AN OVERVIEW
The purpose of the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) as defined by its By-Laws is "...to unite those individuals and organizations engaged in the artificial insemination of cattle and other livestock into an affiliated federation operating under self-imposed standards of performance and to conduct and promote the mutual interest and ideals of its members." This excerpt portrays the scope and purpose of NAAB, a non-profit organization, established in 1946.
NAAB's twenty-eight members account for about 95 percent of the dairy cattle semen sales in the United States. These organizations, both private and farmer-owned, are very competitive in the field. Under the NAAB umbrella, however, these organizations come together for the common good of the livestock industry to present a unified design for cattle improvement.
Certified Semen Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of NAAB. Formed in 1976, CSS is an objective auditing service developed by responsible AI industry leaders through NAAB. CSS provides industry self-regulation in the areas of semen and sire health and identification.
NAAB provides several genetic programs, including the Cross Reference Program, (Calendar), the issuance of Stud Codes, the issuance of Marketing Codes and the NAAB Uniform Coding System for Identifying Semen.
The National Association of Animal Breeders conducts various marketing and promotion programs to expand the use of AI in dairy and beef herds of the U.S. These include writing brochures, news releases and articles.
The National Association of Animal Breeders also offers an extensive array of other educational, informational and reference materials.
The Foreign Market Development and Market Access Programs provide funds to NAAB through U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., to develop international markets for bovine semen. NAAB also plays an active role in attempting to standardize semen import requirements of other countries.
NAAB holds events on a regular basis including the NAAB Biennial Technical Conference on Artificial Insemination and Reproduction, the NAAB Annual Convention, and from time to time a Dairy Genetics Workshop and a Beef Symposium.