Meat industry
' r {Continued from Page 46)
m cattle slaughter but has dropped from ninth ranking in
hog slaughter.
In the Northeast, Pennsylvania is the dominant force in
the meat packing industry. Pennsylvania plants slaughter
58 per cent of the cattle and 83 per cent of the hogs
slaughtered in the Northeast. In the mid 1960 s Penn
sylvania slaughtered only 46 per cent of the cattle and 5J
per cent of the hogs slaughtered in the Northeast.
Undoubtedly, a strong livestock production base and
meat packers who have made the necessary changes to
keep competitive with plants in the Midwest have been
7979
You're invited to John Deere Farming ‘
Frontiers 1979, the year's most
outstanding film program on farm
practices and new equipment. See film
reports on new farm energy sources.
Watch in action new 4-wheel-drive
tractors, combines, plows, forage
harvesters, and more. Drawings for
door prizes will include an
nylon-line John
Deere Trimmer/Edger. -
Movies shown continuously
9:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.
Refreshments will be served.ali day.,,
DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2,1979
TIME: 9:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.
PLACE: SOLANCO COMMUNITY BUILDING
QUARRYVILLE, PENNA.
SPONSORED BY
WENGER IMPLEMENT, INC.
The Buck, Pa.
(W
\JOHM DEERE/
717-284-4141
Grassland elects freshman officers
The Grassland FFA Chapter from Garden Spot
High School, New Holland, recently held elections
for ninth grade officers. The following students
were selected as officers for the 1978-79 school
year. Standing left to right, Doug Martin, Sentinel;
important factors in giving Pennsylvania an increasingly
dominant position in the meat packing business in die
Northeast.
Beyond meat packing
Meat packing combined with meat processing (meat
processors are firms which manufacture meat products
but are not involved in livestock slaughter) made up 17
„ per cent of Pennsylvania’s food manufacturing industry
in 1975. The value of production from these plants during ,
the year was nearly $1.4 billion. Meat packers and
'processors rank second in food Industry employment in
Pennsylvania, with 10,800 employees, down a total of
about 77 fewer workers from four years earlier. In 1975
these firms spent $lO .million for capital improvements
compared to $l2 million spent four years earlier. This
accounted for about 8 per cent of total capital ex
penditures by the food industry in Pennsylvania during
1975. ’ '
The processing segment of the Pennsylvania meat
industry has been growing faster than livestock
slaughtering operations. Output from meat packing
plants grew 21 per cent in the 1960 s while meat processing
output grew 63 per cent. In the 1971-75 period, output from
meat packing plants grew in dollar volume by 62 per cent
while meat processing output grew 73 per cent. Meat
processors produpe special sausage products for local
tastes and can take advantage of advertising programs to
push the local name. In fresh meats it is difficult to brand
name the product; thus, local meat cannot be dif-
1 SOUTHERN 18-BI
LANCASTER COUNTY ■
PURINA IUI
AGRI-BUSINESS MEETING
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6,1979 Time: 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.
Place: Quarryville
Dinner: Compliments of Stoddard Farm and Garden and
Ralston Purina Company
Reservations: In order that we cap plan for adequate seating and dinners,
' please call 717-529-2113 byFeb. 2 and let us know if you
are planning to attend.
MEETING AGENDA
DAIRY;
• Cost of raising the replacement heifer
• Dry cow program - prevents freshening problems
~~ • Cost of producing 100 lb. of milk
• The 100 lb. milk cow - breeding, feeding, management
TURKEYS:
• Turkey broilers - A new farm income opportunity
. HOGS:
• The family sized sow operation _
• Baby pigs and cage nurseries < -
•r New Purina modified open front finishing unit
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 27,197 S
Rodger Weaver, Chaplain; David Mull, president;
Mervin Zimmerman, vice president. Sitting left to
right, Linford Martin, Treasurer; Dennis Weaver,
Secretary; Dean Nolt, student advisor; and Sheila
Eager, reporter.
ferentiated from meat shipped in from the Midwest.
Shipments from meat processors in 1975 totaled $568.2
million compared to stdpments from meat packers in
Pennsylvania valued at $784.0 million. Meat processors
accounted for 42 per cent of total meat shipments in
Pennsylvania in 1975.
Processors of meat will be faced with a procurement
problem in the next four to five years. Processing meat
prices will be high because of growing consumer demand
and a substantial shrinking in the supply of processing
type beef. Meat processors and the last food chains wQI be
struggling to' find sufficient supplies of local beef as well
as increasing their dependency on imported processing
beef.
Competition' is intense in the meat packing and
processing business as verified by the numerous
bankruptcy sales listed regularly in trade publications. It
seems no section of the country, no size of plant, no matter
how long the plant has been operating or how well
customers accept the firm’s product make a meat firm
immune from failure.
Generally, Pennsylvania meat plants are smaller than
average as demonstrated by the fact that 10 per cent of the
nation’s federally inspected plants are located in the
Commonwealth, and account for only 2.5 per cent of the
cattle and 3.7 per cent of the hog slaughter. lowa, on the
other hand, has only one per cent of the nation’s federally
inspected meat plants but account for 11 per cent of the
cattleand 24 per cent of the nation’s hog slaughter.
Service and quality seem to be the big advantages
which enable local packers and processors to compete
effectively in local markets. More frequent deliveries,
fresher product, products created specifically for local
ethnic tastes, equipment rental programs, and favorable
credit terms can be used to gain and hold customers.
47