New DNA Test Tells If An Animal Will Yield Tough Or Tender Beef WOOSTER, Ohio Order filet mignon, prime rib or even a strip steak at a restaurant and the waiter or waitress predict ably asks, “How is your steak?” Unfortunately for the beef in dustry, the answer may vary from tender to tough. But that’s about to change. Two scientists at the Ohio Ag ricultural Research and Devel opment Center have found a genetic marker for potential tenderness in beef cattle. The technology may hold the key to elimination of most tough beef from the marketplace within 10 years as long as animals with this potential are managed cor rectly. The researchers must now study the heritability of the marker genes. Francis Fluharty, feedlot nu tritionist, and Daral Jackwood, molecular biologist, have devel oped a DNA test to determine genetic potential of beef cattle. With funding from the Certified Angus Beef Program, Fluharty and Jackwood have designed a method that identifies tender ness and marbling potential of cattle and aims to prevent varia tions in the quality of beef prod ucts. After four years of studies, the test has proven to be more than 99 percent accurate. A U.S. patent application has been filed to protect their find. “Quality differences in beef can’t always be corrected with dietary adjustments,” Fluharty said. “Some cattle simply have the potential to produce high qaulity, tender beef and others do not.” The new test will determine a beef animal’s potential for high marbling or very little marbling We Now Accept Visa Lancaster Farming 1 E. Mam St. Ephrata, Pa 17522 717-394-3047 or Lititz 717-626-1164 FAX 717-733-6058 PHONE HOURS Mon., Tues, Wed & Frt. Bam to 5 p m Thurs 7am to 5 p m OFFICE HOURS’ Mon. thru Frt Sam to 5 p m The following categories are available for your classified advertising In Section C Deadline Thursday morning at 9 of each week s publication 1 - Farm Equipment 1b - Speciality Farm Eq 2 - Farm Eq Wanted The following categories are available for your classified advertising in Section D Deadline Wednesday afternoon at 5 of each weeks publication la-Construction Equipment 3- and Unloaders 4- and Supplies 5- Equipment 6- Equipment 7- Equipment S-Cattle Ba-Exotic Animals 9- & Mules 10- & Goats 11 -Swine t2-Artificial Breeding 13- Eq & Supplies 14- & Supplies 14a-Ratites 15- & Seed 16- 17- 18- & Vegetables 19- >2O-Lawn & Garden 21- Offered 22- Work 23- Wanted 24- Wanted 25- Opportunities 26- 27- 28- 29- 30- 31- 32- 32a-Antiques 33- Vehicles 34- 35- & Trailers 36- Estate at an estimated cost of less than $lO per head and it may save producers $4O-$5O per head in feed costs. For example, total feed and yardage costs can amount to $1.85 per head per day, or $43.50 per month. If cattle don’t hit their target weight in a set amount of time, money spent to feed the animal is wasted. The DNA test will help producers prevent this from happening. “Producers will be able to col lect a blood sample when con venient at birth, branding or weaning and mail it to the laboratory for sorting,” Fluharty said. “The test results will provide information neces sary to pen and feed calves ac cording to their known carcass potential.” Many beef producers cannot get carcass information on their cattle, Fluharty said. Ultrasound can forecast fixe future, but it can’t go back to the calf and predict marbling and tenderness potential. With this technology, beef producers will be able to manage cattle in out come groups according to their potential for tenderness, marbling and growth. “If a bull had all the indica tions of potential for both tend erness and marbling ability, he would be worth more than bull with only some of that poten tial,” Fluharty said. “Wide spread use of this technology could eliminate non-tender genetics over a 10-year period, because no registered breeder would sell cattle that flunk the test for tenderness potential.” The researchers will conduct additional field trials over the ■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■a CLASSIFIED AD ORDER BLANK V MAIL TO; | \ LANCASTER FARMING ft NOTE: Please do not use this form for Mail Box Market Ads, see instructions with Mailbox Markets, Name Address City Zip Please publish my ad times starting with the DEADLINES: SECTION D - WEDNESDAY AT 4:00 P.M. SECTION C - THURSDAY AT 9:00 A.M. OF EACH WEEK’S PUBLICATION MINIMUM 3 LffilES IHMe COST •■-.v mk 4 Lines 7.88 5 Lines 9.85 6 Lines 11.82 7 Lines 13.79 8 Lines 15.76 9 Lines 17.73 10 Lines 19.70 Add’t Per Line $1.97 Each next one to two years with sup port from the American Angus Association and the Certified Angus Beef Program. Soon after, the technology should be available to beef producers ev erywhere. “We recognize there is still a lot of research to be done,” said Jim Riemann, executive director of the Certified Angus Beef Pro gram, “but we’re excited about the potential for applying this new DNA technology. Con sumers want high-quality prod ucts and are willing to pay for them. The technology should help with identification of beef that meets CAB standards. Cur rently the demand is greater than the supply.” The next step for researchers is to predict the heritability of DNA-marker traits. Ron Bolze, director of prog eny tests for carcass merit at the CAB Program, will assist Ohio State researchers with field trial coordination. Fluharty said because OARDC is part of Ohio State, the university will own the rights to the patent on carcass predicting technology, and the Certified Angus Beef Program plans to license the test. “This technology will result in huge changes,” Fluharty said. “We won’t be in a commodity industry any more. A commer cially available test for tender ness and marbling potential would have profound effects across the beef cattle industry. For the first time, producers would be able to market animals that would consistently meet consumer satisfaction.” And consumers would have TtsT State Phone ( issue. Classify under I enclose ADS MUST BE RUN 3 TIMES IN A ROW TO RECEIVE ANY PRICE BREAK IN ORDER TO GET THE CORRECT COST, PLEASE USE ONLY QN£ LETTER PER SPACE WITH A BLANK SPACE BETWEEN EACH WORD , Master Card PLEASE WRITE CLEARLY FAX 717-733-6058 the luxury of stopping at the meat case and choosing any cut Grazing Meeting, Pasture Walk May 31 SHIPPENVILLE (Clarion Co.) The Clarion County Ex tension Office announces a graz ing meeting and pasture walk Wednesday, May 31 at 7 p.m. at the Larry and Angel Stone farm located near Rimersburg. The Stones have no-tilled some cropland and pastures in the past two years, as well as adding more fencing to their op eration to accommodate a rota tional pasture system for the mixed dairy herd. They graze the cattle on a pasture system of mixed grasses and legumes. The Stones are planning on adding more pastures to their rotational system as time permits. The meeting will also include information on a pasture re search project that the Stones will be cooperating in with Penn Dairy month* CALL 717-626-1164 TO ADVERTISE YOUR LINE AD OR DISPLAY BOX AD IN OUR PAPER □ Check Enclosed □ Visa (13 or 16 numbers) □ Mastercard (16 numbers) (Be sure to include all numbers) □ Discover (16 numbers) Card # Exp. Date Box Replies: Ads with answers coming to a box number, c/o Lancaster Farming: $1.50 per ad per week additional. This newspaper will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of any advertisement. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27, 2000-03 of beef knowing that it’s tender, juicy, and delicious. State on dry matter intake and pasture growth. The public is invited to join the Stones on May 31 as they show the improvements they have made to the farm to im prove pasture quality. The farm is located near Rimersburg. Take Rt. 68 west from Rimers burg to the New Athens Church. Turn right onto S.R. 3004 and go approximately 3.6 miles through Kissinger Mills to the Stones’ farm. Signs will be posted. This event will be held rain or shine, so prepare for in clement weather if necessary. For more information, con tact the Clarion County exten sion office, phone (814) 782- 0033, or e-mail CLARIONEXT ©PSU.EDU. & Discover Signature 2 TIMES 3 LINES COST $ll-82 Add’t Line @ 3.94 3 TIMES 3 LINES COST $16.53 15.76 22.08 27.60 19.70 33.12 23.64 38.64 27.58 44.16 31.52 49.68 35.46 55.20 39.40 Add’t Line @ 5.52
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