GeneMark® Genomics

DNA parentage testing and genomic evaluation in one simple and convenient service to help farmers identify their highest genetic merit animals and improve their herd.

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GeneMark Genomics booklet

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Find out more about the future of DNA testing

GeneMark Genomics is yet another tool in farmers’ toolboxes to improve their herds and breed better cows faster. By offering parentage verification and genomic evaluation in one convenient service, farmers can take the guesswork out of matching calves to their parents for added precision in their breeding programme, while also confidently selecting their highest genetic merit animals to join their milking herd.

Benefits of GeneMark Genomics

Make informed breeding decisions by identifying superior genetics in your herd at a younger age.
Get improved reliability of your animals’ breeding values with a complete assessment of their genomic profile.
Reduce stress at calving time and prevent the mismothering of calves.
Reduce the risk of inbreeding.

Genomics is the study of genes and how those genes are expressed. Genes of interest in dairy cows can include those that control key traits such as fat and protein production, liveweight, fertility, and others.

Genomic evaluation adds an animal’s own DNA to its evaluation to better estimate those traits of interest. The improved estimation of traits is reflected in higher reliability figures. The higher the reliability, the closer the breeding value is to the animal’s true genetic merit.

The table below shows how an animal’s breeding values deviate from its parent average once its own DNA information is added to the evaluation. This animal’s DNA information indicates that overall, she is better than parent average – particularly for fat, liveweight and somatic cell count.

Although some breeding values go up and some go down, the outcome is a more accurate prediction of this animal’s genetic merit.

Genomic evaluation is available for female animals only.

Heifer calf

Trait	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam)	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information)
Trait gBW	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 318/30	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) 405/45
Trait Fat gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 29.5/32	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) 46.0/48
Trait Protein gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 14.6/32	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) 17.8/48
Trait Volume gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) -204/33	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) -86/49
Trait Liveweight gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 2.6/26	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) -3.3/43
Trait Somatic Cell gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) -0.10/31	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) -0.18/46
Trait Fertility gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 2.0/28	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) -1.9/37
Trait BCS gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 0.19/23	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) 0.16/38
Trait Functional Survival gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 4.3/17	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) 4.2/28
Trait Udder Overall gBV	Parent average (½ Sire + ½ Dam) 0.44/23	Following our Genomic evaluation service (½ Sire + ½ Dam + animal’s DNA information) 0.97/36

Source: LIC genomic evaluation model outputs, November 2023

For more information on GeneMark Genomics please read our FAQ’s.

Simply take a small tissue sample from your animals’ ear and send it to our GeneMark laboratory for DNA parentage and genomic evaluation testing. After receiving the sample, we will then match your animals to dams and sires used for artificial breeding to determine their parentage.

You can choose to sample none, some or all of your dams, however sampling all dams enables calves to have complete DNA-verified ancestry and has significant benefit to your herd and the dairy sector by increasing the reliability of the progeny’s breeding value, prevents inbreeding, and ensures good record maintenance.

Natural mating sires can be sampled for DNA parentage testing but will not receive a GEv.

How GeneMark testing works

Watch how we process GeneMark DNA parentage testing.

GeneMark Customer Story

Chris Knight a farmer from the Waikato talks about GeneMark - read his story

You must have a booking with our GeneMark laboratory.
If you plan to send in samples, please contact your Agri Manager or call GeneMark on 0800 436 362 to book a testing date.
You use MINDA as your herd management system and all animals and dam calving dates are recorded in MINDA.
See our full GeneMark genomics checklist.

If you do not use MINDA as your herd management system, LIC is unable to provide you with GeneMark Genomics testing.

If you are opted in with MINDA as your NAIT information provider, calves must be recorded with a NAIT approved RFID within 7 days of tagging to be NAIT compliant. You can register your calves through one of three ways:

Register animals directly with NAIT, or;
Complete the GeneMark create animals form and follow the instructions on the form to download the GeneMark Calf Registration template. Include all birth identification tags used, the birth month, year born & the location the animals were born on, or;
Record your calves against dams in MINDA® or in the MINDA® App within 7 days of tagging.

For more information on these requirements, visit our NAIT compliance page.

The price you pay depends on the time of year you send in your samples for GeneMark Genomic testing. Please find full pricing details below.

GeneMark Genomic testing options

Product	Test Type	Price per sample excl. GST
Product Off peak - Young stock (received between January and August inclusive)	Test Type DNA Parentage & Genomic Evaluation	Price per sample excl. GST $31.00
Product On peak - Young stock (received between September and December inclusive)	Test Type DNA Parentage & Genomic Evaluation	Price per sample excl. GST $34.00
Product Off peak - Dams (received between January and August inclusive)	Test Type DNA Parentage & Genomic Evaluation	Price per sample excl. GST $20.65
Product Off peak - Sires (received between January and August inclusive)	Test Type DNA Parentage only	Price per sample excl. GST $20.65

*Prices effective 1 June 2025.

Additional GeneMark Services

Product	Test Information	Price per sample excl. GST
Product BVD Ag ELISA test	Test Information Animals over 35 days old	Price per sample excl. GST $14.40
Product BVD PCR test	Test Information Animals of any age	Price per sample excl. GST $14.40
Product A2/A2 only Tissue test	Test Information Use a tissue sample to test for the A2/A2 gene	Price per sample excl. GST $26.90
Product A2/A2 Retrospective test	Test Information Existing G3 or Genomic Evaluation profile required	Price per sample excl. GST $14.00
Product A2/A2 Milk test	Test Information Use your herd test samples to test for the A2/A2 protein	Price per sample excl. GST $25.85

* Prices effective 1 June 2025.

Results for GeneMark Genomics will be delivered in phases.

Parentage for all samples will be delivered within four weeks from your lab booking date.
We are aiming for a total estimated turnaround time for parentage and GEv results at 6 weeks for young stock samples and 9 weeks for dam samples.
There may be an extension to these turnaround times initially as we introduce this new product into our systems.

This season, GeneMark has delivered 95% of all parentage reports within four weeks and we commit to continually improving this turnaround time for you. See full turnaround times below.

GeneMark Genomics Turnaround times

GeneMark Genomics	Turnaround time
GeneMark Genomics DNA parentage results	Turnaround time 4 weeks for all samples
GeneMark Genomics Parentage & genomic evaluation (GEv) results	Turnaround time Young stock: 6 weeks
GeneMark Genomics Parentage & genomic evaluation (GEv) results	Turnaround time Dam: 9 weeks

Additional GeneMark testing options Turnaround times

Additional GeneMark testing options	Turnaround time
Additional GeneMark testing options BVD Antigen (Ag) testing	Turnaround time 2-3 working days
Additional GeneMark testing options BVD PCR testing	Turnaround time 5-7 working days
Additional GeneMark testing options A2 Only testing	Turnaround time 3 weeks
Additional GeneMark testing options A2 Retrospective testing	Turnaround time 10 working days
Additional GeneMark testing options A2 Milk testing	Turnaround time 10 working days

Collecting tissue samples for DNA & GEv testing is easy.

The only equipment you need is a GeneMark Allflex applicator gun and some GeneMark Allflex punch kits. Each punch kit contains 10 tissue sampling units (TSUs). Please ensure you order wet tissue sampling units (TSU).

You can order sampling equipment by:

Ordering via the LIC Shop
Calling 0800 GENEMARK (0800436362)
Contacting your local LIC rep

Using the applicator gun is as simple as using an ear tagger — no special skills required. Store the samples in your fridge until you're ready to courier them to our laboratory and include a completed GeneMark Genomics Sample Submission form. Use a new submission form for each LIC participant code.

For added support, check out our handy guides below:

Make use of our free On-Farm Support team service to help you take tissue samples.

We provide a free Field Assist to first-time GeneMark Genomics customers (Terms & condition apply, please see below). Our On-Farm Support team will help you take the tissue samples and ensure your records are up to date. Please talk to your Agri Manager to arrange this service.

Eligibility Criteria

New herds that sign up for GeneMark Genomics are eligible to receive three complimentary on-farm visits from our On-Farm Support team to assist with animal sampling.

Each visit includes up to eight hours of professional on-farm support.

Terms & Conditions

Offer includes three complimentary on-farm support visits for GeneMark DNA sampling purposes only.
Each visit provides a maximum of eight hours of support.
Unused hours cannot be carried over or redistributed across multiple days.
Visits may be scheduled to suit the farmer’s needs but must be used within a year of booking.

You can combine GeneMark Genomics testing with A2 or BVD testing.

By using the same tissue samples from GeneMark Genomics we can also test for the A2 genotype or to detect the BVD virus.

For BVD testing, what test you're getting and how old your animals are will determine what tissue sampling unit (TSU) you need to use.

See Collecting tissue samples for A2 geneotype testing or BVD testing for more information about how to combine the tests.

Additional GeneMark Services

Product	Test Information	Price per sample excl. GST
Product BVD Ag ELISA test	Test Information Animals over 35 days old	Price per sample excl. GST $14.40
Product BVD PCR test	Test Information Animals of any age	Price per sample excl. GST $14.40
Product A2/A2 only Tissue test	Test Information Use a tissue sample to test for the A2/A2 gene	Price per sample excl. GST $26.90
Product A2/A2 Retrospective test	Test Information Existing G3 or Genomic Evaluation profile required	Price per sample excl. GST $14.00
Product A2/A2 Milk test	Test Information Use your herd test samples to test for the A2/A2 protein	Price per sample excl. GST $25.85

* Prices effective 1 June 2025.