Investing in Parent Verification Parent Verification is a process which utilizes DNA markers to exclude incorrect parent(s) By: Leoma Wells, Strategic Account Manager, Beef Cattle Genetics - Neogen The morning is chilly, and a newborn calf awaits us. As we begin to process the calf, the question arises, what sire do we write down in the calving notebook? Ninety percent of the time, the answer is straightforward. However, experts estimate 10% of pedigree’s are misreported into association databases. Let’s imagine that same bull calf goes on to be featured as lot 1 as a yearling and the buyer pays $25,000 for him. The buyer decides to collect the bull and submits a DNA sample to meet AI requirements. The results come back, and he doesn’t qualify to the AI sire noted on the pedigree. A follow-up DNA comparison indicates he qualifies to the pasture bull. I ask you; how would you like to receive that phone call from the buyer, notifying JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 20
you of the parentage error. With the parent verification technology available today, it is easy to locate these errors at an early age, before the animal enters the herd as a replacement or is sold as breeding stock. Being able to identify incorrect pedigrees via DNA testing becomes an insurance policy for your operation. A $20 parentage test can provide you with the peace of mind and full confidence to fully promote and endorse an animal. That on its own may be worth its weight in gold, or at the very least the animal’s genetic value. As modern technology has evolved, the method used for parent verification has as well. As we’ve moved from blood markers to microsatellites (STRs) and now to Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), the
confidence in the calls has increased, while the cost has continued to decrease. Today there are approximately 200 SNPs used to determine whether progeny excludes to a parent(s). In contrast, only 8-14 STR markers or 5-10 blood markers were used for comparisons. As different platforms become available, it is important to be aware the different marker sets are not comparable to one another. For example, if you tested a sire with American MaineAnjou Association (AMAA) in 2010, he likely would have STR parentage markers on file, whereas, if progeny were tested in 2021, they would instead receive SNP parentage markers. Because of this difference in technology, AMAA would be unable to compare to the sire’s STRs. To rectify this,
