About Type Traits Appraisal
The American Jersey Cattle Association compiles and maintains animal identification and performance data on Jersey cattle and provides services that support genetic improvement and greater profitability through increasing the value of and demand for Registered Jersey™ cattle and genetics, and Jersey milk and milk products.
About the AJCA Type Appraisal Program
Evaluation of functional type traits in individual Jersey cows is one of the oldest, and most useful services provided by the American Jersey Cattle Association. The current program was introduced in 1980.
There are six Primary Features
- Biological traits, clearly defined, are evaluated on a linear scale.
- Using a numerical scale, traits are scored from one biological extreme to the other.
- Cows are scored early in their productive life in order to separate genetic from environmental effects.
- All similar-age contemporaries are evaluated.
- Evaluators do not know the sire of the cows being evaluated.
- Registered and unregistered Jerseys are evaluated.
Jersey type evaluation is not a program that “classifies” animals by comparing them to the “ideal Jersey.” Instead, it is a service that gives you unbiased information about the strengths and weaknesses of your cows.