CHAPTER 2, SECTION 3
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ANIMAL BREEDERS The National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) is a non-profit organization established in 1946 and dedicated to uniting individuals and organizations engaged in the artificial insemination (AI) of cattle and other livestock. NAAB, a member of USLGE, and its subsidiary Certified Semen Services (CSS) set industry standards for semen and sire health and identification — and ensure importers of U.S. livestock and genetics can buy with confidence. NAAB works with USDA to set and monitor quality standards, along with additional regulatory requirements that may be required at export. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Market Development and Market Access Programs provide funds to NAAB through U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc. (USLGE) to develop international markets for bovine semen. NAAB also plays an active role in attempting to standardize semen import requirements of other countries.
NAAB provides several genetic programs, including the Cross Reference Program, Calendar, the issuance of Stud Codes, the issuance of Marketing Codes and the NAAB Uniform Coding System for Identifying Semen. NAAB conducts various marketing and promotion programs to expand the use of AI in dairy and beef herds of the U.S. The organization also offers an extensive array of other educational, informational and reference materials. See Chapter 5 for how to read a semen straw and for more information, or visit www.naab-css.org.
NAAB’s members account for about 95 percent of the dairy cattle semen sales in the United States. These organizations, both private and farmerowned, are very competitive in the field. Under the NAAB umbrella, however, these organizations come together for the common good of the livestock industry to present a unified design for cattle improvement. Certified Semen Services (CSS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of NAAB. Formed in 1976, CSS is an objective auditing service developed by AI industry leaders through NAAB. CSS provides industry selfregulation in the areas of semen and sire health and identification.
U.S. Livestock and Genetics Partners and Resources
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National Association of Animal Breeders
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