Alta Introduces New Bull-Naming Protocol

A new bull naming protocol has been adopted, coinciding with the August proof update, Alta genetics has announced. The changes affecting all Alta-owned bull “Short Names” immediately, and “Full Registered” names over time, are being made to increase the uniqueness of the name a bull is known by in the market and to bring clarity to ownership while respecting the prefix of the breeder.

The Short Name an Alta-owned bull will be known by in the market will henceforth see the “Alta” added. For example, SUEDE becomes AltaSUEDE; BOSS becomes AltaBOSS; LUCKY MIKE becomes AltaLUCKY MIKE. The change is being applied primarily to reduce confusion between industry bulls with identical marketing Short Names. While Full Registered names for these bulls already in Alta’s marketing lineup will not be altered, all marketing materials will reflect this change where Short Names appear.

In time Full Registered names will also reflect this new naming protocol, Alta has stated. The intent is that bulls being sampled will be re-named with “Alta” added to the bull’s given name. An example, if he were a young bull today entering the stud, Latuch ROLEX would be re-named as Latuch AltaROLEX. Prefixes will remain the same, however this extra step will ensure that the Short Name used for marketing purposes is the same as what appears in the official registered name.

“Around the world, most bulls are most recognized by their given Short Name, yet it is not considered a ‘unique identifier’ for that individual in the same way as his registration number, stud code or full registered name are”, explains Paul Meyer, Alta’s Director of Marketing. “There are numerous examples where a bull’s given name has been changed to ensure a unique identity exist for him, however we also see quite a number of examples around the world where actively marketed bulls bear the same name. This creates unnecessary confusion and could be eliminated altogether if a bull’s short name were required to be unique to him. By adding Alta to the Short Name for a bull, not only is a unique identity created, producers will immediately know who the organization is that markets him”, reasons Meyer.

In North America, many producers know the bulls they use by stud code as opposed to Short Names - perhaps for the very reason of eliminating potential confusion. Still, in many countries around the world producers are much more likely to know individual bulls by their marketing Short Name. Moreover, outside of North America, stud codes are not used, which increases the likelihood that confusion will exist where more than one bull carries the same marketing name. For this reason, Alta’s naming protocol is believed to be producer-friendly, increasing clarity and eliminating the potential for mix-ups. While Alta is the first stud in North America or Europe to implement such a protocol, in Australia, a similar system has been in existence for nearly a decade which has been well received by both breeders and commercial milk producers.

Posted Aug 9th

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