the Association by this date. Barnsheets will be included for yearling age animals.
January 31	June 30	Member returns the inventory to the Association with all changes, additions and corrections.
March 15	August 15	Association sends "No Progeny Application Report" to those members who have cows without either a calf record or reason code.
April 15	September 15	ìNo Progeny Application Reportî due back to Association.
May 15	November 15	Association will send a preprinted inventory to determine a memberís yearling heifer inventory. Member indicates breeding season dates, exposure information, contemporary group designation, and disposal information.
July 1	December 1	Association sends billing report for annual THR assessments based on your herd inventory. This is billed at 20% per month July through November for Spring calving herds, and December through April for Fall calving herds. Members with less than 8 animals will be billed the total amount in July or December. the full amount.
August 15	February 15	Member returns the heifer exposure inventory to the Association with all exposure and disposal information.
November 30	April 30	THR assessment must be paid in full by this date.

how to register a calf

To register a calf, the following information must be submitted on the Registration Application/Report, registrations via the website or through an electronic program compatible with RAAA.

Registration Application/Report

The following are detailed instructions for the Registration Application/Report. Always use appropriate codes when necessary.

Dam Data (box 1-16)

… Pre-listed Registration Application/Reports will list your active registered dams that appear on your inventory. If any of your dams are left off, just add them: see next step.

… If the worksheet is blank, use the damís registration number.

… If the dam is registered in another Association use the registration number and universal breed code. A photocopy of the pedigree must accompany the calf's registration application to verify cow ownership.

… If dams are non-registered, use breed(s) and percentage(s). Please use appropriate Universal Breed Association Codes (refer to universal codes list in the Appendix, AP13). For example: HH 100% indicates the dam is 100% Horned Hereford. AR 50% and SA 50% indicates the dam is 50% Red Angus and 50% Saler. If the entire known breed type does not equal 100%, please use XX (unknown) for the remaining percentage.

Reason Code (box 13): If there is no calf record or disposal code this year, enter the appropriate Reason Code (1-5).

Sire Data (box 17-24)

… Use the sireís registration number.

… If the sire is registered in another Association, use his registration number and universal breed code. Enclose a photocopy of his pedigree to verify ownership.

… If the calf is produced by a multiple sire group, a list on the proper multiple sire form of all bulls in the multiple sire group and their registration numbers must accompany the calf's registration. Reporting of multiple sire groups aids in more accurate EPD calculations on resulting progeny.

… If a non-registered sire is used, list the breed(s) and percentage(s). Please use appropriate universal breed codes list (AP 13). For example: HH 100% indicates the sire is 100% Horned Hereford. AR 50% and SA 50% indicates the sire is 50% Red Angus and 50% Saler. If the entire breed type is not known to calculate 100%, please use XX (unknown) for the remaining percentage.

… A calf produced by a non-owned sire will require an A.I./ Non-owner Bull Permit from the owner of the bull. If a Breeding Service Record was issued when the female was purchased, please submit the record with the calf's registration application. The A.I./Non-owner Permit may accompany the calf's registration application. Exceptions are: 1) family owned bulls, 2) lease agreements on sires, or 3) females bought bred to a sire owned by the seller. Females bought bred to a bull that was not owned by the seller will still require bull permits from the owner of the bull used.

Calfís Disposal Code (box 25)

The following codes are to be used for calves that died between conception and yearling. Please use the number listed below that corresponds to the reason for the disposal.

2 = Stillborn/full term

3 = Died at birth due to a birth defect

4 = Died at birth for other reasons

5 = Born alive, but died before weaning due to disease

6 = Born alive, but died before weaning due to other reasons

7 = Died after weaning due to disease

8 = Died after weaning due to other reasons

Calf Tattoos (box 26-27)

The calf's tattoos: left ear number, right ear breeder prefix (breeder prefix may already be listed).

Birth Date of Calf (box 29)

The calf's birth date (Month/Day/Year)

Sex Of Calf (box 30)

Codes for calf's sex:

1 = Bull

2 = Heifer

3 = Steer

On weaning worksheets only, it is advisable to list steer calves as bulls unless they were cut prior to weaning.

Birth Weight Of Calf (box 32)

The calf's actual birth weight, only if weighed within 24 hours following birth. If the calf was not weighed, leave blank.

Calf's Birth Management Group (box 33)

A contemporary group should consist of calves of the same sex and that were raised under the same management and environmental conditions.

… All calves that are treated alike and have the same opportunity to perform should be included in the same management group.

… Calves from two-year-old heifers and cows will be ratioed together at birth, but not at weaning.

… Bulls and heifers will automatically be ratioed separately.

… The maximum age range for a management group is 90 days.

Calfís Twin Code (box 37)

Twins or calves of multiple births are eligible for registration providing all registration requirements are met, and the application for registration must indicate the calf is a twin, or of other multiple birth. Please note that in a vast majority of twinnings, a female born with a bull is usually sterile; therefore it is recommended that these affected females (e.g;Ý Twin Code 2) be computed and not registered. When registering twins out of a non-owned sire, a bull permit is needed for each calf.

Codes for twins follows:

1 = single calf

2 = twin to bull

3 = twin to heifer

4 = other

Note: Twins will not receive ratios, and are considered "irregular."

Calf's Name (box</

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOTAL HERD REPORTING ANNUAL SCHEDULE