Testing our cows for A1/A2 genetics

We recently mailed off samples of tail hairs from all of our milk cows in order to have them tested for A1/A2 genetics with the American Jersey Association.  It sounds awfully complicated, I know.  A1 is a mutated Beta casein protein in milk that came from breeds like Holstein.  Our cows are all registered Jerseys, but in the past Holsteins were bred to other breeds to "better" the production and we're testing the cows to be sure. We really want our cows to be A2/A2 cows.  Unfortunately, the majority of cows in the US have the A1 gene.  The A1 gene can be bred out of your cows over 10-15 years by choosing A2/A2 bulls to breed with your cows.

I read an article about a book called "Devil in the Milk," and what it described is that there are proteins in cow's milk that have long strings of amino acids in them, 209 to be exact.  In A1 cows number 67 is something called a histidine instead of a proline. This mutation creates a very complex problem which may lead to some people having difficulties digesting the milk.  It also interferes with the immune system and research has shown a correlation between A1 milk and serious health concerns. Obviously, we want to ensure that our cows are A2.  Being that they are Jersey cows, the odds say that they are A2, but we're going to confirm this by testing.

Getting the cows together for testing

First thing you do to test is to make sure the tail is very clean.  Testing won't be performed on tail hair samples that are dirty.

Picking some tail hairs from the switch that are clean

Now they need about 20 tail hairs for the test and the tail hairs must contain the roots.  So what you do is grab about 5 tail hairs, wrap your fingers around them about an inch from the bottom, and yank quickly. This seems like it would hurt but the cows didn't flinch at all.  Repeat until you have 20 tail hairs that have the roots attached.

Pulling the tail hair

We downloaded and printed a form that was emailed to us and there were some very specific instructions on how to pull the samples and attach them to the form.

Taping the tail hairs to the form

We tested Daisy, Rosie, Maggie, Lili, Amy and Bully for A1 A2.  The instructions were specific in having you wash your hands between taking samples of different animals and sealing each sample in an envelope to avoid cross-contamination.  

Ready to seal and send off

The American Jersey Association will run the tests and send us back results in 10 days to 2 weeks.  We're hoping for A2/A2 results, but if not, it is not the end of the world. Research is not conclusive (yet) that every person is affected by the mutated gene. And our raw, non-homogenized milk from grass-fed cows, with no hormones or antibiotics added, is certainly better than store-bought milk, regardless!