* LANCASTER Turkey farmers promote their product as a meat for all seasons, but the tell holidays still have a special meaning to them. This is their best time of year. Almost half of the turkey Americans eat is gobbled up between October and December. And peak demand often means peak prices. In 5 of the last 6 years, U.S. average prices received by turkey producers hit their annual highs in November or December. Producers want to change the seasonal notion Americans have about turkey and help boost in come year round. “Our goal is for consumers to treat turkey as they would any other meat,” says Lew Walts of the National Turkey Federation. The federation and several other in dustry groups have been running campaigns to get consumers to buy their product throughout the year. WE GUARANTEE LOWEST PRICES IN CENTRAL PA. Why buy elsewhere when we offer major brands at tremendous ware house savings? Compare & you’ll agree. Only thru low overhead can we undersell: Stores going out of business Liquidation sales Inventory reduction sales Anniversary & birthday sales Any other reasons for price reductions WE SIMPLY UNDERSELL EVERYONE - ALWAYS BEAT INFLATION WITH THESE PRICES CHILD'S ROCKS* $ 26 50 Reg. Sale Our Price Youth Group by Bassett Dresser $249.95 $189.95 $144.00 More Desk 249.95 189.95 144.00 pieces Chest 209.95 149.95 128.00 available Hutch Top 209.95 149.95 128.00 Mirror 69.95 49.95 37.00 Captain’s Bed . 319.95 249.95 148.00 Bunk Bed Set (complete incl. bedding) 309.95 209.95 138.00 Dry Sink (Wood) 289.95 209.95 138.00 Lane Hope Chest 249.95 189.95 139.50 RECLINERS •88°° 3 Pc. End Table Set (Chrome) 3 Pc. Living Room Set (Herculon) 3 Pc. Living Room Set (Nylon) 2 Pc. Living Room Set (Nylon) 6 Pc. Family Room Set (Solid Wood & Nylon) 1209.95 789.95 528.00 Hide-A-Bed (Dbl) 509.95 349.95 218.00 5 Pc. Dinette Set 209.95 189.95 118.00 7 Pc. Dinette Set 389.95 269.95 178.00 7 Pc. Dining Room (Trestle Table) 909.95 689.95 468.00 5 Pc. Bedroom Set (Maple, Pine) 709.95 509.95 298.00 100’s of Living Rooms, End Tables, Lamps, Wall Units, Rockers, Dining Rooms, Dinettes, Hutches, Dry Sinks, Curios, Bookcases, Bunk Beds, Bedrooms, Youth Groups, Gun Cabinets, Butler Tables, Hail Racks, Mattress Sets, Pit Groups, Hope Chests & Much More. For turkey producers, success is a year-round welcome Success has been slow, but steady. Turkey consumption in creased an average of 5 percent a year during the 1970’5, faster than the increase in population. “We are definitely eating more turkey,” says USDA economist Allen Baker. “Back in 1940, an average American ate just short of 3 pounds a year, less than a third of what we eat today.” Even 10 years ago, we ate only 8 pounds each. But, by 1980, per capita con sumption reached 10.5 pounds. This year consumption is expected to remain just about the same. “In coming years, when turkey is more widely used in different kinds 6t products, we cm expect the consumption figures to in crease,” Walts says. With the advent of turkey ham, franks, and bologna, turkey is now competing in markets traditionally dominated by other meats. Turkey is attractive to GUN CASINET 12 GUN MATTRESS SET Sgi. s 66°° s 2sB°° WALLHUGGERS *l7B°° HRS: Mon.-Fri. 10 A.M. - 8 P.M. Sat. 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. LAYAWAYS & TERMS AVAILABLE MANHEIM - MT. JOY EXIT ON RT. 283 RAPHO INDUSTRIAL PARK - BLDG. #3 717-653-8096 BOSTON ROCKERS s49s° 2K. 3 PC. WALL UNITS FLOORLAMPS $495° s l7B°° 209.95 139.95 68.00 869.95 619.95 388.00 1309.95 809.95 568.00 809.95 509.95 378.00 <** processors because of price. It’s cheaper than competing meats. Per pound, food processors usually pay around 46 percent more for beef and 34 percent more for pork. But, processed products such as luncheon meats and hot dogs are just one side of turkey’s “second industry.” Fresh cut-up parts are another. “Turkey parts are relative newcomers to meat counters,” Walts says. But consumer ac ceptance has apparently been ' encouraging. One east coast grocery chain reports sales of fresh and frozen turkey breasts more than doubling in the last decade. “In the last 5 years, we’ve seen tremendous growth in these secondary areas,” Walts says. “In fact, only about half the turkeys marketed today are whole and two fifths of those have been processed in some way that makes cooking BRAIDED RUGS R'*l2' *BB°° ■ENTWOOD ROCKERS •68 00 easier, such as prebasted birds. “Five years ago, only about 35 to 40 percent of the turkey crop went to the cut-up and processed markets. In 1981, we can expect to use almost half of the crop for this purpose,” Walts says. The success in selling consumers on turkey’s other uses stems partly from the efforts of producers, breeders, and scientists to improve the flock. “Modem birds have been bred for thick thighs and meaty drumsticks," Walts says. “In fact, the average dress-out weight (the actual meat from the bird) is around 80 percent of the total weight. (Consider the dress-out rate for a steer at only 48 percent.) This meat-to-bone ratio makes turkey a particularly good buy at the retail counter. Lancaster Farming; Saturday, November Zt, 1981-B9 Another reason for increased turkey sales is the price relationship with beef and pork. As these two rise, turkey sales in crease. The retail price, however, is hard to forecast. Economists have noted that retail prices for turkey don’t respond predictably to such normally strong indicators as supplies, consumer incomes, and prices of competing meats. However, some economists are betting that this year’s holiday prices will be below those of last year. “On the wholesale level, prices for young hen turkeys in New York may average 70 to 73 cents per pound, compared with last year’s 73 cents,” Baker says. But, he adds, “Retail prices can vary widely due to competition and store ‘specials,’ especially during the holidays.”
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