PHOENIX, Anz. The National Cattlemen’s Assn, recently recommended a beef grading change aimed at production and marketing of leaner, more nutritious beef. NCA members adopted a asolution calling for a grading system revision that would en courage the production of beef with less trunmable fat and with a greater ratio of lean to fat The action was taken at NCA’s annual business meeting, held during the association convention in Phoenix. The recommendation will be presented to the ILS Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for meat grade standards NCA noted there is a “need to respond to consumer demand for more lean beef. In order to meet this increased demand, our producers need to be encouraged to produce a product with a higher percentage of lean.” Gene Schroeder, Palisade, Nebraska, chairman of the NCA Grading Committee, said that recent meat research as well as experience in the market place has shown the need to improve and modernize the grading system. For one thing,” he said, research has indicated that, in determining eating quality, marbling is less important than previously believed. We are recommending a change in the choice grade criteria that would make the system more objective. Also, the proposed change would tend to reduce the amount of over feeding which often occurs now in efforts to achieve the required degree of marbling. • Under our proposal, beef would Booth lisulation Company “THERMAL INSULATION SPECIALISTS” CONCRETE -(gSSjjiKl CIRCULAR MjrSy MANURE STORAGE TANKS Built To Your Specifications & Capacity * Circular • Flat Side to a Building Above Ground, Below COMPARE! L Ground (Gravity Flow-No structure And Pricel Pumping) or Combination You Ho »e Everything | CALL KEN GROFF at STRASOURG POURED WALLS R.D. #2. Box B, Strasburg, PA 17579 Ph: 717-687-6668 Call Anytime - Evenings Preferred NCA recommends modern continue to qualify for the choice grade if it had a ‘small’ or ‘modest’ amount of marbling. In addition, a ‘slight’ amount of marbling would qualify beef as choice provided there was a minimum of 0 3 inch of fat cover over the 12th nb ‘‘We are adding that provision because of research showing that 0.3 mch of fat cover reflects suf ficient gram feeding time to assure desired palatabihty and ten derness With today’s cattle and Lamb task force seeks marketing solutions LANCASTER In a determined effort to solve some of the more pressing problems in the marketing of lamb, the sheep industry has organized a special lamb marketing task force which will conduct its first meeting on Thursday February 26, at the headquarters of the American Sheep Producers Council in Denver The 12-member task force is expected to delve into the recent market decline m lamb prices which proved disastrous to some sheep producers, and to seek means to avoid the serious and volatile fluctuations in live lamb prices Bill Balden of Danville, KY, temporary chairman of the task force, said the industry can’t af ford such serious rises and declines in live prices He pointed out that lamb prices fell from approximately 73 cents to about 43 cents in about eight weeks tune Although there are contributing factors to this, such as the drought and a temporary abundance of feeding programs, marbling alone is not an adequate indicator of eating quality. We concluded that it was necessary to modernize the system to reflect this situation. “Our proposal means eating quality equal or superior to that under the present standards. At the same time, we can help assure a greater proportion of lean meat, as opposed to fat, m the available beef supply ” lamb on the market, there was no reason for it to decline to that extent The new task force, which Balden said is not conducting a witch hunt, is firmly resolved to alleviate some of the problems which have plagued lamb marketmg for years. He added that iamb is not the only livestock which has suffered seriously in the past six months, since beef and pork also are far from profitable. It is just the fact, he said, that it has become in tolerable for lamb producers to withstand the severe ups and downs Also intended to help is a lamb marketing seminar slated for March 23 to 26 at Wichita, KS. Represented on the special task force will be two members from the National Wool Growers Association, headquartered in Salt Lake City, two from the American Sheep Producers Council in Denver, two from the National Lamb Feeders Association, two representing the meat packing industry, one retailer, two 3js MEMO HAY, STRAW & EAR CORN SALE EVERY MONDAY At 11 A.M NEW HOLLAND SALES STABLES, INC Phone 717 354-4341 Lloyd H Kreider, Auctioneer Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 21,1981—€33 grading beef Schroeder said the proposed change should result in some shortening of the average feeding time required to produce choice beef. This, he said, will result in less production of beef carcasses with excess, trimmable fat. And beef available to the public should better meet the demand for lean but tender and tasty beef “We consider the proposal to be in the best interest of both the wholesalers and one in the food service business. Balden said, “If there are things the lamb producers are doing which are basically wrong, then we want to correct those mistakes, and must do so immediately if we are going to survive in this in flationary era of skyrocketing costs. “We appreciate the assistance of all segements of the industry in helping us to market our products Project book winners reported LEBANON Various members of the Eastern Lebanon County FFA participated in the project book contest held at the Lebanon County Vo-tech School. The contest was judged by the county vo-ag teachers and Harvey A. Smith, area consultant for Lebanon County. It is held each year to determine which FFA students completed the best books through accuracy, completeness and neatness. The Eastern Lebanon County FFA placings were as follows Work Experience - Off-farm (0-500 hours), Donna Rabold, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon and Dorothy Tice, 2nd place, silver, red ribbon; Work Experience - Off-farm (500- 1000 hours), Irene Brown, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon and Jonathan Arnold, 2nd place, silver, blue ribbon; Work Experience - Off-farm (1001-1500 hours), Joel Fahnestock, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon w 'ork Experience - On-farm (501- 1000 hours), David Prince, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon; Work Experience - On-farm (1001-1500 hours), Glenn Wenger, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon, Ken Erb, 2nd place, gold, blue ribbon, James consuming public and the beef cattle industry,” Schroeder said. “Current trends in the market place indicate that we provide the public with a leaner product. Trends in the cost of energy dictate that we not waste fossil fuel and feed energy now being used to produce fat which is costly to both the producer and the consumer and which is not desired by the consumer.” better and provide the consumer with a high quality product and consistent supply. We can’t take our food supply for granted any longer,” Balden said He referred to the fact that sheep numbers have shown a two percent increase as of January 1 of this year, which is the second year in a row that sheep numbers have shown an increase in this country and the first time in more than 20 years that this has occurred. Bennetch, 3rd place, silver, red ribbon, and Robert Hogeland, 4th place, silver, red ribbon; Work Experience - On-Farm (over 1501 hours), Ed Kegerreis, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon, and John Kline, 2nd place, silver, blue ribbon Two Enterprises - Donna Rabold, 4th place, red ribbon, William Hogeland, sth place, white ribbon, and Randy Hartranft, 7th place; Three Enterprises - Diane Hackman, 4th place, red ribbon, and Lisa Gettle, 6th place, white ribbon; Market Hogs - Ed Kegerreis, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon, Norma Kurtz, sth place, red ribbon, and Tom Louwerse, 6th place, white nbbon, Potatoes - Robert Hogeland, Ist place, gold, blue nbbon. Dairy Herd - John Kline, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon, and Patti Heilmger, 2nd place, silver, blue ribbon; Trapping - Tim Fehr, sth place, white ribbon. Poultry (Capons) Darlene Kurtz, Ist place, gold, blue ribbon I BARN I I PAINTING I | Call Us Now I l For Free | i Estimates I I PHARESS HURST f ® RDI Box 420 I Narvon, Pa 17555 » | 215-445 6186 | Paint k 9 Company i
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