Addition of Polled semen to the ADCA from England:
AGM July 17, 1993 - White River Junction, Vermont
Officers: Pres- Phil Martz Sr, VP- Harry Julian, Sec/Treas/Registrar - Rosemary Fleharty
Board MembersPresent: 1- Jim Mitchell, 2-Sandi Thomas, 3- Bonnie Boudreau, 4- Mary Springer, 7- Jim Johnson, , 9-Wes Patton, 11-Sophia Stillerman, 12- Amy Record, 13- W.B. Goodson
Absent: 5- Sylvia Stan, 6- George Branson, 8- Ernst Gulzau, 10- Cliff Heistad,
Directors at Large: Donna Hutchinson, Jim Moody
Carol Davidson requested the BOD accept semen from a polled bull from England.
A handwritten letter was presented claiming the bull was the result of a mutation. We were told the animal had been accepted & registered in England.
The motion was denied. The discussion and decision revealed the desire of the BOD was to keep the Horned Dexter status w/o the Polled intrusion….mutation or not.
AGM June 11, 1994 - Chico California
Officers: Pres- Wes Patton, VP- Amy Record, Sec/Treas/Registrar - Rosemary Fleharty
Board Members Present: 1- Jim Mitchell, 2-Sandi Thomas, 3- Bonnie Boudreau, 4- Mary Springer, 7- Jim Johnson, 9-John Hays, 11- Kathleen Smith, 12- Vacant.
Absent:VP Amy Record, 5- Sylvia Stan, 6- George Branson, 8- Ernst Gulzau, 10- Phil Martz Sr, 13- Jim Nerenhausen
Directors at Large: Carol Davidson, SophiaStillerman
Note: Soon after arrival in Chico for the 1994 meeting I was approached by Dean Fleharty and was told the decision made by the BOD regarding the polled bull semen at last year’s AGM had been overturned on advise of an Attorney. The bull had been accepted and was already registered.
The Director's were informed at the Friday evening’s BOD Meeting that our decision from the year before had been “overturned” , there wouldn’t be any further discussion about it, the subject was closed.
Offspring from Platinum, born (prior to this AGM announcement) in April & May 1994 had already been recorded in the ADCA Registry (not published at the time of the 1994 meeting)
The record of Saltaire Platinum offspring up to 3/1/1999 are pasted here:
Llanfair’s Polgaron, 1st polled son of Platinum registered, born 5/18/94, produced by Breeder Fred Chesterly, was sold to Wes Patton then ADCA President, and was collected for A.I.
The Dexter Cattle Society of England have their registration records posted on-line now. A search of Saltaire Platinum’s pedigree finds an Appendix C female in his 7th generation. “C036”. (a Jersey - horned breed- is reported as the foundation of this appendix lineage ) . C036's daughter #F08557 Doesmead Bettsie is registered as a purebred.
An inquiry to the Dexter Cattle Society of England resulted in an pedigree copy of Godstone Esmeralda (Platinum’s Grandam) showing a 4 generation fully registered pedigree page. (from Secretary Sue Archer on 9/11/13.) Esmeralda was polled registered from 2 horned parents.
APPENDIX program in England:
In the English Appendix program “A”, “B”, and “C” were the identifiers for the cross/upgrading using only registered Dexter bulls bred to a female of another breed to start out. Only the female offspring produced were recognized and registered.
“A” is the female offspring from a registered Dexter bull bred to an “Other Breeds” cow (=1/2 Dexter),
“B” is the female offspring of a registered “A” female bred to a registered Dexter bull (=3/4 Dexter),
“C” is the female offspring of a registered “B” female bred to a registered Dexter bull (=7/8 Dexter).
When the “C” female produced a heifer calf from a registered Dexter bull the female calf was registered w/o appendix reference and accepted into the English Herd Books as a purebred Dexter, “F”+# indicates female in the records “M” +# indicates males. (Males weren't accepted into the Appendix - only Females)
The Appendix method of registration was discontinued in 2004 (according to Sue Archer Secretary Dexter Society of England 9/11/13) and is no longer practiced in England. The animals in the existing herd books from the program are still recognized.
The Dexter breed was listed as an Endangered Species in the 1970’s. The favored breeding for the appearance of the Chondrodysplasia carriers (the only Dexters seen in the English Show ring) had resulted in the declining population numbers.
The Dexter Cattle Society of England decided to accept a bull from upgraded status for registration and collected him for AI use in an attempt to bring up the live birth numbers. The bull was Aberdeen Angus /Jersey and Dexter. His offspring were identified with an “E” preceding the registration number from the semen. (“E”=experimental). If a female was listed as E56C she would have been from the Experimental bull semen and her Dam would have been a”B” Appendix cow.
From papers presented by Andrew Sheppy, World Congress 2002:
The first Experimental bull was Atlantic Anchor out of an Aberdeen Angus/Jersey cross cow by a pedigree Dexter bull, His son, Atlantic Finbar, born in 1966, was made available by AI.
Sheppy contends that another important AI sire, Templeton Michaelmouse Squeak, was also descended from an upgraded cow line with a Jersey foundation.
The “Experimental” program failed because the bull chosen for the A.I. Program was also a Chondrodysplasia Carrier.
Most of the Dexters imported into the U.S. & Canada were originally registered in England. England followed their own accepted use of Appendix and Experimental regulations for registration at the time of or before their importation to the U.S. &/or Canada.
The usage and history of the Appendix and Experimental registrations weren’t common knowledge within the ADCA. I personally wasn’t aware of either registration procedure until 1989. It was very difficult to get information about the history. The ADCA Secretary told us she didn’t know what those numbers were (ie: E56C). The Secretary of the Canadian Association at the time contacted England and shared her findings with us. The ADCA Secretary later requested information from England and published her response from England in her “Letter from the Secretary” in the November – December Bulletin 1993 (old issues are now posted on the ADCA Website).
Technology has advanced tremendously in the last 25 years! Internet communication and the availability of research on-line have opened doors and given us the ability to have information literally at our fingertips. . It’s hard to believe how difficult and expensive contacting others was such a short time ago.
The pedigrees of Dexters are now accessible in the US, Canada, New Zealand & England (perhaps other Countries as well). The herd books are now open to us to review and explore as never before. Owner listings & Association membership lists give us the opportunity to get in touch first hand with other Dexter breeders and share our experiences and knowledge.
Today we can find any type of Dexter we’re interested in…..and there are many choices within the Breed - Size, Body type, horned or polled, red, black or dun, carriers or non-carriers of PHA &/or Chondrodysplasia, tested or not tested for an ever growing list of DNA information. Going through this list of Dexter choices are current breeders and wannabees that have preferences of every possible combination available to them.
At the base of all is the Original Horned Black, smaller in size, dual purpose Dexter cow that some will always cherish and keep! It’s the freedom of choice that I believe draws so many to the Dexter….they have so much to give.
This original Dexter may become an “Endangered” or “Rare” species once again but I truly believe there are some of us breeders that will prevail and will not ever let that type become extinct.
In the end the inclusion of the polled semen and the addition of polled in the choices of the Dexter today was conducted by the ADCA under the rules of the day for registration.
