—Lancaster farming, Saturday, February iO, 1979 26 Ephrata Young Farmers study beef grades Members of the Ephrata Young Farmers look on while Bill McCoy, president of the Lancaster Stockyards, explains the differences of the grades of cattle car casses. By KENDACE BORRY , EHPRATA - The Ephrata * Young Farmers gathered recently to learn more about beef carcasses and the meat that they are raising to sell for butchering. After an opening talk by Bill McCoy, president of the s Lancaster Stockyards, who spoke on the future trends of the beef market, the group moved to the butchering quarters of John F. Martin and Sons, Inc. Stevens Rl, for a closer look at the meat. In meat,/ the grading refers to quality. Meat quality is determined by factors such as age, mar bling, confirmation, and the texture, firmness, and the color of the lean. The factors in grading affect the tenderness, flavor and apprearance of the meat. Grades are given to indicate to the consumer the quality of the meat. The present grades used in USDA meat grades include: prime, choice, good, stan dard, commercial, utility, canner, and cutter. Good and choice are the ones that are most commonly found in retail stores, with choice making up the largest single part of the beef supply. According to a report supplied from Penn State, the farmers learned that the different grades ’ can be described as follows: Prime: the lean is highly marbled, usually very tender, and the outside fat may be excessive. Choice: the lean is marbled, moderately generally tender, and the marbling, lacks tenderness, amount of outside fat is very little outside fat, used variable. largely for processing. Good: the lean contains The report stated that some marbling; tenderness customers can make their is more variable than for own of meat prime and choice, outside fat quality by checking the beef may be limited. themselves. High quality is Standard: the lean con- shown by the beef having*a tains little or no marbling, high proportion of lean to and the tenderness is quite “bone and fat, firm, fine variable, with very little -.textured- lean, bright red outside fat. '' color, marbling, and red, Commercial: the beef porous bones, produced- from older Besides the quality animals ” may be highly grades, there are also the marbled but generally lacks grades. Yield grade is tenderness, due to maturity, used to identify the yield of the outside fat is variable. properly trimmed retail Utility: has very little (Turn to Page 28) STOLTZFUS MEAT MARKET RETAIL MEAT MARKET RIGHT ON THE FARM. •FRESH COT BEEFS PORK • FRESH EGGS RIGHT FROM THE FARM ★ OUR OWN COUNTRY CURED HAMS, BACON and SWEET BOLOGNA Orders Taken For Beef Sides; Wrapped And Ready For Your Freezer. OUR OWN BEEF RIGHT FROM THE Attention Farmers: We Do Custom Slaughtering For Ypur Freezer. PH: 768-7166 Directions: 1 block east of Intercourse on Rt. 772 Reg. Hours: Thurs. 9-5; Fri. 9-8; Sat 8-5
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