GEORGE HAENLEIN
Extension Dairy Specialist
University of Delaware
NEWARK, Del DNA has
been in the news recently because
of the OJ. Simpson trial and the
“fingerprinting” for which DNA
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• HARDWARE • FARM SUPPLIES •
DNA Testing
tests are used in court
What is disturbing is that
reports about the DNA presenta
tions in the Simpson case either
treat these tests as controversial,
or worse, describe jurors as
“bored” by the explanations.
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The message that reporters
should be communicating is that
these tests axe the exciting frontier
of science and could have impacts
on all of us, our farm animals and
our personal lives.
The only difficulty.is that these
tests are part of genetics, and judg
ing from the responses of many of
my students over the years, gene
tics rarely turns on the average
student’s interest or enthusiasm.
In fact, the study of genetics turns
many off.
In people, inherited disorders
such as sickle cell anemia or
hemophilia can be alleviated
through the fruits of genetic
research. And in farm animals,
certain lethal and semi-lethal
traits, which can be very costly,
can be prevented through the
study of genetics.
Remember the impact of hemo
philia in the historic case of the
last Russian Czar who had inher
ited this serious disease from both
parents?
The good news is that the more
DNA testing becomes part of rou
tine testing, appreciation of gene
tics will follow. Farm animal
breeders already make careful
choices about which bull, ram,
buck, stallion or boar has die best
genetic traits to combine with
selected females of the farm herd
to produce a better next genera
tion.
Animal breeders track down the
history of genetic diseases for
their animals and with good eco
nomic justification. Through na
tional breed associations, farmers
have a reporting system to identify
when a genetic disease or abnor
mality like mulefoot or BLAD
(Bovine Leucocyte Adhesion
.Deficiency) has occurred in new
.boms on the farm.
, Years ago, farmers were
expected to report “red” Holstein
calves as something abnormal and
'bad. Now we know better. Red
ATTENTION
Snyder County Produce Auction
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Mon. at Noon & Wed. &
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We are open for Wholesaling
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Sat. 7:00 AM till 10:00 AM
Located 9 miles south of Selinsgrove
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calves are not only acceptable by
Holstein breeders, they are even
sought by some.
What we did not know until
now is which bull or which cow is
a carrier for the red color in
Holsteins.
Because the red color is reces
sive to black, it becomes visible
only in homozygous animals. This
means that the animals receive the
red factor from both parents.
If only one parent transmits the
red factor, the calf is a carrier,
meaning that it looks black, but it
can transmit the red color to its
offspring.
Now the exciting news from
researchers at the University of
Goettingen in Germany is that
they have developed a test to iden
tify red-carrier calves as soon as
they are bran.
We no longer have to wait for a
breeding test, which takes at least
two years.
Before this novel test, we had to
wait first for the calf in question to
reach breeding age and then for its
Defensive Farming Video
ALBANY, N.Y. The New
York Farm Bureau Communica
tions Department has produced a
safety training video that brings
the principles of defensive driving
to the farm.
The 13-minute video, “Defen
sive Farming,” focuses on avoid
ing the common hazards around
farm machinery, including pinch
points, shear points, crush points,
pull-in points, wrap points and
stored energy.
The video features John Pol
lock, executive director of the
N.Y. Rural Health & Safety Coun
cil and a farm safety specialist at
Cornell University.
According to Mark F. Emery,
director of communications for
the 25,000-member New York
Farm Bureau. “Each year, there
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Housing for W
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Information Meeting
Thursday, July 6, 7 p.m.
Hampton Inn, Chambersburg, PA
(Exit 5 off Route 81)
SOLAR AG & WILL GODWIN
501791-5024
pregnancy to deliver offspring
with either black or red color.
The new method from Goet
tingen is based on DNA testing.
The procedure treats the calf's
blood DNA with certain chemi
cals, which make the DNA unfold
into certain conformation typical
only for red-color calves’ genes
and different from black-color
calves’ genes.
Then the two different DNAs
are separated in an electric field on
an electrophoretic gel, where they
can be stained for visibility.
The faster-moving band on the
gel is the black gene, the slower
moving band the red gene.
The carrier calf’s blood DNA
has two bands, a red one and a
black one, exhibited by a slow
and a fast-moving visible gene.
So here genetics has become
visible for the first time thanks to
DNA testing. The procedure is
accurate and reliable for the early
detection of red-carrier calves,
which has the potential for consid
erable economic value in certain
herd breeding programs.
are over 9.000 injuries and many
fatalities on New York farms. This
video is the second in a series of
training tapes aimed at reducing
the number of farm accidents
through preventative techniques.
Like defensive driving, practicing
defensive farming techniques
should help make agriculture a
safer industry.”
To obtain a copy of “Defensive
Farming” farmers/farm employ
ers should send $7.50 (includes
postage and handling) to Com
munications Dept. NY Farm Bur
eau, P.O. Box 992, Glcnmont, NY
12077-0992, or (518) 436-8495.
Copies can also be borrowed by
contacting the NYFB Communi
cations Dept or by contacting
your county Farm Bureau presi
dent.