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Understanding and Interpreting Micron Testing

by Angus McColl

The integrity of sampling - the careful and proper selection of a sample - is the most critical factor involved in measurement of diameter and other fiber measurement in individual animals. The samples must be taken at the middle of the side in the blanket location. (See Figure 3.12 in the ARI screening manual, published in this issue.) The sample should be uniformly cut as close as possible to the skin level, which is the base of the staple, and should be no smaller than 2 square inches in size. The sample should be kept in the staple configuration, which is its natural growth state. It should not be brushed out, cleaned up, or folded. Flat-bladed shears (such as round-tipped Fiskars scissors) or clippers are recommended as the safest tools to use in taking samples.

Length of Fiber Sample

Maintaining the staple formation of the sample submitted to the laboratory is important for a practical reason: The 2-millimeter sample used for measurement in the Laserscan is cut close to the base of the staple to measure fiber that has grown side by side under the same environmental conditions. These conditions include level of