The North American Piedmontese Association
(NAPA) is a Washington, USA registered non-profit
Livestock Registry Association.
NAPA offers
Registry Services to Piedmontese breeders across
the USA and Canada.
Registration of cattle is a very important part
of Breed Improvement, as it allows breeders to
keep accurate records of pedigree so that they
may make informed selection in their breeding programs.
By registering the pedigree, birth date and permanent
tattoo - breeders have a formal record of "which
animal is which" in a herd. Breeders have
a reliable database to refer to, in case their
own records become confused or lost.
NAPA registry also confirms the presence
of the Piedmontese-specific Myostatin gene in the
registered stock, through requirements of DNA testing
for the gene. NAPA is the first Cattle Breed Registry
to base registration on a specific gene. This is
possible because the Piedmontese-specific myostatin
gene is present only in Piedmontese cattle. A simple
DNA test will confirm it.
NAPA is committed
to the preservation of the Fullblood Piedmontese
- by definition, a
100% pure animal tracing through registered pedigree
to original Italian stock and carrying 2 alleles
(homozygous) for Piedmontese-specific Myostatin.
The Piedmontese evolved in only one small part
of the world (northwest Italy) and the world population
of 100% Fullblood Piedmontese is very low. The
Fullblood Piedmontese animal is the unique genetic
package capable of revolutionizing beef production.
As we are all in the early stages of understanding
the connections and effects of the various genes
(including myostatin) that are involved in this
breed, NAPA believes it is critical to preserve
the Fullblood gene-pool. In NAPA, therefore, Fullblood
Registrations are maintained in a seperate category
from any and all 'crossbred' Piedmontese cattle.
NAPA does not utilize an "up-graded purebred" registration
format. Cattle are either registered as "Fullblood" (if
they meet that criteria) or as "Naturalean™ Piedmontese".
The Naturalean™ category of
registry is for Piedmontese cattle that carry some
other breed influence (cross bred) and/or cattle
that could have qualified for Fullblood registry,
but which cannot meet the requirements for registered
pedigree. (That is, a sire or dam was not registered,
or parentage cannot be verified) In all cases,
the cattle must be DNA test confirmed to carry
at least 1 copy of the Piedmontese-specific myostatin
gene. Naturalean™ Registration papers are
printed on grey paper - and carry the registration
number prefix of "N" or "NU".
The "NU" prefix indicates that the registered
pedigree information is in-complete. Fullblood
registrations are printed on white paper and registry
numbers do not have a prefix (except those indicating
ET, for Embryo Transplant, etc)
Naturalean
1-copy animals are deemed "RECORDED" and their
reg. number prefix states "RECORDED". Naturalean
2-copy animals are deemed "Registered".
NAPA is also very supportive of breeder's
desire to introduce genetic influences into the
Piedmontese from other breeds. The Naturalean category
of registry allows breeders great flexability in
their programs, while ensuring that the primary
genetic influence from the Myostatin gene is not
lost. Piedmontese breeders may crossbreed to introduce
polled or color genetic features...with the Naturalean
registration papers also indicating the level of
known Piedmontese blood (as a percentage, for example
50%, 75%, 99% etc) and clearly stating if the animal
carries 1 or 2 alleles for Myostatin. No animal
will be registered that does not carry at least
one Piedmontese-specific myostatin gene.
So, registering your stock is the
first step to long term breed improvement. Tattooing
your animals is essential to this process. A permanent
identification mark in the animal's ear allows
for tracing and verifying that animal. The tattoo
mark gives us 3 vital pieces of information: 1)
the owner at birth, 2) the number designation given
by the owner at birth, and 3) the year letter to
tell us how old the animal is. For full Instructions
On How and Why to Tattoo, click HERE.
NAPA membership
is available on an Annual basis, with members
receiving full services
through the calendar year, for the low fee of $70.(effective
Jan. 1, 2006) Members are eligible to vote on any
and all NAPA Bylaw changes, and to elect officials
to the 5 member Board of Directors. All voting
is done by mail-in ballot, so that everyone may
have their opinions counted, without the need to
personally attend meetings. For this reason, no "proxy
voting" is allowed. Each member receives one
vote - and additional votes based on the number
of NAPA registered animals that they own at the
time of the vote. For every 5 NAPA registered Fullblood
animals, and for every 10 Naturalean™ registered
animals, the member receives 1 additional vote;
capped to 20 additional votes. This means that
the maximum number of votes a member may have is
21. (Visit
this LINK to
view the NAPA By-Laws, in PDF file.) The
philosophy behind this "weighed vote" is
to correct the imbalance that exists between breeders
with lower numbers of cattle and those with larger
herds. In most breeds, there are significantly
more breeders who have less than 100 animals than
breeders with more than 100 head. The cattle industry
norm is to see the smaller breeders come and go
- while the larger breeders tend to remain in the
business. (The average "life span" of
a registered cattle breeder is some 7 years.) Therefore,
an association voting policy of "one membership
- one vote" will always favor the many smaller
breeders over the few larger breeders. NAPA has
endevoured to correct this by using the weighted
vote policy. However, note that the NAPA membership
is still comprised of a majority of 'smaller' breeders
(less than 50 Fullblood or Naturalean™ cattle),
as are most breed associations.
All new NAPA
members receive a complimentary Breed Video (also
available on DVD)- to use in their promotional
efforts. NAPA provides excellent support to breeders
to
promote the breed and their individual programs
through the regular magazine (subscription comes
with membership) and reasonably priced advertising
rates.
Check
out the Pedigree & Members
Search Engines pages ! To
find NAPA members by name or by State, and to
search for registered cattle by name or tattoo
or registry number...this Search Engine is a
valuable service offered by NAPA's Registry Office,
the CLRC.
Fee
Schedule Click this Link to go to
the NAPA Fee Schedule for all services from
membership to registry and animal transfers.
Printable
Forms Click this Link to go to the
page where you may access PDF file printable
forms, for Membership, animal registration
or DNA testing.
Questions or comments should be directed
to the NAPA Executive Director - Vicki Johnson
- at 306-329-8600 or by email to NAPA@yourlink.ca
