How do I collect a DNA Sample?

Megan Rolf (Kansas State University): There are two common ways to collect a DNA sample from beef cattle. The first of those is an FTA card. An FTA card is basically a card that includes some specialized paper that traps the DNA on the paper so that it can be sent off and extracted later. To collect a sample on an FTA card, you need a couple of drops of blood, typically collected from an ear or the tail of an animal, and place that blood within the spot, or the circles, on the card. Be careful when using an FTA card to not have too much blood on the card so that it’s soaked and might mold, but you want to make sure that you have enough blood on the card to cover that circle so that there’s enough DNA to be genotyped later. The second common method is collecting a hair sample for DNA testing. To collect a hair sample, go to the back of the animal and pull a pencil-sized group of hair out of the s of the tail. The thing you need to be sure is that you have actually collected the root bulb. So, when you take a look at the ends of those pieces of hair, it should have a little bulb like structure on the end and that’s important because that’s where the DNA is housed. From there, take those samples and make sure you have the end of the root bulb and place it on the sticky part of the collector card and then cover that sample up. You can cut off the excess hair on the bottom, and then you’re ready to ship that sample off for testing. Regardless of the type of sample, make sure that you always have the ID clearly written on the card so that you can track which sample belongs to which animal.