—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Dec. 4. 1976
28
Ed Moshier of Lititz wasn’t very experienced
when he entered the poultry business five years
ago. But he learned fast and takes great interest in
the industry. Recently he became president of the
Lancaster County Poultry Association.
Incredible
encompass the entire industry. He became involved in the
Lancaster County Poultry Association three years ago and
was recently elected that organization’s president. A firm
believer in the Association, Moshier hopes to increase
membership in the group in order to make it an even more
effective organization. He noted that as of now less than half
of the poultrymen in the County belong to the LCPA.
Lancaster County Agent Jay Irwin, who serves as an ad
visor to the LCPA, told Lancaster Fanning recently that
considering the importance of the Garden Spot’s egg industry
on a statewide and national basis, the LCPA should most
certainly be a leader in the state and set an example for the
rest of die Commonwealth. He pointed out that the County is
consistently first in egg production in the state and that one
per cent of all the eggs in the United States are laid here.
Another aspect of the poultry business Moshier believes in
is advertising, research and promotion. “We desperately
needs this,” he commented in reference to HR2OOO which
authorized the egg check-off program. Explaining his
remark, the LCPA president said that the industry has
“played the ostridge routine too long.” He favors initiating a
program which would enable the egg industry to go out and
crow about the good qualities of eggs. With HBI2OOO passed,
the way for extolling the virtues of “The Incredible Edible
Egg’ has been paved. Moshier hopes all those eligible to
contribute will do so. “It won’t work miracles,” he said
without hesitation, “but I Hope that it will turn around the
drop in egg consumption within the next two years. The egg
industry has suffered staggering blows at the supermarket
with fewer eggs being eaten every year. Much of this is due to
the cholesterol propaganda. The egg people are now gearing
up to promote their product and have a $7 million dollar
annual budget layed out for this purpose. Beginning January
1,1977, advertisements will appear in national magazines as
well as certain radio and TV markets. During some times of
the year, commercials will be aired over national TV and
radio.
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“This program will also hopefully put all the local and
regional egg associations under one blanket,” added
Moshier, who keeps 28,000 layers bn his 12% acre farm east of
Lititz. Funding for the advertising, research and promotion
program will come through the check-off program. Every
producer with 3000 layers or more will have five cents of his
earnings from every crate of 30 dozen eggs go towards the
check-off program. Although there are provisions for
producers to be able to claim a refund, Moshier hopes it will
receive wide support. The money is collected by the first
handler of the eggs and turned into the American Egg Board.
Aside from the smaller flocks being exempt from par
ticipation, hatcheries are also outside the check-off program.
Irwin shared Moshier’s view on promotion and advertising,
expressing special hope that the AEB will cite the good
qualities of its product. Having a variety of information at his
fingertips, the poultry specialist pulled a study from his filing
cabinet which showed how an increase in egg consumption in
Japan resulted in a 14 per cent decrease in heart attack
deaths. The study was done by the World Health
Organization and showed Japan’s egg consumption as having
quadrupled during the study period. --
On a more local level, Moshier gave examples of how the
Lancaster County Poultry Association is promoting the in
dustry among students and teachers. “The Association has
had super good success from home-ec teachers,” the egg
producer exclaimed. Tours of poultry farms and processing
plants have been popular projects in the past. The group is
currently also preparing sets of slides and an accompanying
prepared script for each school in Lancaster County. A third
project are food booths at the Ephrata and New Holland
Fairs.
According to Irwin, there are 1210 poultrymen in Lancaster
County, with about half of them being involved with laying
flocks. He believes their story should be told. At the Park City
Farmers Week held in October, he prepared charts which
illustrated the tremendous investments involved with egg
farming. Penn State research was plugged into the cost
formulas, while special considerations were made for
Lancaster County conditions in particular. Total investment
for 30,000 layers on a 100 acre farm was calculated to be
$370,000, or $12.33 per bird. Flip that coin and the figures
show that the fanner, processor and distributor share a gross
profit of BMt cents per dozen eggs. The retail store margin,
however, is 14 cents per dozen eggs.
On the subject of prices, Moshier opinionizes that they’re a
bit high right now. He made the cautious remark due to the
likelihood of encountering consumer resistance and a glut on
the market in months to come. Then prices would sink too
Goat meeting
scheduled
Three dairy goat meetings
will be conducted in
Southeast Pennsylvania
during early December.
It will be an opportunity
for goat producers to leam
more about feeding and
nutrition, parasites and their
control, pneumonia, and
proper ventilation.
Dates and locations of the
meetings are listed below;
all meetings will begin at
7:30 p.m.:
December 7 - U.G.I.
Auditorium, 2121 Center Line
Rd., Bethlehem.
December 8 - Neshaminy
Manor Center, Rt. 611,
Doylestown.
December 9 - Owen J.
Roberts Vo-Ag Room, Rts. 23
and 100, Pottstown.
Speakers will be Penn
State Extension Specialists:
Donald Ace, Dairy; Gerald
Bodman, agricultural
engineer, and Dr. Lawrence
Hutchinson, veterinarian.
t
low. Consequently, the LCPA president prefers to see prices
stay a bit lower now in order to avoid subsequent drops.
“The industry should be able to police itself,” Moshier
remarked, “1 wouldn’t want the government to step in when
prices are either low or high. A good poultryman shouldn’t
need a price support system. Prices right now could be
shaved 10 cents across the board.” At the same time. ;e?
poultryman pointed out that even with existing prices the'
price per unit of protein is still a bargain.
Irwin offered this observation: In 1950 the American
consumer paid 22.2 per cent of her disposable income for
food. Today that figure stands at 17 per cent. In spite of in
. flation and what have you, food is being put on the table at a
more attractive cost than ever before. The simple reasons
are improved technologies, and all-around management. The
Extension agent noted that in 1950 the average hen layed
113.7 eggs per year. A decade later that figure was nearly
doubled at 218, and since then the industry has hit a reading
of 245 eggs per hen per year. “That tells us one thing for
sure,” said Irwin, “we’re doing a good job in breeding and
feed formulation.”
Moshier’s experience with chickens prior to buying his
farm here five years ago was with approximately 50 Rhode
Island Reds on his father’s Northern N.Y. dairy farm. He
came to Lancaster County as a student, and decided to stay
to the area permanently some day. He has been doing just
that ever since 1962.
“DEAR, IS THE LIGHT BOTHERING YOU?”
o