Herd Assessments: What You Need to Know
The AGA practices total herd reporting (THR) and allows the association to get an accurate representation of what each female is doing in the herdbook. To go along with THR, the AGA’s fees are based on yearly one-rate herd assessment fees for all active females 13 months of age or older. With this herd assessment, the member is able to register a calf, log in data on the calf and cow, and transfer the animal. Females must have herd assessments for consecutive years in order to stay active. The current rate for a herd assessment is $25.00 if paid before March 15, 2021.

We have put together a list of frequently asked questions to help you get to know the AGA herd assessment a little better:
How do I complete my herd assessment?

Herd assessments can be completed by logging on to your account on the AGA Online Registry Service or by requesting a paper herd assessment be mailed to you. Members who do not have an online account set up or those who have selected the preference for a paper herd assessment should have received those papers earlier this month. If you would like a paper herd assessment mailed to you, please contact the AGA office at
303-465-2333.

If you choose to complete your herd assessments online, click below for a step-by-step tutorial of the process. 
Can I complete my herd assessments after March 15?

Herd assessments completed after the March 15 deadline will be subject to the late fees schedule below:

  • Assessments applied March 16-April 15        5% late penalty = $26.25 per female
  • Assessments applied April 16-May 15          10% late penalty = $27.50 per female
  • Assessments applied after May 16                15% late penalty = $28.75 per female

Members are encouraged to update their inventories and assess females prior to the March 15 deadline to avoid late penalties.

If you have non-AMGV females to add to your inventory, please contact the AGA office to get those females added to your account and proper herd assessments applied.
What happens if I do not pay my herd assessments?

If a female is not assessed for a year, she would need to be caught up for the years she has missed before being considered active again. A calf cannot be registered within the AGA registry without a proper herd assessment on the dam. Charges for catching a female up are paying a herd assessment plus late fees for every year she has been inactive up to three or more years.

  • Example: Cow 101D was assessed in 2018 but was not assessed in 2019 or 2020 and needs a 2021 herd assessment. The account would be charged: $25 (2021 Herd Assessment) + $28.75 (2019 Herd Assessment) + $28.75 (2020 Herd Assessment) = $82.50

If you have a female that has been inactive for three or more years, please contact the AGA office at 303 465-2333 or email [email protected].
Why is Total Herd Reporting Important?

As a part of the THR process, members are asked to either record a calf for every female assessed or record a reason code for why she did not have a calf in that year. Calves should be recorded and females should be reported for every year of that females’ productive life.

The AGA also encourages submission of phenotypic data which includes observational data like weights, temperament, calving ease, etc. It is important to take time for accurate data collection, such as making sure the scale is cleaned off, to ensure the data is truly representative of that animal. Contemporary groups are one of the most important aspects of an accurate genetic evaluation. Reporting information on entire contemporary groups is very important within expected progeny differences (EPDs) calculations and helps make the EPDs more reflective of the animal’s performance potential.

Total herd reporting is meant to improve the collection of performance information on all active animals and therefore helps to improve the accuracy for the AGA database. More accurate data fulfills the association’s ultimate goal of providing commercial producers with information they can effectively utilize and trust.

For questions regarding herd assessments, total herd reporting, or recording data, please contact the AGA office at 303-465-2333 or email [email protected].
American Gelbvieh Association | 303-465-2333 | [email protected]