DNA Dialogue – Tips to get a Proper Sample
January 22, 2024
Jamie T. Courter, Ph.D. Bovine Technical Services Manager / Genomics for Neogen, walks us through some great tips for collecting and storing a proper sample in this DNA Dialogue episode.
Video Transcript
[Music]
Narrator: DNA Dialogue is brought to you by Igenity Beef powered by Neogen.
TITLE CARD: DNA Dialogue — Igenity® Beef — powered by Neogen®
[The screen shows Dr. Jamie Courter speaking.]
SUPERIMPOSE: Jamie T. Courter, Ph.D., Bovine Technical Services Manager / Genomics for Neogen
Dr. Jamie Courter: When we have samples that fail when they come through the lab, there's a lot of common themes that arise.
TITLE CARD: Make Sure Calf Is Dry
Dr. Jamie Courter: I would always tell people, if you're sampling at birth, to make sure that that calf is completely dry, because one of the biggest things that cause contamination is when the placental DNA from the dam is still left on that calf.
[The screen shows Dr. Jamie Courter speaking. The camera cuts to multiple scenes of cattle getting tissue samples.]
Dr. Jamie Courter: So that when you take the TSU sample you're actually capturing not only that calf's DNA, but the dam itself and a lot of times that could lead to a failed sample. Another key to success when you're taking a sample on an older female is to avoid punching through the tattoo ink that may already be there from her Bangs vaccination.
[The screen cuts to laboratory scenes and back to showing Dr. Jamie Courter speaking.]
Dr. Jamie Courter: And, lastly, TSUs can be stored at room temperature for up to 12 months. One thing that we like to avoid, though, is, once you take those samples, make sure that you don't just throw them on the dash of the pickup truck. Because the sun beating down on them and things like that can degrade the DNA.
TITLE CARD: Can Freeze but Only In Deep Freezer
Dr. Jamie Courter: If you're storing them for longer than 12 months, we do recommend that you store them in a freezer, but not necessarily the freezer in your kitchen.
[The screen shows Dr. Jamie Courter speaking.]
SUPERIMPOSE: We like for them to be in a deep freeze—say in the garage or out in the shop—because that way it doesn't have that auto-frost and thaw that could also lead to the degradation of the DNA.
[Music]
TITLE CARD: DNA Dialogue — Igenity® Beef — powered by Neogen®
[The screen shows beef cattle on pasture running across a field.]
SUPERIMPOSE: Igenity Logo.
[A rancher speaks to the camera. With camera cuts to beef cattle and back to the speaker.]
SUPERIMPOSE: Hunter Horne, Director of Cattle Operations, Great Mark Western
Hunter Horne: I feel the use of genomics for cattle producers will be more widespread than we're seeing it now. I think we're just in the beginning stages of it. And I think a lot of people just see the side of the replacement females and increasing the predictability and future use of your females because we all know the cost that it takes to develop those into a cow. The large side of it that folks miss out on is the use of genomics to predict the product that they're making every year and in that, I mean, their calves. The feed yards are constantly after a more predictable product, more predictable days on feed, more predictable outcome on the rail. Through genomics we're able to accomplish a lot faster what used to take multiple generations.
Narrator: Igenity Beef contact your Neogen territory manager to test today.
TITLE CARD: Neogen. www.neogen.com/igenity-beef
[Music]
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Category: Beef, Dairy, Igenity® Profiles, FAQs