HUNTINGDON (Huntingdon
Co.) Dairy fanners who want
to pursue Holstein beef production
as a sideline should proceed with
caution before renovating that (rid
building on their farm to raise bull
calves.
“Most people overestimate the
value of an existing building and
underestimate the cost of renovat
ing it for an alternative use,” said
Dr. Robert Graves, professor of
agricultural engineering in Penn
State’s College of Agricultural
Sciences. “Evaluating a building
comes down to asking lots of
questions and answering them
honestly.”
An honest evaluation is espe
cially important because animals
are involved. “We shouldn’t sub
ject animals to poor conditions
that exist in many converted
buildings,” Graves says. “You
may think it will be easy to alter
an existing building to raise bull
calves, but inadequate remodeled
facilties can quickly devour
profits.
“Unfortunately, the long-term
cost of lost animal productivity is
almost never considered.” Graves
said. “You must be sure that the
animals’ basic needs fresh air,
adequate feed space, clean resting
areas and frost-free water can
be met easily in your existing
building.”
Decide what your requirements
are for raising animals before eva
luating a building. Graves
advised. “Once you know what
your needs are in terms of space,
ventilation and feed, and manure
handling, you canttegin.”
The first thing to look at is the
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Use Caution Converting To Beef Facility
building’s location. “Where is it in
relation to roads, property lines,
wet areas and other buildings?”
Graves said. “Will your neighbors
complain about odors or noise?
And what about local codes or
ordinances that affect using the
building for livestock?”
Adequate space and clearance
are vital for any livestock facility.
“Is there enough room for the
number of animals you want?”
Graves asked. “Will you be able to
easily feed and observe your ani
mals? What about manure dispos
al? Are the doors adequate and
ceilings high enough to allow
machinery access?”
Access to utilities such as
electricity and water must be exa
mined. “Frost-free water is a basic
requirement for beef cattle,”
Graves said. “Breaking up floors
and going through foundations to
install water lines can be very
expensive, and exposed lines
always will be threatened by
freezing.” The building’s structur
al soundness and maintenance
requirements also must be careful
ly considered.
“Finally, ask yourself -how
much you’d pay for the building if
you didn’t own it.” Graves said.
“When you think about writing
out a check to someone else, it’s
amazing how the list of things
wrong with the building will
grow.”
When you’ve tallied the esti
mated renovation costs, compare
the sum to the cost of a new facili
ty. “If the projected cost of remod
eling is more than two-thirds or
three-fourths of a new facility, the
new facility might be a better
option,” Graves said. “Hidden
costs can make renovating an old
building more expensive than
building a new one.”
More information about eva
luating existing farm buildings
and other aspects of beef produc
tion can be found in “Holstein
Beef Production,” a proceedings
containing 28 papers presented at
the Holstein Beef Production
National Symposium in Harris*
burg in February. It is available
for $l2 from your Penn State
Cooperative Extension office.
Ice Cream Shouldn’t
Freeze Your Budget
Ice cream that costs $2.00 a half
gallon may please your family just
as much as a kind costing $3.00 or
more. Trained dairy product eva
luators in Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences have found
that most of the 250 samples of
vanilla ice cream they evaluate
each year are of high quality—no
matter what their price.
“Some of the economy brands
stack up well next to their mote
expensive counterparts,” said Sid
ney E. Barnard, a Penn State pro
fessor of food science who super
vises the judging. “Only about 10
percent of the samples have pro
nounced body or texture defects,
such as weak, coarse or icy tex
ture. The majority of the brands
have good to excellent body and
texture.”
Each year Americans spend
$5.2 billion on an estimated 775
P.O. Box 633
I. DE 19956
million gallons of ice cream, with
the average price of a half gallon
about $2.50. While the majority of
brands taste good, there are valid
reasons why some cost more than
others, said Barnard.
“Premium brands are composed
of more expensive ingredients,”
he said. “Manufacturers must pass
the cost on to consumers.
“For example, a premium brand
of vanilla will have pure vanilla as
an ingredient, while an economy
brand will be flavored with artifi
cial vanilla. Manufacturers pay
only a few dollars for a gallon of
artificial vanilla flavor, but they
pay $6O or more for a gallon of
pure vanilla.”
The least expensive brands also
use fewer fruits and nuts, said Bar
nard. “If you open a half gallon of
an economy brand and a premium
brand, cut across the blocks on a
diagonal, and compare them,
you'll see the distribution of fruits
and nuts varies greatly.”
Economy brands also are com-
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31st ANNUAL
LANCASTER COUNTY 1
FFA MARKET HOG SALE ¥
viy
Thank You To All These Buyers
For Supporting Our Sale:
Hatfield Quality Meats
Farm Crest Feeds Gehman Feeds
M Farmers First Bank M.H. Eby
Kurtz Bulk Water Smuckers Quality
Joe Martin Butchering
Stoltzfus Meats, Inc. Herr’s Durocs
Tom’s Pig Roasting Pro Genetics
IWeinbarks Hampshires Good’s Receiving
Hoover Agway Arnold Swine Farm
Farmersville Equipment Willie The Butcher
Tri-County Confinement Keystone Farm Credit
New Holland White Oak Mills U
Sales Stables
Special Thanks To John Stauffer, Auctioneer
For Donating His Service
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 31, 1993-Al7
posed of more air. “There has to
be some air in ice cream, other
wise it would be rock hard,” said
Barnard. “But premium products
might have 20 percent air, where
as economy brands can have up to
SO percent.” Barnard said that the
smooth texture we look for in ice
cream is the result of proper hand
ling. When ice cream partially
melts and refreezes, it forms ice
crystals, which causes a coarse or
icy texture.
Ice cream must be stored in a
freezer set for 0 degrees Fahren
heit or below. The freezer must
not have fluctuating temperatures.
If not consumed within two
weeks, hold the ice cream at
minus 20 degree Fahrenheit or
below to prevent an icy texture
from forming.
“No matter what consumers pay
for a half gallon,” said Barnard,
“they can spoil die texture of the
product by letting it sit too long in
the car or on the counter before
they return it to a freezer.”
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