LANCASTER What's in future
for Pennsylvania’s broiler in
dustry’ Can it survive the
of a weak economy in
the face of expanding production?
These were the questions ad
dressed by Penn State poultry
scientist Forest Muir during
last Thursday’s broiler conference
held here at the Host Corral.
Drawing on his experiences in
Maine, where the broiler industry
experienced a dramatic decline in
just one year, Muir was optimistic
for Pennsylvania’s broiler in
dustry. He stated producers can
look for sustained economic
success if they continue to be
concerned and guard againts
complacency.
Muir pointed out that Penn
sylvania’s broiler producers have
expanded their operations since
1970 when they delivered almost 54
million birds to the marketplace
This expansion, he said, was a
response to a greater consumer
demand for chicken in the diet
which has grown steadily since
1935. That year per capita con
sumption was a mere one pound
compared to 1981’s 50 pound figure
“The broiler industry doesn’t
static,’’ commented Muir
“It’s either increasing or it’s
decreasing.” From 1980-81,
Pennsylvania increased it’s broiler
output by 3.5 million birds or 3.14
percent.
However, Muir pointed out that
even though Pennsylvania’s
broiler numbers are increasing,
the state’s share of the national
market decreased during the past
year, dropping from 2.81 percent in
1980 to 2.79 percent in 1981. A
growing percent of these broilers
are finding a place in the processed
or cut-up parts markets rather
than the whole, frozen bird
market.
What will help Pennsylvania’s
broiler industry to survive? Muir
cited several key assets:
technical competence within
i the industry and expertise
available to it;
the proximity of producers to
feed grain supplies and con
sumers;
a land base which permits
producers to realize economic
NEW EQUIPMENT
OTHER
EQUIPMENT
TRACTORS
JD6SOMF WD
JDBSO
JD2040
JD2440
JD2640
JD2940
JD 4240 w/SG & QR
JD 4440 w/SG & QR
TILLAGE
EQUIPMENT
JD 215 11’5” Disc
JD 23519*11” Disc
JD RM4 cultivator
JD 2800 5B Plow
JD 1250 3B Plow
HAYTOOLS
JD1209 Mower Good.
JD1320 Mower Good.
(Demo)
NH474Haybme
NH 258 Rake
Thrower for 320
Matthews 9E Rotary
Scythe
JD 327 Balers
NH 847 Round Baler
NH 38 Crop Chopper
COMBINES
&HEADS
JD 215 Flex Platfrom
JD 444 Com Head
JD 6620 Combine
BOJM WAIVER OF INTEREST mmm
miSSSmk ON MANY ITEMS
I. G. SALES Wi
!\EW HCXLA\C
DeLAVAL Silverdale, PA 18962 Qums«t
JAMESWAY 215-257-5135 i M j|ihrii
Can Pa.’s broiler
returns for litter, turning the waste
byproduct into an income source
rather than a liability;
enthusiastic mdustrymen and
a state where government and
consumers look favorably on
agriculture; and
cooperation exhibited between
companies and poultry
organizations.
On the other hand, Muir noted
broiler producers also have
several liabilities:
high interest rates;
being satisfied with too low a
quality product;
consumers who look at
broilers as manufactured com
modities rather than biological
prOCLSSUIei t-L. 1 .
operating at capacity,
plants that are too small to
benefit from new technology,
high labor costs; and
manure disposal in certain
geographic areas
These positive and negative
factors, explained Muir, were the
result of a poll of twelve university
and industry people
In his attempts to challenge the
mdustrymen to guard against
complacency, Muir shared with
them the reasons behind the
JD 75, 145, 148, 158,
260 Loader
JO 506 Mower
JD965,1065 Wagons
JD 78 Blade
JD 392 Spreader
NH 679 Spreader
NH 14, 230, 234
Wagons
Century 300 gal
Sprayer
Century 500 Gal.
Sprayer
Hub 36’ Elevator
DeLaval Manure
Pump
PLANTING
EQUIP.
JD 7000 Consv. Pltrs.
4R&6RN
JDB2OO Plain Drills
JD 8350 Pert. Drills
USED EQUIPMENT
JD 4230
w/RG
Tractor
NH 791 Manure
Spreader
JD 54 Manure
Spreader
NH 320 Wire Baler
w/hydraformatic
& quarter turn
chute
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LANCASTER FARMING
P.O. Box 366, Lititz. PA 17543
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industry survive?
demise of the broiler “showcase”
state Maine where production
plummeted from 72 million to 17
million birds in the span of one
year.
-“The broiler industry in Maine
didn’t keep up with modernization
in order to stay competitive,”
explained Muir. “In an industry
that was all family-owned,
producers iidn’t build anything
into their management to allow the
businesses to carry on as the
owners got older They became
complacent ”
Freight rates that were higher
than in any other area of the
broiler industry also contributed to
Maine’s decline The rates climbed
on a percentage basis, right along
with the costs of unionized labor,
he said.
The lack of cooperation between
companies, the lack of public
support for agirculture in general
and poultry in particular, created
the atmsophere of disinterest at
research universities and in
government where the broiler
industry was concerned
“Government leaders didrft
understand the impact a declining
broiler industry would have on the
state’s economy as well as the five
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(Number of Words)
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companies controlling it,” said
Muir “This lack of commitment
set an example for others to follow
and sent out a message that the
broiler industry was of no im
portance.”
Mo'ne’s broiler industry was not
dependent on any resource unique
to the state, observed Muir
“Everything was bought in ’’
“Growers built houses and ex
pected full-time income from a
issue. Classify under
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 26,1952—C9
word ad
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EACH WEEK'S PUBLICATION
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part-time commitment,” he
criticized
To save themselves from a
similar fate in the future, Muir
challenged the Pennsylvania
broiler producers to "change for
the sake of improvement there’s
always room for improvement in
attitude ” He encouraged them to
“toot their own horns” and to
cultivate a "Buy Pennsylvania
Broilers" philosophy among the
state’s consumers —SM
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