As seen and heard at Ag Progress Days

ROCK SPRINGS, Pa. — With his glasses resting on the tip of his nose and a gleam in his eyes, William Ile had this to ask:

“How many things in agriculture have lasted 75 years and still have the same impact by doing the same thing?”

“The dairy industry has changed an awful lot over all these years but aAa has consistently delivered without changing,” he said, nodding for emphasis.

For those who may not know him, William — who also answers to the name of Bill — is a passionate analyzer for Animal Analysis Associates (aAa), founded 75 years ago by Bill Weeks, a Vermont dairy farmer. To this day, his observances about cows’ body structures and functions remain true. You can breed accordingly … by the numbers, in fact.

Not index numbers. Not genomic numbers. Not classification scores. Not production records. It’s simple as 1-2-3-4-5-6 and as reliable as tomorrow’s sunrise.

Explaining the system was a pleasant routine for Bill during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, held August 12-14 at the University’s research farm. What’s more, he was excited to introduce the founder’s granddaughter to this reporter, describing her as every bit as sharp as Bill Weeks himself.

Indeed, Karen Sherman is “on fire’’ about her grandfather’s work and proud to be a part of the 75-year-old family business. She knows it backwards and forwards and can enthusiastically “lecture’’ about her subject matter as though she has it all memorized — which is undoubtedly the case. It’s her passion.

Owned today by Bill Week’s daughter Mary and her husband David Dransfield, aAa   is a classic family business with Karen representing the third generation.

“My mother runs it,” Karen said. “She was a nurse but took the business over after retiring from that job.

“I grew up next door to grandpa and spent a lot of time on the farm with him,” she went on. “I love the farm and all things dairy. Her passion was fueled by numbers, in this case not exactly the aAa numbers, but cow-related production data. “I got to know the business from the inside out,” she proclaimed with a sense of pride, a delightful smile and obvious happiness. “It’s my whole passion,” she affirmed.

“My grandfather saw something that no one else did. He was incredibly curious and found that form determines function. He applied his theories in his own herd first and they turned out to be true. That’s how the concept of ‘balanced breeding’ was born,” Karen pointed out.

“It has stood the test of time,” Bill Ile expressed in a tone and facial expression like it was gospel. “Breeding for balance by number is what it’s about.”

Each of the six aAa numbers describe form and function and all six numbers are needed for a balanced cow because they are all connected.

Typically, numbers 1 through 3 are the ‘sharp’ characteristics about how the cow will milk and reproduce, while numbers 4 through 6 are the ‘round’ characteristics for how she will live.

Those first three numbers look at dairy qualities, such as a feminine head, long neck, long sweeping rib toward the udder, and a foreudder with capacity to store more milk.

“If a cow lacks female dairy qualities, she may not produce enough female hormone and feminine characteristics to milk and to breed,” explained Bill, whose name has become synonomous with aAa.

The aAa system works in any and all herds, no matter their size, breed or management style. Those who use it swear by it like it’s an oath. It’s logical.

Bulls — quite logically — are also assigned aAa numbers by certified aAa representatives in order to make this “mating-by-the-numbers’’ system work.

The aAa system is a guide that identifies the qualities a cow needs and those that a bull could bring into the picture.

“Just enter the cow’s numbers, enter the bulls that you selected, and the system helps match what you picked,” said Bill, noting that there is a central database for analyzed bulls. The aAa bull committee sees them before they are released.

“If you see bulls without aAa numbers, call the stud. If you push for it, more bulls will get done,” he said.

In summarizing, Karen said: “Herds using aAa analyzers and the aAa-Weeks system as a guide in their breeding decisions have fewer problems, older cows, better form and function, are more trouble-free of costly problems and thrive under many different dairy management systems.”

Editor’s Note: This article serves as an introduction to a series of columns we have asked Karen Sherman to write to more fully explain the aAa system. As noted in the article, she is the founder’s granddaughter and is every bit as knowledgeable and sharp as Bill Weeks himself. She is “on fire’’ about her grandfather’s work and proud to be a part of the 75-year-old family business. Please look for her column in upcoming editions of Farmshine.