Al6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 17,1982
‘Cool’
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -
Fresh blueberries can now
withstand a 2-week-plus ocean
shipment to Europe and arrive m
excellent market condition, thanks
to innovative work by scientists
with USDA’s Agricultural
Research service here.
For buyers and sellers ot fresh
produce, the blueberry is special
a popular fruit when in season, but
a highly perishable one.
Blueberries are always in demand
but difficult to store or to ship long
distances.
The key to shipping blueberries
to Europe by cost-effective ocean
earner (rather than by costly air
freight) is to rapidly cool the fruit
prior to shipment, says plant
pathologist Michael Ceponis ot the
livestock market
and auction news
Weekly Summary
Fri. April 1C
Markets: 16.
CATTLE; 7070. Compared with
4777 head last week, and 6216 head
a year ago. Compared with last
week’s market: Slaughter steers.
.50-1.50 higher; SI. heifers steady
-100 higher; SI. cows steady-1.00
higher, although weaker end of
week; SI. bullocks l.'oo-2.00 higher;
SI. bulls strong-1.00 higher. SI.
steers High Choice & Prime No. 3-
4,69.85-72.50; Choice No. 2-4,65.00-
70.50 Good 58.00-67.00; Standard
50.00-58.00. SI. heifers: Choice
61.50-67.25; Good 55.00-62.00;
Standard 49.00-55.00. SI. cows:
41.0045.00, few 47.00. Cutters 38.00-
43.00; Canner & L. Cutter 32.00-
39.00; Shells down to 22.00 SI.
bullocks: 60.00-63.75, Good 54.00-
59.00; Standard 50.00-54.00; SI.
bulls: Yield Grade No.l, 1000-2200
lbs. 49.50-57.50, few down to 46.00
Grade N 0.2,900-1400 lbs 44.00-50.75.
FEEDER CATTLE: Steers,
Medium Frame No.l, 325-750 lbs.
55.00-65.00. Heifers, Medium
Frame No. 1, 300-700 lbs. 47.00-
is the word for shipping fresh blueberries overseas
ARS Post-Harvest Research
Center here.
Last summer, after several
years of laboratory testing,
Ceponis and co-researchers made
an experimental sea shipment ot
pre-cooled blueberries to Europe.
The result was the first successful,
commercial over-sea shipment to
Europe. Sixteen days after har
vest, nearly 7000 pints of
blueberries arrived at Brussels,
Belgium. The still-fresh berries
were quickly sold to wholesalers,
eager tor North American
bluebemes.
Almost all blueberries,
cultivated or wild, grow on this
continent. Europeans pay high
prices tor a small portion of the
annual U.S. blueberry crop that is
58.00; bulls Medium Frame No. 1,
400-700 lbs. 47.00-58.50.
CALVES: 3572. Compared with
3135 head last week and 3239 head a
year ago. Vealers highly uneven.
Prune 100.00-111.00, few 124.00
Choice 85.00-100.00, few 106.00 Good
70.00- Standard & Good 90-120
lbs. 45.00-60.00; 65.-90 lbs. 34.00-
45.00, few 55.00; Utility 50-90 lbs.
16.00-
FARM CALVES; Hoi Bulls 85-
125 lbs. 51.00-106.00, mostly 55.00-
87.00; Hoi Heifers 85-140 lbs. 50.00-
125.00, mostly 70.00-110.00. Hogs
6980. Compared with 6982 head last
week and 7451 head a year ago.
Barrows and gilts steady to .50
lower. US No. 1-2 200-245 lbs. 52.50-
55.00 No. 1-3 200-250 lbs. 51.00-53.50;
No. 2-3 200-275 lbs. 50.00-52.50; No.
1-3 140-190 lbs. 43.00-50.00; Sows
strong to 1.00 higher. US No. 1-300-
600 lbs. 45.00-51.50; No. 2-3 300-650
lbs. 43.0046.75. Boars 33.0043.00.
FEEDER PIGS: 1027. Com
pared with 810 head last week and
1184 a year ago. Feeder pigs
mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. US No. 1-3
20-35 lbs. 22.0040.00 per head; No.
1-3 35-50 lbs. 28.00-59.00.
;>hippeu oy an
The USUA experimental sea
shipment was a cooperative ettoit
ot the USDA, Flam Pathologist
K.A. Cappellnu ot the New Jersey
Agricultural Experimental
Station, and the Hammonton
Blueberry Exchange in Ham*
montoii, New Jersey. Laboiatory
studies had indicated that un
precedented trans-ocean ship
ments ot tresh pluebernes would
indeed be possible it immediately
> alter harvest the trim was rapidly
' cooled to approximately 35 degrees
Fahrenheit and stored ui an
enriched carbon dioxide at
mosphere.
Fresh New Jersey bluebeines,
says Cappellnu, are in great
demand by European unporters.
However, growers are i eluctanl to
ship cold berries to distant
markets. They tear that, when
warmed, the bemes will "sweat,"
decay more rapidly, and lose their
pleasing appearance. Laboratory
tests here, however, have shown
that "sweating” dues nut uiciease
decay
in uthei laburaloiy tests, ABB
scientists simulated 3- and 10-day
pre-cooled and noii-pre-couled
shipments. They tumid that during
the 3-day Trip,” pre-cooled
berries decayed 60 to 60 percent
less than NFC berries when both
were shipped” at 60 degrees
tatuenheit, and then exposed to
room temperature tor 24 horn's,
hoi the 10-day trip,” pre-cooled
berries decayed 3’/ to 46 percent
less when shipped” at 3b degrees
Fahrenheit, and then exposed to
i uum tempeialures tui 46 hours.
The tests, published recently in
Flam Disease Kepoitei and
Hurt Science magazine, also
established ideal conditions
necessai y toi shipping tpi sloungj
tresh blueberries toi longei
periods, cool i apidly attei hat vest,
hold at 3b degi ees Fatu enheit pi lot
to and during liansit, and ship in
an atniuspheie modified with lb
pei cent COj*
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Cepuius and Cappellnu followed etteclive addition to control
these guidelines for the ex- blueberry decay tor long distance
peiunentai shipment to Europe, shipping, Cepoms says,
and succeeded. The CO*/ is a cost-
Farm Calendar
Saturday, April 17
South Central Pa. Pork
Producers feeder pig show and
sale, Shippensburg Fairgrounds,
show 10 a.m., sale 1 p.m.
Delaware Pork Producers Show
& Sale, Carroll’s Barn, Felton,
Del., show 10 a.m., sale 2 p.m.
Lancaster County FFA meats
judging contest, 9 a.m., Kunzler’s,
Lancaster.
Monday, April 19
Pa. State Grange Annuai
Harrisburg Day Banquet, 6:30
p.m., Hobday Inn, Grantville.
Bradford DHIA directors
meeting, 8 p.m., Towanda
tension Office.
Oley Resource Conservation
Project, 8 p.m., Fnedens Lutheran
Church, Rt. 73, Oley.
Tuesday, April 20
York ASCS Banquet, 7 p.m.,
Fair Acres.
Terrace plow demonstration,
Dauphin County, 10 a.m., Mylm
Messick Farm, Rt. 441.
Berks County FFA banquet, 7
p.m., Kutztown Grange.
Wednesday, April 21
Northern Tier Veal Producers
meeting, 8 p.m., GTE Sylvanta,
Towanda.
Bradford Crop Management
Assn, meeting, 8 p.m., Towanda
Extension Office.
mmm
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Terrace plow and no-till seeding
demonstration, Lancaster County,
10 a.m., Elizabethtown
Fairgrounds.
Pa. Poultry Federation Fund
Raising Banquet, 6 p.m., Hershey
Convention Center.
Ephrata Young Farmers
meeting, 7:45 p.m., high school ag
department.
Topics: no-till corn & soybeans,
weed control, pesticide cer
tification update.
FFA area public speaking
competition, 1 p.m., Brownstown
Vo-Tech.
65th Little International
Livestock Exposition, Beef-Sheep
Center, University Park, 8 a.m.
Berks Dairy Princess Banquet, 7
p.m., Ag Center, Leesport.
Berks County Horse Expo, Penn
State Berks Campus, continues
tomorrow.
Empire Polled Hereford Assn.
4th annual Classic Sale, 1 p.m.,
Cornell Livestock Pavillion,
Ithaca, N.Y.
York Sheep & Wool Producers
workshop, 2 p.m., Ebersole farm,
R 3 Red Lion.
Pa. Assn, of Meat Producers
Annual Convention, Cross Creek
Resort, Titusville.
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Thursday, April 22
Saturday, April 24