July 2025 -ABA Happenings
Hello all
I would like to take a moment to honor a dear friend. Clell Agler of Ohio, most notably known as the leader of the Ohio National poultry show passed away this past month. Clell was not only a dear friend of mine, but more importantly of the ABA. I will miss my one-on-one brainstorming sessions in the morning on my way to work with him. Clell was there for me as a true friend in the fancy and for that I will be forever grateful not only for myself, but even more importantly for our ABA. He was a true voice of reason on some ideas that he thought were good and some that were not too good. Clell took the Ohio National and the entire hobby to heart and has, in my opinion, set up the largest poultry show in the US on a strong and stable path. I am certain he is watching over to see how it all goes.
There is exciting news on the horizon! The 2025 ABA Bantam Standard is in the final days and will be off to the printer shortly. We have put this on the top burner and will catch up on other business soon.
These will be available for pre-order at special pricing - $65 and a full mini version at $30. By the time you read this, this should be on our website as a pre-order item.
The committee has been hard at work pulling this all together. This edition celebrates the 60th anniversary of the ABA Bantam Standard. We have expanded the color section to include new pictures including artwork that was in previous editions. We have also included all inactive breeds and color patterns that are currently accepted by the ABA but rarely seen. This standard is truly fantastic, and I am really looking forward to its release. We print a good amount but not thousands, so I encourage everyone to get them while they are hot. As we all know, the Bantam Standard is considered the Gold Standard for all Bantam breeders, and we make changes and additions on a regular basis. It is simply imperative that we all have the most up to date edition as part of our library. Let 2025 be the year of the ABA Bantam Standard!
As if this was not enough, we are also pulling together your 2025 ABA yearbook. This is in the works and is planned to ship in August. A huge thank you goes out directly to Kim Munden who is an ABA Hero! She is working hard on both these publications, and we are very fortunate to have her on our team!
I am actively working on 2025 show report processing. If you are expecting some win notifications, you should be receiving them between now and July 15th.
Please keep an eye on your email for dues notices. If we do not have your email, you may miss the renewal date. We do our best to contact those via USPS, but it is amazing how many people move and then those notices bounce right back to me. I simply do not have the staff to make renewal phone calls. If you have an idea on how to reach these bounce backs, please share. We are always looking for new ways to innovate.
2025 Leg bands are continuing to perform well. This year, they are Green. ALL sizes of the 2025 Leg bands are still available: D(10mm) – E(11mm) – F(13mm) – G(15mm) and - H(18mm) - I(20mm) - J(22mm) – and K(25mm.) I have included a list of the breeds and sizes that might work for you. These sizes are what is generally used. We do not have size recommendations on all breeds – especially the large fowl. If you are unsure and want to try them out (at a reduced cost) consider the previous year’s options.
As always, enjoy your birds and do your best to raise some champions!
Karen Unrath - ABA Secretary