*22—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, February 7,1981
Berks-Lebanon producers talk TB, hog housing
BY LAUREL SCHAEFFER
Staff Correspondent
MIDWAY Berks and Lebanon
swine producers met at the Mid
way Diner on route 78 last Wed
nesday filling the banquet room to
capacity.
The producers were interested in
hearing the latest developments
concerning their hog industry and
improving their general
knowledge.
Among the many speakers
present was Alan Oser, of quality
control for Hatfield Packing.
Oser discussed the incidence of
Tuberculosis being found in
market hogs slaughtered by his
company, after explaining his
figures can deferentiate between
Pennsylvania hogs and out-of-state
hogs better than USDA figures
which use data from all Penn
sylvania Slaughter Houses.
Oser noted that Hatfield has
been finding three times as much
TB in Pennsylvania hogs as
compared to out-of-state hogs. And
terminal markets within the state
are posing the largest problems
because hogs purchased at these
markets are too difficult to trace to
the producer. The incidence of TB
is highest in these hogs as com
pared to direct bought hogs, he
said.
With direct buys, Hatfield
notifies the producers when TB is
found in two or more sites within a
carcass and the farmers’s
penalized by losmg 50 percent of
the price of that hog.
The quality control engineer
went on to explain the three
categories of TB that concern him
The first type, which en
compasses about 85 percent of the
TB found in slaughter hogs, is
where TB can only be found in a
primary site such as the head. In
these instances the carcasses pass
inspection with the removal of the
infected area, there is no monetary
loss, and producers are not
notified
In the second case, TB is found in
two sites such as the head and a
viseral organ and the carcass is
passed only for cooking, reducing
the value to about half of that of a
good carcass.
The cooking requirements on
these carcasses are rigid and
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render the meat to “almost
uselessness,” Oser explained.
Fifteen percent of the TB found
falls under this category. If die hog
is bought directly from a producer,
the producer is notified and money
is deducted for the loss
The other category includes all
condemned carcasses where TB is
found in the head, guts, and lymph
nodes of the body
These carcasses must be tanked
Oser noted however, that this
degree of TB rarely is found
Oser said the rate of TB in hogs
slaughtered at Hatfield from
Pennsylvania producers averages
0 27 percent while only 0 1 percent
of out-of-state hogs are found with
TB
Also addressing the pork
producers was Dan Myer, Penn
State University extension
agricultural engineer
Myer discussed new develop
ments in farrowing and nursing
units and maximizing the en
vironment in growing and finishing
units.
Myer discussed several types of
finishing facihties and related air
circulation and temperature
control to the different styles of
housing.
Myers also reminded the
producers that optimum growing
temperatures for finishing hogs is
between 55 and 70 degrees
Farhenheit.
In large finishing houses he
recommended solid partitions
every 120 feet to reduce disease
spread and, if possible, to keep the
age spread between hogs at only
four weeks.
Producers also had the op
porutnity to hear a panel
discussion on buying and starting
feeder pigs.
Participating in the discussion
were producers Wilbur Lutz,
Sinking Spring; and Mike
Firestme, swine producer and
farm loan officer for Lebanon
Valley National Bank. Dr Jerry
Applegate, veterinarian; and Ken
Keiphart, Penn State extension
assistant also participated on the
panel.
Lutz, who markets about 4500
hogs per year stressed the im
portance of buymg hogs weighing
55 pounds since most are shipped
from Maryland or North Carolina.
“We’d buy local hogs if possible
but it’s hard to get 300 to 400 at a
time,” Lutz remarked
The Lutz’s start their hogs on
bedding, aureomycin solumet, and
a high level protein diet.
He noted they have more
problems later in the growing
period because of out-of-state
facilities with ventilation problems
than with newly purchased feeder
pigs
Firestme noted he fattens about
500 head per year and buys his
hogs locally. He emphasized the
importance of backgrounding his
eeder pigs to see the conditions
they were raised under and only
medicates heavily when
necessary.
Firestme also said he stresses
the importance of adequate ven
tilation and uses a complete feed
This producer also said he won’t
buy a hog unless its tail was
docked.
Applegate said there aren’t
enough feeder pigs produced in
Pennsylvania to supply the
demand, a comment previously
mentioned by Lutz. Applegate
urged the producers to look beyond
the price of the feeder pigs to what
they are actually buying and how
much money will have to be spent
once they are home.
The largest problem he feels
producers in Pennsylvania have is
not being prepared for the feeder
pigs once they are purchased.
Applegate reminded the
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Dan Myers, (eft, Penn State Livestock specialist and Herb
Shick, treasurer of Pennsylvania Pork Producers, were
among guests at the Berks-Lebanon swine producers day.
producers that these purchased Applegate also told the hog
hogs are probably intermingled producers that 20 foot high
with hogs coming from several ceilings are poor for raising feeder
different farms and are lost pigs.
socially within the group this “Straw won’t help,” he added,
creates a large stress on them. “it will only keep their bellies
Other stress factors usually can warm,
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The veterinarian recommended “If not through propane, then with
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the feeder pigs suggesting that it Keiphart also echoed Lutz by
will probably increase space noting that he feels producers are
utilization and decrease the costs
of producing the hogs.
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