Official ADGA Linear Appraisal (LA) Committee 2004 Year End Report
Committee members: Allen Bitter, Lynn Benedict, Jennifer Lynn Bice, Kristina Bozzo-Baldenegro, Sally Callahan, Patricia Dean, Cam Faircloth, Lynn Fleming, Ed Jodlowski, Joan Dean Rowe, DVM, and Robin Saum.
A summary of the year:
The Chairman developed the 2004 LA schedule at the request of Ass'n Mgr Shirley McKenzie soon after the 2003 Convention. Changes were made to the application to facilitate schedule planning. The application and schedule appeared in the 4th (2003) and 1st (2004) quarter issues of News & Events. This is the second year this has been done and apparently a very high percentage of the participants are pleased to (tentatively) know when their session is scheduled and the appraiser assigned.
LAer Sheila Nixon with encouragement of the chair and assistance from Pres. Considine developed a contract for the potential Mexican appraisal work. The Mexican contacts have yet to follow through with that request but have recently made a smaller request.
A Training Session was held in southern Wisconsin in March for potential appraisal candidates. Host farms were Daniel Considine's and Aaron Dooley's. We appreciated the hospitality of both of these members. Attending as candidates was Marsha Gustafson, Rene' DeLeeuw and Jennifer Lohman-Peterson and Luis Portilla also participated. Sheila Nixon and Eric Jermain were the Trainers. Committee members assisting were Allen Bitter as Chairman, Sally Callahan as Animal Manager and Lynn Fleming. Rene' DeLeeuw and Marsha Gustafson were invited by the committee members participating to the Refresher Session to continue training in 2004.
The Appraisers' Refresher Session was hosted by Patricia Dean at Bellbrook, Ohio. The hospitality was excellent and the weather was superb! Sheila Nixon, Betty Henning, Lelia Berry, John White and Steve Richter attended as appraisers with Eric Jermain, appraiser, joining the group for the last half day. Marsha Gustafson attended as a trainee. Committee members participating were Allen Bitter, Sally Callahan, Cam Faircloth, Robin Saum and Patti Dean as Animal Manager. Also assisting was Phil Cassette (at no cost to the Association) with the Chairman's approval. Benchmark testing was used with the first and last groups of goats appraised. This provided an objective way to evaluate the appraisers and the trainee. After the RS and after evaluating the testing the participating committee members approved Marsha Gustafson for field training.
Marsha Gustafson was hired as an ADGA Linear Appraiser after receiving the full and enthusiastic support of the field training appraisers, Betty Henning and Lelia Berry.
The Chairman worked at training ADGA Office employee Penny Albert in trip scheduling. Penny planned most of John White's, Eric Jermain's and Steve Richter's trips with the assistance of the Chairman and (after she was hired) Performance Program Coordinator Lisa Shepard. Penny has grasped many of the important concepts and continues to need assistance and oversight. Lisa Shepard received training in trip scheduling as well and planned several trips with the assistance of the Chairman. Lisa's trip planning skills have progressed rapidly to where she can plan trips without assistance and with little oversight.
Upon contract agreement and signing Lisa Shepard began work as Performance Program Coordinator on May 5. In the five months since she has been most helpful in providing assistance to the Linear Appraisal program. Lisa has been especially valuable in assisting Penny, member relations and working with IT. She also helped Penny plan trips and planned trips herself even though this was not clearly stated in her contract.
An individual from Canada expressed interest in ADGA Linear Appraisal. According to President Considine we have an agreement with the Canadian Goat Society not to appraise in Canada.
We had a (last minute) request to appraise in Brazil this fall which could not be pursued because it needs Board action. We hoped for some follow up for future planning but have yet to receive further communication.
An individual from Alaska inquired about appraisal but lost interest when the costs involved were explained. We have appraised in Alaska when the trip was included with an appraiser's judging assignment and the costs apportioned. Apparently the member that contacted us this year was unaware of this type of planning to make the trip affordable. The timing of the request was late ($60 fee time period) which did not help the situation this year.
Appraisal trips were successfully completed to all areas of the country utilizing all 2004 Linear Appraisers (Sheila Nixon, Eric Jermain, Stephen Richter, John White, Elizabeth Henning, Lelia Berry and Marsha Gustafson). Several trips were planned much later than expected because of timing problems with training and appraiser availability. Two trips had to be rescheduled because of personal issues. A very limited number of member issues arose which again involved unfamiliarity with the program scoring, schedule time expectations and financial constraints under which the program operates.
Requests for Board Action pending committee discussion and vote; details to be provided in a supplementary report at the Annual Meeting:
1. A: Slight change in application due dates to match up with annual dues due date.
1. B: Policy change to provide for carry forward of application if ADGA is unable to schedule the member in the original application year and accompanying $5 increase in the initial application fee period to offset Office processing costs of applications.
1. C: Clarify Office billing policy on Host herds.
1. D: Require applicants to indicate young stock numbers on the application to try to ensure there will be time in the schedule to score the young stock. Schedule planning usually must be done before currently owned lists are returned or the appraiser arrives at the location to appraise.
2: Clarify in Guidebook the Performance Programs, including LA, are only available to members.
3: Indefinitely suspend preparation and printing of Performance Volumes as the Internet has become the members' choice of accessing this information.
4: Discontinue Training Sessions for potential appraisers as they traditionally have been done (Stand alone function over a weekend at considerable cost to ADGA and candidates). Substitute a program somewhat similar to JTC at the beginning of each or every other ADGA Convention for general benefit of program. Use this program to identify potential appraiser candidates to be invited for further training at the Refresher Sessions, etc.
5: Increase appraisers' salary schedules to provide modest yet meaningful salary increases.
6: Guidebook clarification: Recommend to the BOD to add the following language in section G, LA Scoring: Adult animals can be scored Excellent (E) with young stock being designated Extremely Correct (EC) for similar quality.
And possibly more requests for Board action from a joint Performance Programs Committees meeting on 10/24/04 and a Linear Appraisal Committee meeting on 10/25/04.
Financial and numerical participation Reports are being prepared by Lisa Shepard, Performance Program Coordinator and Penny Albert, Performance Programs Clerk.
An update and rewrite of the Linear Appraisal Booklet remains pending.
The program continues to need qualified Linear Appraiser candidates.
Some measurements for Nigerian Dwarfs will be actual measurements and not converted to a linear scale for several years until adequate data exists to establish a scale.
Questions and comments are welcome at anytime. Email or telephone is best.
Allen Bitter, Chairman
ADGA Linear Appraisal Committee
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