B—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 28, 1962 New Industry Makes Feathers Into Feed Ouce a costl> disposal prob lem for poultiy processing pla-nts, feathers are now the basis for a growing f!2 mn : lion a vear business This new industry, whicn turns feathers into a high protem, stable, friable meal useful m feeds, stems from studies begun 12 years ago by Western utilization division scientists in Albany, Calif. Further research by USD A Agriculture Research Service and State agricultural exper iment station scientists aided the development. At prese«t, feather meal is made chiefly from broiler feathers, but use of turkey feathers is increasing. Rendering plautts process most of the feathers, as 'well as offal from poultry plants Tie annual broiler ci;op of about 5 5 billion pounds pro vides feathers tor about 150, 000 tons of meal About 80 percent of this - - or approx imately 120,000 tons--is being processed into meal. The present maiket value ot feather meal is $lOO a ton This annual value is increas ing, so feather disposal is no longer an expense to poultiy plants Some rendeiers pav up to one-tenth of the value of the meal for taw featheis Processing the meal is a low-cost operation for rendei eis ' Their equipment consists chiefly of a steam pressuic cooker and grinders, vvhicii they use in other lendenng op eiations. There may be a future foi byproduct plants mtegiated into poultiy processing plant-, JDstimates obtained by USDA’s Agricultuial Jlaiketmg Sei \ice indicate that byproduct plants would be economical!) successful if production totaled at least 25 tons ot feathei and offal meals a week. Broiler featheis are m con tinuous supp'lj Theiefoie lenderers can opeiate with \ery little \aiiation in vol ume But turkey piocessiug is more seasonal Ab\ prod uct plant that opeiates with a processing plant on a shai ed-labor basis might prove es pecially suitable for laigo turkey piocessors Feather meal supplies pro duces with a feed pioduct that contains more piotem pei pound than any other avail able matenal Thus in a poultry lation it leaves mole room for high-energy ingred ients Feathei meal cannot be used as the sole protein sup plements howevei because u, is ,sljghtly deficient in certain ammo acids Combined with other pi otem (for example, soybean oil meal it perfonn 1 - satisfactorily in i ations. #' Cattle Show (Continued from Page 1) Swiss, 50 Guernseys, seven lerseye, and 5 3 Holsteins fudging at the SPABC show will be done on Ihe lust day by Lawrence Colebank offiiual type classtfiet foi the Amei i farmers know that Royster's 6-P Food Fertilizer gives larger yi higher quality and bigger profit' John J. Hoober L. M. Prange Gordonville Day at LANCASTER COUNTY B-RRHCg MES ! with the fIPpBHBBB Senes 500 , l^g^gßßOP SPREAD IT W-I-D-E-R! FASTER!! ACCURATELY! Save time and money when you do your fertilizing Get a BELT BROp KASTOR The BELT PTO Model at. taches to any tractor quickly and easily. The big hopper holds qbout a ton of material Exclusive vibrat ing hopper bottom assures constant, even flow Quick setting adjustments give accurate material placement High speed fans spread fertilise/ m swaths about 50 feet wide' You can fertilize 4 times faster than with conventional equipment. See the revolutionary BELT the first chance you get Kirkwood ✓ 3 - N 3 v) I ives