02—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 4,1984
Poultrymen asked to comment
HARRISBURG - Of interest to
all Pennsylvania poultrymen is
House Bill 2035, designed to insure
prompt payment for poultry
products. The following is the
complete text of that bill.
In an effort to insure that
producers are protected without
jeopardizing their competitive
position with surrounding states
not having such a law, the Penn
sylvania Poultry Federation is
seeking comments from
producers. Call PPF headquarters
collect if you have something to
say: 717-652-7530.
HOUSE BILL NO. 2035
Introduced by Broujos, Noye,
Cole, Cordisco, Cappabianca,
Battisto, Scheetz, Wass, G.M.
Snyder, Godshall, Showers,
Baldwin, DeVerter, Belfanti,
Rudy, Coy, Gallagher, Lloyd,
Preston, Dawida, Duffy, McCall,
A.C. Foster, Jr., Morris, Fargo,
Rudy, and Greenwood, March,
1984.
AN ACT
Providing for the provisions of
poultry and egg contracts; and
imposing civil penalties.
The General Assembly of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Findings and purpose.
The General Assembly hereby
finds:
(1) That the poultry and egg
industries in Pennsylvania are
vital to the health and welfare of
all Pennsylvanians.
(2) That all segments of these
industries, including farmers,
brokers, processors, and retailers,
LIVESTO
LATEST
Polled Hereford Show results
DES MOINES, la. Two young
Polled Hereford enthusiasts from
Oklahoma swept the cham
pionships at the 11th National
Junior Polled Hereford Show in
Des Moines, lowa, July 22-26.
Ten-year-old Eindy Willoughby
of Ada, Okla., came out as the top
winner at the show when her heifer
claimed the grand champion title.
T Ms New Force, Rindy’s
February 1983 daughter of
Superior Sire Enforcer 107 H, won
the purple banner. Earlier in the
day she had been named the
Division IV champion.
AE Tiffany, the reserve champ
in Division IV, stepped up the
championship ladder to capture
the reserve grand champion
honors. She was exhibited by 13-
year-old Matt Sims of Elgin, Okla.
The sire of this January 1963
heifers was EPH Lethal 67K S 2.
Three nationally prominent
cattle authorities Dr. Doug
Parrett of the University of
Illinois, Urbana; Larry Cotton of
Premier Beef Cattle, Howell,
Mich.; and Jackie Davis of Napa
Valley Polled Herefords, Napa,
Calif., evaluated the 366-head
competition.
In the runoff for the coveted
bred-and-owned heifer trophy,
Walt McKellar of Senatobia, Miss.,
emerged as the winner with
CMR Miss 445 M. This July 1983
daughter of BT CL Domino 445 M
was also named the reserve champ
in Division I of the heifer show. The
reserve bred-end-owned heifer
need to be financially secure in
order for the industry to benefit the
citizens of this Commonwealth.
(3) That, at present, poultry and
egg farmers often do business
without having any guarantee of
payment.
(4) That if poultry and egg
farmers are not financially secure,
these industries would collapse,
thereby threatening the jobs,
health and welfare of thousands of
Pennsylvanians.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases
when used in this act shall have the
meanings given to them in this
section unless the context clearly
indicates otherwise:
“Grower.” A person who
provides physical facilities for
housing and labor for raising
poultry, whether or not he provides
additional services incidental to
the raising of poultry.
“Merchant.” A person who buys
poultry in wholesale quantities
within this Commonwealth, in
cluding, but not limited to, pur
chases on commission, purchases
by a dealer or purchases by a
broker.
“Person.” Any individual,
partnership, sole proprietorship,
corporation or entity.
“Poultry.” All types of chickens,
whether raised to be sold as layers
or for processing, chicken eggs,
ducks, geese, turkeys and all game
birds raised for processing.
“Poultry contract.” Any
agreement, either oral or written,
between a grower and a merchant
relating to the raising of poultry by
title was presented to Amy Cox,
Ozark, Mo., on AC Miss Dancer
409. She is a May 1983 heifer by
Wild Cat Sundance 7K.
Kent Tjardes of Gibson City, 111.,
nabbed the purple banner in the
bred-and-owned cow-calf division.
His top pair included TJ Victoria
064 251, a 2-year-old EDR Bobs
Banner daughter, and her April
bull calf by WW 11M Lucky
Charme 63P. The reserve cham
pion cow-calf pair was Suzy Stick,
sired by Stlbrk Gilead 67K, and her
March heifer calf by 61st National
Champion Sterling. Jason
Kuhlmann of North Platte, Neb.,
showed this pair. Last year, Suzy
Stick and her 1983 calf also earned
the reserve cow-calf honors at the
10th National Junior Polled
Hereford Show.
In other divisional heifer com
petition, Brian Klippenstein of
Maysville, Mo., won the Division
111 championship on GK Free
Spirit 3223. She is by Klondike
Banner 469 L. The Division HI
reserve champion title went to
New York exhibitor Greg Billing of
Little Falls. His winner was ASB
Mis K Bo 3101, sired by Beartooth
Kona 484 N.
Another Kona daughter, Ms
Bambi Kona 58DJ, was selected as
the champion of Division n. Her
owner is James Almy of
Georgetown, 111. The Division II
reserve championship also went to
an Illinois junior, Kim Schiffbauer
of Tonica. Her entry was KF Lady
Di6o9, by WSF PRL Justa Banner.
the grower.
Section 3. Time for payment.
Unless otherwise agreed to by
the parties involved, all sums due
to a grower by a merchant under a
poultry contract shall be paid to
the grower within 14 days of the
date on which the grower delivers
the poultry to the merchant.
Section 4. Interest on late
payments.
Beginning on the Isth day after
the date of delivery, the merchant
shall be liable to the grower for
interest on the unpaid balance.
Unless otherwise agreed to by the
parties involved, the interest is to
be simple interest at the fate
published by the Secretary of
Revenue pursuant to section 806 of
the act of April 9, 1929, (P.L. 343,
no. 176), known as The Fiscal
Code.
Section 5. Mortgages or other
security given by growers to
merchants.
Unless otherwise agreed to by
the parties involved, a mortgage or
other security given by a grower,
as mortgagin' or obligor, to a
merchant or his assignee of
designee, as mortgagee or obligee,
shall be satisfied by the merchant
upon either of the following con
ditions: (i) the delivery of the
grown flock of birds to the mer
chant by the grower; or (ii) the
making of a declaration of default
by a grower under section 6. Such a
mortgage or other security shall
not be deemed to be a continuing
obligation, but shall cease and
determine when either of the
(Turn to Page D 4)
The final division winner was
Ramsey Enforcer Lass, shown by
Ryan Ramsey, Greenfield, Ind.
She is a July Enforcer daughter.
Patrick Wertz of Deßidder, La.,
exhibited two heifer class winners,
with the combination earning him
the premier exhibitor award. Both
of his class-winning heifers were
bred by Jack and Barbara Simp
son of JBS Polled Herefords,
Hillsboro, Texas, who were named
the premier breeder of the show.
Throughout the week, the
National Junior Polled Hereford
Council took an active role in
organizing activities and running
the show. The Council is composed
of 12 representatives of the 36 state
junior Polled Hereford
associations. Their new officers
elected during the week were
Chairman Tom Kiritsis 11,
Mooresville, Ind.; Vice Chairman
Kurt Jennings, Rogers, Ark.;
Secretary Tim Roberts, Arcadia,
Okla.; and Reporter Bill Goehring,
Libertyville, lowa.
Another highlight of the week
was the selection of individual and
team showmanship winners.
Topping the senior category was
Mark Penn of Canton, Miss.,
followed closely by reserve senior
showmanship winner Kim
Schiffbauer.
Other forum activities included a
judging contest, a fun rodeo and a
scrapbook contest. The exhibitors
wound up the week with a steak fry
followed by their awards banquet
and a junior dance.
Marketing Feeder Pigs
That now-famous slogan
“Where’s the Beef” has been
used by almost everyone and
everything, ad nauseum. But it’s a
perfect example of successful
marketing. In the hog industry, the
National Pork Producers Council
continues its efforts in marketing
pork. It takes determination, and
time and money.
Unfortunately, most hog
producers make only limited at
tempts at improving their own
marketing practices. They work
the calculators and push the
pencils before buying. They
tighten the belt till their eyes bulge
to hold down the costs of produc
tion. But they seldom make a solid
thrust to get the most for what
they’ve got.
There’s a lot you can do to get
more for your hogs or feeder pigs.
Some important questions to
consider where and how should I
sell, when should I sell, and what
quality should I strive for? Let’s
start with a look at feeder pig
production.
When to Sell
Feeder Pigs
Most producers market feeder
pigs in the 40 to 60-pound weight
range. Pen space, level of
production and time limitations
usually play the biggest role in
deciding when to send pigs down
the road. For example, when there
are pigs ready to be weaned and
the nursery’s already full, you’ve
got to sell some pigs. Just as when
Mother Nature says it’s time to
plant corn you plant corn. But if
you have the flexibility, use it to
your advantage.
Let’s say you normally sell pigs
when they reach 45 pounds. A lot of
folks will sell at light weights,
because heavier pigs bring a lower
price per pound. But you should be
watching the markets constantly.
At this writing 45 pounders are
selling for about $1 a pound, or $45
per head. Fifty-five pounders are
bringing a little less about $.95 a
pound or $52.25 per head.
What will it cost you to put on
that extra ten pounds? At least
another 25 pounds of feed and at
$.15 per pound, that’s $3.75. A
rough estimation of overhead costs
(labor, building expense, fuel,
etc.) would be $.20 per head per
day. Since it will take about eight
days to put on this 10 pounds, that’s
another $1.60. So altogether it’s
going to cost you about $5.35 to
grow about pig from 45 to 55
pounds.
Using these figures, you could
make an extra $1.90 per head by
selling the pigs at 55 pounds in
stead of 45 pounds. If your feed
costs or overhead costs are less,
you could realize an even greater
margin.
Sell Now
45 lbs. @ $l.OO = $45.00
Sell Later
55 lbs. @5.95 = $52.25
Feed
Overhead
Total
One problem is that it’s
sometimes hard to predict the
market spread between lighter and
heavier pigs. But if you have the
facilities, it’s generally more
profitable to sell at 55 to 60 pounds,
than in the 40 to 45 pound range.
Where to Sell
Feeder Pigs
Selling direct to the buyer
probably creates the least
aggravation for you and is cer
tainly a whole lot easier on the
pigs. How should you establish the
price for pigs that are marketed
directly? Reach an understanding
with the buyer. If he comes to your
door to get the pigs, then he stands
the trucking expense and he pays
for the labor and the shrink. If you
have to deliver, a trucking fee is
customary. Either way the finisher
is getting pigs free of sale barn
stress. That may not be worth a big
premium. But if your pigs do well,
it certainly deserves a top-of-the
market price.
If you sell through the auction,
you have to decide which one.
Some markets, at times, will
command better prices than
others. It’s a temptation to go after
these markets even when it
requires some added travel.
Let’s say you can get $1 a pound
for a 50-pound pig at sale bam A.
It’s 50 miles away and they charge
$1.25 per head commission. You
haul-pigs there in a truck and
trailer that costs $.50/mile to
operate. (That’s a $.83 per head.)
You use hours of your time,
worth, ‘we’ll say, $8 an hour.
(That’s a $.33 per head.) After
deducting those expenses, you’re
«howing $47.59 per head on the
bottom line.
At sale bam B you can get $1.05
per pound or a gross price of $52.30
for a 50-pound pig. But this sale
barn is 200 miles away, so your
trucking allowance is now $3.33 per
head. And they charge $1.75 for
commission. You spend 8 hours
getting there and back which
comes to $1.06 per pig. And don’t
forget, the pig is on the truck three
hours longer. Research shows
feeder pigs will lose .33 percent of
their weight per hour without feed
and water. At $1.05 per pound, that
lost weight will cost you another
$.52 per head.
All things considered, your price
per pig seems to $45.84 $1.75 less
than sale bam A. Not much of a
bargain. Using these figures you’d
need a premium of $B/cwt at the
distant sale bam, just to break
even on the trip.
Feeder Pig
Quality
Conformation and muscling will
affect the value of the feeder pig.
But for the man who takes that pig
home, health is the most important
quality factor. As a feeder pig
producer, you need to strive for
both healthy pigs to maintain
buyer demand, and meaty hogs to
maintain consumer demand.
-3.75
-1.60
In summary, it can make a big
difference where and when you sell
your pigs. If you have more than
one marketing alternative, figure
your costs and use them to
determine the best choice.
$46.90