Computer Control Comes To The Pasteurization Process
BY LISA RISSEIW , ..
ROCK SPRINGS (Centre)
Within the next 10 years, 90 per
cent of milk plants in Pennsylvania
will have magnetic-flow meter
systems regulating their pasteuri
zation process, predicted Tom Pal
chak, manager of Penn State’s
Creamery. “There are no more
than five plants that currently have
these systems,” he remarked. ~
Polchak was on hand at the
Theme Building during Ag Prog
ress to discuss dairy processing
with visitors.
The system has been around for
years in the liquids industry. It pri-
BY LISA RISSER
ROCK SPRINGS (Centre)
For the farmer interested in com
puterizing his operations, George
Greaser, ag economist at Penn
State, recommends starting with
an accounting system with a finan
cial analysis program.
“This program gets the farmer’s
records up and makes all his
• Preserves and protects nutritional
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Minimizes spoilage and waste.
Increase palatability.
Increases bunk life.
• Economical and easy to use. (One 50 lb.
bag treats 50 tons of silage)
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manly was used in processing oil,
syrup, and sugar products. The
university Creamery, which pro
cesses 125,000 gallons of milk
yearly, received Food & Drug
Administration approval in Febru
ary to operate the system in their
business.
The magnetic-flow meter sys
tem, or meter-based timing sys
tem, is more efficient than the tim
ing pumps used now and controls
the milk flow more easily. The
timing pump uses positive dis
placement to regulate the flow of
milk in the pasteurization process.
It is a piece of equipment that
needs regular preventative mainte
nance in addition to straight
repairs.
Computers Becoming A Farming Tool
records available for analysis,”
said Greaser, who was in the
Theme Building during Ag Prog
ress. “Farmers traditionally aren’t
going to go through a stack of pap
ers to compare data, whereas with
the computer, they can access lots
of information almost instantly.”
The accounting program allows
farmers to ask “what if” questions
kssMuis
1 PURINA CHDWSj
The meter-based timing system
uses an electronic pulse to control
the speed of the milk. The user
programs into the system how
many total gallons the run will be
and the meter speeds or slows the
flow according to that figure,” Pal
chak said.
Also on the horizon is the use of
computer systems to control milk
pasteurization. FDA recently
approved their use as a replace
ment of the hard-wired controls
currently in use.
“This is significant because the
dairy industry is advancing tech
nologically. They (industry mem- —P -*''9 ‘
bers) can feel safe to incorporate it were displays on milk processing, crops and soils, and
in dairy processing,” Polchak said. computers.
by adjusting variables to determine
if a course of action will earn
money for them.
Once the farmer has this basic
program, Greaser recommends
obtaining production programs
such as feed analysis and perfor
mance data on cattle.
Penn State’s department of agri
culture is compiling a list of sug-
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Rt.B2
Unionville, PA 18375
(215)347-2377
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 20, 1988-Al9
gested software that they hope to
have available to farmers soon.
The price of a good system is
usually around $2,400 plus about
$l,OOO for software, according to
Greaser. However, he and other
computer experts predict that
prices should drop dramatically
this fall when Radio Shack intro
duces its newest computer. The
newest Radio Shack entry into the
computer market should run about
$1,400. This low price probably
will cause IBM to drop the price on
their System 2 computers to a com
parable price.
“Once the farmer has a compu
ter and telephone modem, he can
hook into DHIA to access his herd
information and Penn Pages, the
university information system,”
said Greaser. “He’ll have a lot of
information at his fingertips.”
In a separate building, the col
lege of agriculture was offering a
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JjSKm COMMUNITY FAIR
Tues., Aug. 23 thru
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IfU Lebanon Valley
Iclltf National Bank
free computer class to the public.
The classes, led by Vince Verbeke,
education specialist with the col
lege, were designed to show the
general public some of the things
that computers can do. “It shows
the public the technology involved
with agriculture,” said Verbeke.
“The classes also help demystify
computers.”
This is the second year for the
computer classes, which has been
drawing people of all ages, from
youngsters to senior citizens. Par
ticipants sit down in front of a
Macintosh computer and go
through a series of exercises and
learn several functions of the com
puter. Each person leaves the class
with a sheet of paper on which he
has blackened in his county on a
state map and written in his name.
“It’s amazing how fast they pick
it up,” said Verbeke. “They’re hav
ing fun here.”
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