Milk Studies Raise Consumer Concerns, Quality Standards
BY R. YONKERS
Ag Ec Ext.
Food Safety
And Milk Demand
Recent media reports about
drug residues found in retail milk
samples have raised concerns
about impacts on consumer milk
demand. Such impacts are diffi
cult to assess immediately. Let’s
look at two recent examples. First,
concern over the use of fungi
Sleeping
On the Job
(Continued from Page A 26)
staff. Only then can a planned
program of supervisor income and
benefit improvements be imple
mented and affordable.
But, getting on with that work
requires reorganization of the
entire system in Pennsylvania.
Can you see them, those 50+
supervisors who will leave DHIA
this year? Can you see them well
enough to recognize what they
will cost DHIA members in train
ing their replacements, or the lost
opportunities for improved mem
ber services?
Or are you asleep?
How
STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) —This data is
pulled from Pennsylvania DHIA’s mainframe
computer each week. It is a one-week summary
representing approximately one-fourth of the
herds on test, as they are tested monthly.
These data are valuable from a business man
agement standpoint and can be used for compar
ing your operations to the averages from almost
1,400 herds across the state.
DHIA Averages for all herds processed between
3/20/90 and 3/27/90
Number of Herds Processed
Number of Cows Processed
Number of Cows Per Herd
Milk Per Cow (Lbs)
%-Fat
Fat Per Cow (Lbs)
%-Protein
Protein Per Cow (Lbs)
Average Days in Milk Per Cow
•Value for CWT Milk(s)
•Value for CWT Grain(s)
•Value for CWT Hay(s)
•Value for CWT Silage(s)
•Value for Pasture Per Day(s)
•Value for Milk Per Cow Per
Year(s)
•Feed Consumed Per Cow Per
Year(Lbs)
A; Grain
B; Hay
C: Silage
D: Day Pasture
•Feed Cost Per Cow Per Year(s)
A: Grain
B: Hay
C: Silage
D: Pasture
•Total Feed Cost Per Cow Per
Year(s)
•Income Over Feed Costs Per
Year(s)
•Grain to Milk Ratio
•Feed Cost Per CWT Milk(s)
Avg Level For 836 SCC Herds
generated figure*
cides, especially Alar, in apple
production resulted in consider
able consumer reaction. However,
when the presence of dioxin, a
known carcinogen, in paperboard
milk cartons was disclosed by the
media, no perceptible consumer
reaction occurred (a result of the
paperboard milk carton manufac
turing process, this threat to retail
milk has been eliminated).
As for the current scare in milk.
.J- 0"? up ... o "‘ saL v - Stanc ‘9. - Jon, jbert idlg, nationalpres
thls week to head the Pennsylvania DHIA for the commlng idem; Richard Hoppes; John Castrogiovannl; John Wilcox;
year. They are: left to right, seated, Clyde Robinson, past Nelson Stoltzfus, George Cudoc, new director; Stanley Bru
president; William Itle, new president; Brooks Smith; Frank baker; John Foster and Joseph Lyons. Not present for the
Orner, secretary; Gary Truckenmiller, treasurer; Norman picture was Dennis Daubert.
Hershey, new vice president; and Robert Kocker.
" mALTH K,C*
Does Your Herd
Compare?
the FDA and medical experts
agree that the overwhelming
majority of the population has
little to fear from short-term expo
sure to trace amounts of sulfa and
antibiotic drugs in milk. There
fore, little impact on consumer
demand for milk is expected. This
is not a reason for dairymen to
become complacent The consum
ing public is often unpredictable.
The safe course is to follow all
1,505
88,271
58.6
16,822
3.71
625
3.20
539
315
14.07
8.26
4.20
1.50
.30
2,367
6,737
2,732
14,686
63
556
114
221
19
912
1,455
1:2.4
5.42
325,068
Leola Produce Auction, Inc. will be opening for
business on Tuesday, April 24, 1990. Sale will
begin at 11:00 A.M.
The Produce Auction will be having sales evfeiy
Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 AM until further
notice.
Quality Bedding Plants Welcomed.
Operating April Through November
Leola Produce Auction, Inc.
Wholesale Auction of Lancaster Co. Vegetables
Lloyd Horst, Manager
218-267-6072 (Home)
drug label directions regarding
animals eligible for treatment and
milk withdrawal periods.
Just a brief note about how this
might relate to BST. FDA and
medical experts do have some
health concerns regarding long
term exposure to sulfa and anti
biotic drug residues in milk. On
the other hand, FDA, with the
nearly-unanimous support of the
scientific and medical communi-
Attention
Vegetable
Farmers
Brethren Church Road
Leola. PA 17540
ties, has found milk from BST
supplemented cows to be abso
lutely safe for human consump
tion. Unlike laboratory tests for
sulfa and antibiotic drug residues,
no testing procedure exists which
can determine whether milk
comes from a BST-supplemented
cow or not. No media source
could conduct a test for BST like
the one conducted by the Wall
Street Journal for drug residues.
Office 717-656-9592
656-9580