I am behind on my weekly blog post. I was busy cleaning pigeon pens yesterday and forgot about it. The good thing about the Hatching Time grated flooring is that I only have to clean the pens 3-4 times a year but that is also the bad thing about it as they definitely needed cleaned out
I wanted to focus this week’s message on the importance of supporting the ABA, APA and Breed Club Yearbooks. I have done this since the early 90’s as the yearbooks are a timestamp into our hobby and it’s how you mark your place in that history. Even when I had limited funds to advertise with. I at least put in a small ad just to let everyone I was still at it.
The cost of production of the yearbooks and rising postage costs make it even more important to support them. The ads help defer that cost and keep your dues down. The ABA board voted last November to keep their dues the same citing the current economic climate but wanted to promote and get more ads in the year book to keep its cost manageable.
No excuse not to do an ad. There are several brilliant ladies who have volunteered their graphic arts services to help you with an ad and their work is outstanding. I have yearbooks back to 1914 and the current ad layouts rival the great ones from the old Art Deco days!
Get on board and do an ad and take your place in exhibition poultry history. Promote your favorite breed, club or yourself!
I have been fairly busy in retirement. I agreed to serve as the ABA Vice President once again along with being their new Special Projects Coordinator. First order of business is an update and editing of Fred Jeffery’s book Bantam Chickens. This book is like the poultry bible to me so much reverence is being used in preservation of the historical information and adding the needed breed updates. I hope to get it to the publisher in March. I am also Chairman of the ABA Judges Licensing Committee and we are excited to have several new apprentices signed up and in the program. My committee, Jacob Bates, Anthony Ashley, and myself have worked very hard to revamp the written and show room testing to more reflect the use of the scale of points. The tests have been reviewed by those who take them as hard but fair. There is not a question on it I would not expect a judge of my birds to know! I am also Chairman of the APA Welfare,Grievance and Appeals Committee so I keep pretty busy.
I often hear online and in the show room folks complaining about things in the hobby. One common trend I find with complainers is that they do nothing to help the situation. Don’t like how it’s done, get off your butt and fix it. You have only failed when you have failed to try. I tell everyone the worst possible thing that can happen is for no one to care!
Have a good week and if the good Lord is willing, I will be back to rant and blog some more next Sunday!
Matt