David Kradel Herbert Jordan Milton Madison Penn State Poultry Pointers Herbert Siegel Donald Singleta: EGGS NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED John H. Schwartz Multi-County Poultry Agent Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added eggs to the potentially hazardous food list. Eggs now join other ani mal produced foods, including milk, beef, and pork as potentially hazardous foods. This is not necessarily a bad list to be on. Foods on this list requires refrigeration in order to reduce bacteria growth, and thus reduce the risk of people becoming ill after eating these foods. All foods on this list must have an internal temperature of 45 degrees F before the food may be sold or prepared for the consumer. Pennsylvania Department of Agri culture has indicated they would begin enforcing this temperature When things run well, we take them for granted... ...water flows when the tap is turned 0n... lights work when they are switched 0n... feed is distributed when the Big feed Dutchman chain starts S. . | The Most Reliable and Efficient uj l/utdiman. KsSr c Sf^!s. toy " < ’ nd MOMjWHM|g|pr. Morris Mast requirement on January 1,1991 for all eggs sold in Pennsylvania. What does this mean for the egg producer? If the egg producer is selling directly to consumers, then he should sell the eggs under refrigeration and the eggs must have an internal temperature of 45 degrees F. Otherwise, the egg pro ducer might be required by his egg marketer to reduce the temperature of his farm egg storage in order to reduce bacterial growth and assist the egg industry in meeting the 45 degrees F internal temperature. Why do eggs need to be refriger ated? Eggs are a perishable food. Refrigeration helps to maintain quality while reducing bacterial growth. The recent increase in Sal monella enteritidis (SE) cases in humans involving eggs has made people aware of the importance of properly handling and cooking eggs. Refrigeration is an important part of proper egg handling proce dures. Recent study at the Univer sity of Minnesota demonstrates the up... _ _ ill SYCAMORE INO. PARK LJ I 255 PLANE TREE P«SHEY EQUIPMENT c J™I AI76O3 «Ol COMPANY, INC. (717)393-5507 Diiigmrt if Qualify Syttini fir Pwltry, Swim and Grain Handiinj Days of Approximate Number of Times One (1) SE organism Storage Multiplied When Stored at: 10 Days 20 Days 30 Days importance of refrigeration. Eggs were inoculated with SE and incu bated at different temperatures and lengths of storage. The results are the tests are shown in the following table. This research indicates that temperatures below 50 degrees F effectively reduced the bacterial multiplication during the holding period. We know the ideal temper ature for SE bacteria to grow is between 60 degrees F and 120 degrees F. Under these conditions, the bacteria will multiply by divid ing in two every twenty minutes. 6 Counties Targeted For Timber Project HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Six western Pennsylvania counties have been targeted by the Pennsylvania Timber Marketing Project for development of a member-owned marketing cooperative. TTie selection of Erie, Craw ford, Venango, Mercer, Clarion, and Jefferson counties followed an analysis of the initial results of a survey conducted by the Pen nsylvania Farmers Union (PFU) and the U.S. Department of Agri- Chain Feeder for Poultry Cage Systems 40 F 10 40 30 50 F 1,000 10,000 100,000 60 F 10,000 50.000 100.000 Route 30 West at the Centerville Exit. Lancaster Farming Saturday, December 15,1990-D5 70 F 80 F 50,000 100,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 10,000,000 500,000,000 The following table shows how fast bacteria may reproduce under ideal moisture, food,-and tempera ture conditions. Time Number of Bacteria 0 minutes 20 minutes 40 minutes 1 hour 2 hours 3 hours 4 hours 6 hours 8 hours There are several things egg producers can do to lower the farm culture Agricultural Cooperative Service. This survey was sent to all PFU members statewide. “Our initial results indicate a strong interest by producers in these six counties in developing a cooperative for production and marketing of high-quality timber,” said Terry Pattison, chairman of the Timber Marketing Project. “The project steering committee will now be conducting a more extensive survey of woodlot own ers in those six targeted counties,” cooler temperature. These include servicing the existing unit to make sure it is properly working, adding insulation to the cooler, reducing cooler size to actual egg storage needed, and adding additional cooling capacity. Today farmers are producing food, not a commodity. As a result, farmers find themselves in a diffe rent business environment. The consumer is deciding the rules we must play by. Thus, farmers must take steps to ensure consumer con fidence in their products. Refrigeration is just one of sev eral things egg producers will have to do to maintain their egg mark ets. The added cost will be small compared to lost consumer sales and liability lawsuits resulting from SE outbreaks. 64 512 4,096 262,144 16,077,216 he said, Initial survey results indicate a strong interest among producers in the areas of woodlot management, timber pricing, and marketing. The Pennsylvania Timber Marketing Project was organized in March 1990 to explore the potential opportunities to increase the profitability to woodlot own ers from the sale of their timber. Pennsylvania has the largest hardwood resources in the United States with 15 million acres of commercial timber in the U.S. About 15 percent of Pennsylvani a’s private woodlands are owned by farmers. Timber producers interested in more information about the Tim ber Marketing Project may call Linda Crouse at the toll-free hot line at (800) 932-4629. Do you want better water without chemicals, electricity, or plumbing alterations? Do it yourself i'% model CPU 125 It is as easy as clamping this small device*, ...around your water pipe. * Natural soft water benefits without salt or chemicals. * Increased boiler and water heater efficiency. * Reduced soap and detergent needs. * Maintenance free, with no power required. * Installs easily, without tools * 90 day full money back guarantee! —Levi W. 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