American Dairy Goat Association Records

Collection

Identifier: MS0259

Staff Only

Content Description

The American Dairy Goat Association Records include registration records of dairy goats, meeting minutes, and publications. The majority of the collection consists of ADGA office records organized alphabetically by goat herd name, then by goat name. Cards include information on registration number, owners, breeders, records of transfer, and additional categories. Animal owners retain the official registration certificate. Also included are publications of the American Dairy Goat Association, the American Milk Goat Record Association, and the Nubian Milk Goat Register. Information in the collection is useful for researchers to track pedigrees.

Dates

Creation: 1914-2000
Creation: Majority of material found within 1928-1950

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Organizational History

The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) was organized in 1904 to collect, record, and preserve the pedigrees of dairy goats and to provide genetic, management, and related services to dairy goat breeders.

Biographical / Historical

The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) was founded in 1904 under the name of American Milch Goat Record Association. The Association’s first herd book was published in 1914. In 1944, the organization was registered by the State of Missouri as the American Milk Goat Record Association (AMGRA), a non-profit corporation. It adopted its present name in 1965.

The organization’s headquarters were located in Elyria, Ohio in 1953 when Robert W. Soens was appointed Secretary-Treasurer. In 1959, the office was relocated to Mr. Soens’ residence in Bostic, North Carolina. It was at this location that the ADGA’s animal and herd registration records were maintained. As the registry grew, it required more space and the current building site in Spindale, North Carolina was purchased in 1963.

ADGA collects, records, and preserves the pedigrees of dairy goats and provides genetic, management and related services to dairy goat breeders. Since its inception the association has registered over one million animals. ADGA has funded efforts to improve the public perception of dairy goats and dairy goat products. The organization sponsored the first Dairy Goat Awareness Day in 1986. As part of that celebration, then-Secretary of Agriculture, Richard E. Lyng, accepted six baby goats as a gift from members of ADGA to the school children of America. Each year since then, one week in June has been designated Dairy Goat Awareness Week.