*1 »*•/■» err t --3 ♦ CB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 7, 1992 Pork Prose *^ ennet * l B. Kephart |0 J| v V Penn State Extension Swine Specialist THE IDEAL sured objectively. Giving each hog CARCASS PAYMENT a muscling score such as “thin,” PROGRAM “moderate,” or “thick” is not enough. Instead, hogs should be measured with an instrument such Does our industry need aggres- as a backfat ruler or a Fat-O sive carcass payment programs? Meat’er so that the measurement Most producers would answer yes. will be the same day to day, opera- For years, hogs were bought and tor to operator, sold on the basis of weight. Then, 2. Measurements should be in the late sixties, “grade and accurate. Unfortunately there is no yield” programs arrived on the technology that can deliver 100 scene. These were developed to percent accuracy. Optical probes, pay more for the good hogs and like the Fat-O-Meat’er, use a stain less for the poor ones. less steel tube with a light emitting But often the programs were not diode at the end to measure fat and what they were cracked up to be. muscle thickness. Optical probes Die grading sheets included with are presently the technology of the check were confusing and mis- choice among packers who have leading. And most importantly, the carcass payment programs. On a programs lacked real incentives to group of hogs (20 or more), the produce good hogs. optical probes can usually predict Now packers across the nation lean content to within 1 percentage are adopting new pork carcass point But on a single hog, the error grading programs. While all of the can be significant, programs provide an incentive to Other technologies are coming produce high quality hogs, no two within the next sto 10 years. For programs are identical. example, total body electrical con- Comnonents Of ductivity (TOBEC) measures dif- A Id 1 ferences in electrical conductivity Carcass Proaram between fat and muscle. This con carcass rrograrn is tentiall more accurate 1. Every hog should be mea- and Bt Your Crops ne On Alpine Th» Company That Offers You' h Quality Plant Food Competitive Prices ■ Seed Banded Plant Food And : ollar Feeding js Where It Does Most Good Seed Banded) 18-9 3-18-18 5-15-15 ' Order & Quantity Price Lime & Fertilizer, Inc. 7) 733-7674 Lititz. PA 17543 SOX Your Complete Headquarters For Sprayers And Parts Self Priming Pacer Pumps”" Raven Tough Polyethylene Tanks IPRAYER r TANKS - ALL SIZES I We Also Stock A Complete Line Of: V3RHm __ „ • Sprayer Hose WM ******* pacer Sail Valves 'll Sprayer Nozzles PUMPS * Nylon Fittings Accessories Accessories • Poly Tanks PAUL B. ZIMMERMAN, INC. 50 Wood comer Road HOURS: Lilllz, PA 17543-8328 Mon., Thu/. , Fn 7-8.30 Phone: (717) 738-7350 I • HARDWARE • FARM SUPPLIES • CUSTOM MANUFACTURING • CRANE SERVICE is already used for boxed meat in some countries. Using TOBEC for freshly slaughtered hogs will require the carcass to be taken off the rail since the carcass must move through a cylinder horizontally. But at least one midwestem packer is consid ering the use of the TOBEC machine the day after the hog is killed. By this time, of course, the carcass is ready for cutting, and will be off the rail anyway. Ultrasound also has potential application for carcass measure ment, and is used extensively for live hogs. But to my knowledge, packers have not yet adopted this technology for carcass payment programs. Other techniques which are' accurate but far from practical, include X-ray tomography, mag netic resonance imaging (MRI), and bioelectrical impedance. 3. The base price in a good grad ing program should be determined by a public market Keep in mind that a packer can use the stars to determine price if he so chooses. But using a public market as a starting point is essential if the packer wants to give the producer a fair shake. In fact a crackerjack grading program may be worthless if the base price is not competitive. 4. The base price should corres pond to a hog that’s not out of reach. You can decide better than I what this hog should look like, but it should probably have about an inch of back fat and a loin eye that measures between 4.0 and S.O square inches. 5. The system should provide a reasonable incentive to produce a good hog. There should be at least a $l5 spread between the top and & £ bottom of the quality scale. For example, the range for Indiana Packers Company is more than $35. For Monfort Pork, Inc., the range is between $l5 and $2O. For Hatfield, it depends upon the cur rent market price of lean cuts, but the range from top to bottom is at least $2O, sometimes as much as $4O. • 6. Payment should be made for the carcass, not the live hog which means that dressing percent is not part of the pricing schedule. A higher dressing percent won’t necessarily mean the carcass is better. Clear indicators of carcass value such as fat and muscle will affect dressing percent But so do gut fill, the time of loading, temp erature during transit and travel time. Should All Grading Programs Be The Same? I don’t think so. I can’t imagine why a packer in lowa would have the same pro cessing requirements and market ing strategy as one in Pennsylvani a. And if they don’t there isn’t any reason for the carcass payment programs to be the same. Both should be paying pre miums for lean, well muscled hogs, and both will certainly be discounting the price for fat, poor ly muscled hogs. But I think the suggestion for uniformity in car cass payment programs is unfounded. What Should You Expect From Your Packer? 1. A competitive carcass pay ment program. The details are outlined above. 2. A spirit of cooperation. You and the packer arc both in the same boat, you just have different jobs. If there really is an “adversarial relationship” between you and the packer, evidence of packer cooper ation with the hog industry and the producer will go a long way tow ard breaking down the wall. 3. Willingness to consider sug gestions for improvement The changes made in Hatfield’s grade and weight program since its implementation four years ago is a good example of incorporating producer feedback. 4. An understanding of your problems: weather and transporta tion glitches. Feed and health problems that may change both quality and flow of hogs. High feed prices and low hog prices. What Can The Packer Expect From You? The list is almost the same; 1. Quality hogs. 2. Cooperation. For obvious rea sons, it’s a two-way street 3. Willingness to consider changes. The packer will probably see carcasses from your farm every week. He has to convert that raw material into something the con sumer will pay for and enjoy. So, if the packer tells you your hogs are too fat believe him. 4. An understanding of the packer’s problems: scheduling the same number of hogs each day. Pale, soft, and exudative pork. Underweight carcasses. A burning need for consistency. Summary 1. The introduction of new grad (Turn to Page C 9)
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