Technical Abstract: The ability to determine the relatedness of pathogens in agricultural settings is becoming increasingly important for epidemiological investigations and for the subsequent development of intervention strategies to eliminate these pathogens from the food supply. There are several parameters to consider when choosing a typing method. One of the most critical considerations is the clonal relatedness of the organism for interest. Additional considerations include discriminatory power of the chosen technique, simplicity in performing the technique, reproductibility, throughout potential, and cost. Several phenotypic and genotypic techniques are discussed in further detail.