A26*LancMt»r Farming, Saturday, July 3, 1993
Quality Assurance Comes To Agriculture
(Continued from Pago A 1)
America'* beef supply have deve
loped an aggressive Beef Safety
Assurance Program, administered
by various state organizations
affiliated with the National Cattle
men’s Association (NCA).
Representing 300,000 cattle
men from all segments of the U.S.
cattle and beef' industry, the
National Cattlemen’s Association
serves as the industry’s national
trade association.
The association’s Beef Safety
and Quality Assurance Task Force
studies food safety issues and
helps develop educational prog
rams for state cattle organizations
to use in developing local quality
assurance programs. There are 30
states with beef cattle quality
assurance programs, designed
specifically to address the needs of
cattlemen in those states.
Veal Producers
Depend On
Quality Assurance
CAROL PEARCE
Bradford Co. Correspondent
MARYSVILLE (Perry Co.)
Nestled in the heart of Perry Coun
ty, situated on 32 tree-strewn
acres, is RaJa Hill Farm, a 225-calf
veal unit owned by Ralph and Jane
Alleman.
Jane is president-elect of the
American Veal Association
(AVA) and she operates her veal
program by the AVA standards of
quality assurance.
To Jane Alleman, quality assur
ance means being able to produce
the best quality veal that can be
provided for the consumers of the
world, especially with the increas
ing amount of veal that is exported.
The quality assurance program
is used when purchasing a calf,
which has to be of the highest qual
ity to fit Alleman’s program.
She believes the better quality a
calf is, the better quality product is
produced. This is why the AVA is
trying to involve the dairy farmer
in their quality assurance program
through the new protocol being
developed in cooperation with the
National Milk Producers Federa
tion and the American Holstein
Fresian Association.
This partnering is trying to
incorporate the dairymen’s assis
tance in the proper procedure of
handling a calf from birth. The
practice of dipping the navel, mak
ing sure the calf has colostrum,
calving in a clean, dry. and warm
area, and having the cow vacci
nated. will assure the farmer of a
higher price for the calf when it is
sold, and provide a quality animal
for the veal grower.
Once the calf is in Alleman’s
bam, she gives each one individual
attention, which can be accom
plished by keeping them in indivi
dual pens. Loose or group housing
has been attempted, but it is still in
the experimental stage because it is
hard to keep track of each indivi
dual when they are all together in a
group.
Alleman believes that a good
vet-client-patient relationship is
also essential to obtain the best
possible advice for the animal.
In the area of medication, Alle
man keeps accurate records on
every animal treated, keeping
track of the type of medication,
amount given, and length of treat-
Since first being developed
about five years ago, the emphasis
of the National Cattlemen’s Asso
ciation’s quality assurance prog
ram has been expanded to include
much more than just residue avoid-,
ance. Quality assurance programs
now include information on avoid
ing cattle bruising and possible
reactions to vaccinations, which
can affect the cosmetic value of
beef cuts.
Of course, cattlemen continue to
be educated about safe ways to use
animal health products for the pro
duction of an abundant and safe
beef supply. Quality assurance
manuals include fact sheets on pro
duct information, residue with
drawal times, animal care, feed
production, and cooperation with
veterinarians and extension ser
vice agents.
The National Cattlemen’s Asso-
ment. She adheres to the with
drawal time of the medication,
making sure there is no residue
problem. The AVA’s Quality
Assurance Education program has
been instrumental in lowering Fed
eral Safety and Inspection Services
(FSIS) reported residue levels
down from 3.2 percent in 1989 to
.24 percent in 1991. The statistics
are not available for 1992.
The type of feed that Alleman
uses is also a contributing factor in
the quality of the finished calf. She
makes sure she uses a good feed
that provides a balanced diet, to
assure the best growth in a decent
amount of time.
The Allemans also keep a con
stant check on the iron level by
monitoring the blood every four
weeks. Jane takes a blood sample
from 10 calves in each room to
make sure the calves are not anem
ic, because anemic calves don’t
grow. Halfway through the period
of time that the calves are kept,
blood samples are taken from
every calf in the bam to determine
the iron level and increase the iron
on an individual basis as required.
The ventilation system is also an
important factor in the growth,
health, and development of veal
calves. There must be adequate
heating in the winter months and
cooling in the summer, along with
the removal of stale air that can
spread disease and cause respirat
ory problems. Jane’s bam has a
unique exhaust system that was
developed by her husband, Ralph,
in cooperation with the building
contractor, that is located along the
floor under the front of the calves.
The stale air is wisked away before
it has a chance to be inhaled by the
calf.
It is also essential to Alleman
that the truckers that haul her ani
mals know what they are doing.
She makes sure that the calves are
not over- or under-loaded, because
improper loading can cause a
multitude of problems.
With all of the care that each calf
receives for the approximate 16
weeks that they are in the Alle
man’s care, a trucking mishap
would be a disaster. The truck
driver must stop and check the
calves enroute to their destination
to see if there are any problems on
. board.. If this is not die trucker’s
praedee, the Allemans will not use
them again.
ciation provides this information,
as well as educational videos and a
speakers’ bureau, in its effort to
maintain the safety of beef in the
United States.
Members of the Pennsylvania
Cattlemen’s Association and Penn
State Beef and Meats Extension
jointly planned a Quality Assur
ance Program in 1992 for the state.
Specific procedures for that prog
ram included development of a
consistent educational effort
across the state.
A certification program was
developed with an agenda that
included general information
regarding producer responsibili
ties for meat quality, record keep
ing, proper injection site tech
nique, understanding of drug
labels and their use in proper use of
drugs, animal handling to prevent
injury, and a certification test
Educational materials were pur
chased or developed to support the
training.
Last September, 16 county agri
cultural agents completed the cer
tification program and were desig
nated as trainers and contacts for
local cattlemen’s groups. The
agents will help procure educa
tional materials, assist in planning
a local training program, and over
see the certification of
participants.
A key component of the training
program is the assistance of a local
veterinarian to provide the training
with proper injections and the use
of drags.
The NCA is coordinating the
beef QA programs. For more
information, call NCA at (303)
694-0305.
MILK AND
DAIRY; BEEF
QUALITY ASSURANCE
PROGRAM
Bill Sischo -
Extension Veterinarian
Penn State
Your truck broke down this
afternoon and you’re on the side of
the road waiting for a tow. Your
children are home preparing for
the evening milking without you.
They have the cows in the bam,
checked the treatment record by
the medicine cabinet, found that
cow you treated for mastitis this
morning (she had an ankle tag),
and arranged to milk her
separately.
Milking goes smoothly and you
finally make it home to help clean
Quality Assurance Program
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
FLEETWOOD (Berks Co.)
Eastern Berks County swine pro
ducer Steve Burkholder said the
issue of the 1990 s will be food
safety.
“To do that, we have to guaran-
tee a quality product,’* he said.
“Everybody’s concerned. The
1990 s will be more critical for the
farmer to provide what the con
sumer wants and they want
quality.”
The National Pork Producers
Council (NPPQ Quality Assur
ance Program has been in effect
' the past four years at the 150-sow
famow-to-finish operation. Burk
holder, in fanning with his father
up. Because of the milking routine,
there is little chance that antibio
tics will aid up in the bulk tank on
this farm. The routines have
changed quite a bit since they
adopted a quality assurance prog
ram last year.
The National Milk Producers
Federation and the American Vet
erinary Medical Association speci
fically designed the Milk and
Dairy Beef Quality Assurance
Program to help dairy producers
market residue-free milk and dairy
beef. The unique aspect of the
dairy program is that it is a
cooperative program between the
producer, the veterinarian, and the
field representative.
The program is centered on a
booklet that helps the producer
review antibiotic use and storage
practices on the farm. An integral
part of the program is an evalua
tion of practices in conjunction
with a veterinarian and the deve
lopment of a specific plan aimed at
decreasing the risk for an on-farm
antibiotic violation.
Quality assurance is a responsi
bility that the whole dairy industry
must take seriously, and it begins
on your farm. You can obtain a
quality assurance booklet from
your milk plant or cooperative or
you can write to Agri-Education
Inc., 801 Shakespeare Avenue,
Stratford. IA 50249.
If you have a booklet, take the
time to read it, review your farm
Public That Pork Is Safe
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
KLINGERSTOWN (Schuylkill
Co.) Rick Masser, while keep
ing busy with his 500-sow farrow
to-finish swine operation, worries
what may happen down the pike.
Will consumers become so power
ful they completely influence the
packers?
Will quality control become the
only method by which pork pro
ducers, who must follow the
dicates of consumer concerns, can
survive?
The quality assurance program
provides “a good way to reassure
public that what they are buying is
safe,” said Masser.
Masser become involved with
the Pork Quality Assurance Prog
ram about IV4 years ago through
the advice of his veterinarian. Dr.
Tim Trayer of Hutchison Trayer
and Reed Veterinary Associates,
Denver. Masser said Trayer “felt
one way to to reassure the public
Safety Drives
Food
since 1957, took oyer the business
in 198 S. He employs one full-time
herdsman, Floyd Huber.
Burkholder said his herd gene
tics were provided by the Pig
Improvement Company (PIQ. His
experience has been good with the
genetics, including obtaining a
good percentage of lean on the fin
ished hogs. He sells the finished
hogs to Hatfield.
All levels of the program are
administered by the farm staff and
through the work of Dr. Hm Tray
er, of Hutchison Traycr and Reed
Veterinary Associates in Denver.
Trayer performs regular herd
checks to ensure segments of the
program are completed on
schedule.
Fulfilling the requirements of
Program Assures
practices, and then call your veter
inarian to finish the program.
The time and money are a small
investment for the assurance to the
public that the dairy industry cares
to produce a quality product
PORK
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Ken Kephart
Associate Professor
Animal Science
Penn State
Three Cases
Illustrate The
Importance Of
Quality Assurance
In Pork Production
Case 1: In the May 17, 1993
issue of Newsweek, an ad paid for
by the Humane Fanning Associa
tion appeared on page 17. It was
entitled ‘“The Other White Meat’
Has a Very Dark Side,” Using
an exaggerated and emotional
approach, the ad challenged the
pork industry on several fronts.
One was our use of antibiotics
“The pork industry even claims
that its use of drugs and hormones
is ‘safe.’ In other words, they want
us to believe that a sow’s ear is a
silk purse." I suppose that any
reader with a minimal amount of
(Turn to Page A 27)
that the product they were receiv
ing was safe was to join the
program.
‘‘Buyers of pork believe it is
good to diem and to help (counter)
bad press,” said Masser. The bad
press paints a distorted picture of
pork as unhealthy.
The quality assurance program
tries to change, that by providing
the facts and, documenting swine
producers’ efforts to produce a
healthy product.
According to -the Schuylkill
County pork producer, packers
aren’t putting pressure on produc
ers to stricdy follow'the guidelines
offered by the program through the
National Pork Producers Council,
but public pressure, in the future,
could force them to.
Masser said the program is an
honor system that can be followed
fairly easily by most producers. He
is midway through level three of
the program.
Pork
the program depend on size of the
herd and other factors. But the
program can be put into effect with
ease on most swine operations,
according to the pork producer.
Burkholder said he believes there
should be more producers on the
proglam.
Burkholder serves as president
of the Eastern Pennsylvania Pork
Producers Association, which has
20-25 members. While many pofk
producers throughout the state are
under contract, and the program is
administered by the contract hol
ders, according to Burkholder,
most of the eastern Berks produc
ers ate independents. The county
itself does have contract opera
tions in some parts, however.