DNA livestock testing begins at the Kansas State Fair

January 12, 2012|by Rebecca White | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

( Photo by Jim Meyer. )

(HUTCHINSON, Kan.) — The Kansas State Fair recently announced they will begin using DNA testing on certain livestock entered in their annual competitions. Contestants will be required to send in a hair sample of the animal to Kansas State University’s Animal Science Department when they first nominate their cattle, swine or sheep. The Fair will then run the DNA tests to confirm the identity of the top two winners in each category.

Click here to see photos of 2011 Kansas State Fair Livestock winners.

But why all the high tech science for livestock contests that have been going on for centuries? The answer is that winning the State Fair prize can be big business.

The Grand Champion top award can bring in as much as $10,000 per head of cattle and $4,000 for sheep and swine. But perhaps more lucrative are the bragging rights that farmers or contestants gain when selling a champion animal for breeding purposes.

“It’s a marketing tool for some farmers to say ‘I showed a Grand Champion,'” said Kansas State Fair Manager Denny Stoecklein.

The prized titles can increase the value of the animal by thousands of dollars.

In the past, contestants had to submit a “nose print”, which has unique characteristics like a human fingerprint, of the livestock when they first register an animal for the fair. Officials could then compare the nose print of the winners to confirm the identity of the animal.

Stoecklein says that a problem could occur when a contestant initially nominates or registers a specific animal for the competition but later discover that animal is sick or smaller than anticipated. Both the nose print and the DNA testing are designed to prevent people from swapping out a healthier and bigger animal at the last minute.

The DNA testing will increase nomination fees for beef cattle, swine, sheep and meat goats from $6 to $8.

The Kansas State Fair has never had a problem with this in the past, according to Stoecklein, and he hopes to keep it that way.

“This is a preventative approach to maintain the integrity that we have established,” said Stoecklein.

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