—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 10,1978
94
The dairy cow
(Continued from Page 92)
to get their products to the
people.”
Before calories and
cholesterol became dirty
words, tastes in dairy
products were decidedly
different. According to
Passmore, every Delaware
town of any size had a
creamery. There, farmers
would take their milk to be
skimmed and made into
butter. The skimmed portion
- considered an undesirable
tasteless liquid - was fed to
the hogs and chickens.
Sweet creamery butter
has not always been stan
dard fare at the dairy
counter, either. Because of
the lack of refrigeration,
they made butter from
“ripened” cream which had
a most distinctive flavor, to
be sure. When a Newark
dairyman finally introduced
sweet butter (made from
fresh cream) in 1906, most
people rejected it as too
bland.
“Pasteurization and
refrigeration were
developed at the turn of the
century, just when Delaware
needed a new agricultural
industry,” says Passmore.
“They’d already been
through the wheat industry
in the early 1800’s, peaches
in the mid-1800’s and can
nery produce in the late
1800’s.
Farmers who had made
their fortunes in cannery
produce left their rural
residences to move to the
city and let tenant farmers
run their farms. It was
because of these tenant
farmers that the Delaware
dairy industry grew up in the
Kenton-Dover-Middletown
area. As part of the
arrangement, the tenant
farmers agreed to share half
of the crops with the lan
dlord. Thus, the only way
these farmers could get
ahead financially was by
keeping their own dairy
cows and selling the mil*.
By the 1920’s there were
not only creameries, but ice
cream and cheesemaking
plants scattered throughout
the state. Income from dairy
products comprised a
substantial portion of
Delaware’s total farm in
come.
“But the milk market
began to decline after World
War II when farmers
realized they could make
more money growing im
proved crops than
dairying,” says Passmore.
“In addition, sanitary
regulations were beginning
to be strictly enforced and
many farmers couldn’t
make the improvements
necessary to stay in business
because either it wasn’t their
land or they couldn’t afford
them.”
Then -in the 1950’s the
small businessman in everv
field discovered that his
functions were being
usurped by large, national
companies. The Milk
Marketing Order went into
effect and many dairies
found it easier to keep the
records it required by
buying a larger quantity
from a few farmers than
dealing with many small
ones.
The small dairy farmer is
now only a memory in
Delaware. However, as cow
numbers have declined
through the years, per cow
production has increased
even more rapidly so that
more than twice the amount
of milk is produced than
when the Delaware dairy
industry boasted twice as
many cows.
Mrs. Passmore’s book
Three Centuries of Delaware
Agriculture is a joint project
of the Delaware Grange and
the Bicentennial Com
mission. It will be available
through the grange at the
first of the year.
Ice cream grading project melts
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture is dropping
plans for ice cream grades
because of public response to
the proposal.
Acting Secretary of
Agriculture Carol Tucker
Foreman said although
many persons who com
mented favored grades, they
thought the grades would tell
them what ingredients were
used in ice cream. The
ingredient information will
be provided by a Food and
Drug Administration
labeling regulation which
will go into effect July 1,
1979.
The proposed quality
grading system for ice
cream developed by USDA’s
Food and Safety and Quality
Service (FSQS) would have
More
milk used
Last year Americans’ per
captia consumption of all
dairy products was 522
pounds • a slight increase
over 1976. - U.S. milk
production reached 123
billion pounds in 1977 - that’s
enough if lined end to end in
gallon cartons to go to the
moon and back four and one
half times. Cash receipts
from dairying last year were
$ll.B billion - a record high.
See why the
80-strokes-per minute
336 will give you
better-shaped bales_
-L__
With the economical 336 you get the features
that mean solid square cornered bales
Features like steady auger feeding adjustable
feeder forks for even hay distribution in the
bale chamber and the extra capacity of 80
strokes per minute Stop by for details
iT>-
LANDIS BROS. INC. NEUHAUS'ES INC. ROBERT E. LITTLE INC. M.S. VEARSLEV
Lancaster, PA RD2, York, PA Zieglerville, PA &SONS
717-393-3906 1-83 Loganv.lle Ext 3 215-287-9643 West Chester. PA
ADAMSTOWN 2351306 ° r 215-696-2990
EQUIPMENT INC. ~ STANLEY A. KLOPP AewAY INC.
MohntonßD2, PA 19540 SHOI ADCKbCK 5 INO. Chapman Equipment
(near Adamstown) FAIIIPMFMT Bernville, PA Center
215-484-4391 Ell PA 215-488-1510 Chapman. PA
717-665-2141 215-398-2553
EQUIPMENT INC. , n . Al> _ _ m/l K. KISTLER .
Oyster Dale Road A.B.C. 6ROFF INC. INC. J,
Oley RD2, PA New Holland, PA Lynnport.PA
215-987-6277 717-354 4191 215-298-3270 215-257-5136
been based on the flavor,
body and texture and color of
ice cream to help customers
identify the various quality
levels of ice cream found in
retail stores.
Ms. Foreman said FSQS
would continue to develop
consumer grades for food
products where they can
help customers make buying
decisions and that the
department would continue
to ask for public input in the
development of grades and
standards.
“This is why we ask for
public comment on our draft
proposal,” Ms. Foreman
said. “We want to know
before we develop grade
standards whether they are
going to be of use to the
public. In addition, it has
become increasingly ap
parent that consumers may
want grades to reflect in
formation in addition to or
other than taste, color and
such factors. Some com
ments on the ice cream
Garber Oil Co.
[texac^
Fuel Chief
[heating oil
t OIL HEATING EQUIPMENT
AIR CONDITIONING
MOUNT JOY, PA
Ph. 653-1821
grade proposal reflected a
desire to have them reflect
nutritional value or other
qualities. We do not know
whether this can best be
accomplished by the grading
system or by improved
nutritional labeling. Our
joint labeling hearing this
summer with FDA and the
Federal Trade Commission
should provide additional
answers.”
The proposed ice cream
grades were outlined in a
study draft issued Feb. 21
A beefy response to
your long-term needs
The new 4440 is indeed a powerful performer
But just as important it has the strength to
back up that power in the field From stem to
stern its beefier than its predecessor There s
a bigger-dibplacement engine new engine
cooling system bigger transmission/hydraulic
oil cooling system new 4-pimon differential
wider final drives and bigger drive axles
These are just a few of the points we d like to
cover when you stop by the store and ask for
more information on the new 4440
and comments were invited
by April 15. The study draft
evolved from USDA’s
request for public comments
on the feasibility of setting
up a grading system for ice
cream in October 1977.
FSQS received 464 com
ments on the draft proposal
for ice cream grades. Of this
total, 195 were opposed, and
41 expressed no opinion
FSQS establishes grade
standards and provides
grading service on request
and for a fee. The USDA
grade may be used on foods
that have been officially
grades.