By Larry Keenan, RAAA Director of Breed Improvement

In the world of technology, one thing is certain: progress requires change. The evolution of parentage verification within the beef industry provides an excellent example. In the early years, RAAA relied on blood typing to verify parentage. That technology was eventually replaced by microsatellite testing, which represented a significant improvement in accuracy. As genetic technologies continued to advance, microsatellites gave way to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) parentage testing, which remains the industry standard today.

When SNP parentage testing was first introduced, parent verification was conducted using a relatively small number of markers. Over time, researchers learned that increasing the number of SNPs included in the analysis improved the accuracy and reliability of parentage verification. As a result, the standalone parentage panel expanded to its current size of approximately 200 SNPs.

Today, the next major advancement in parentage verification is on the horizon. Recent research has demonstrated that dramatically increasing the number of SNPs used in parentage analysis not only improves accuracy, but also enables a powerful new capability: true parent discovery.

Imagine submitting a DNA sample from an animal without providing a list of potential parents and having advanced software accurately identify and confirm the most likely sire and dam. That future is rapidly approaching through a technology platform known as Helical.

To prepare for the eventual implementation of Helical and ensure the Red Angus breed is positioned to take full advantage of these advancements, the RAAA Board of Directors has approved two important changes effective on DNA order submissions postmarked after July 1, 2026:

1. The standalone parentage test will be discontinued.
2. The GGP-uLD test will be discontinued.

Moving forward, parent verification services will be available through the higher-density GGP test. In addition to providing enhanced parentage verification capabilities, the GGP test also supplies genomic information used in EPD calculations and tests for the genetic conditions OS and MA.

To help members transition to this new approach, the Board also approved a reduction in the cost of the GGP test to $40 per sample.

These decisions were made after extensive discussion and careful consideration. Throughout those conversations, one principle consistently rose to the top: the foundation of every genetic evaluation, selection decision, and breeding program is an accurate pedigree. As technology continues to evolve, RAAA remains committed to utilizing the best available tools to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the Red Angus database.