A3W*nca#tor Nrmiog/.Saturday, March 4* W 97 > Marketing Forum Presents (Continued from Pago A2B) USDA grant to create the Center for Food Markets in die Business Department “The goal,” he said, “is to take some of what we know of markets in processing and trans fer that to agricultural production.” He said that means that produc ers have to understand the impor tance of promotion and how to bring value to the customer. According to Dr. Lord. “Mark eting is relatively straightforward. The number one answer to every marketing question is, ‘lt depends.’” , In other words, he said that in order to make decisions about marketing, the value that the con sumer places on an item, who the consumer is, and what drives that value have to be understood. The promotion of that quality, the delivery of what is expected, and convenience for the consumer are key, not just who has the lowest price. That value, he said, is what has to be delivered. And that value has to be com municated to the consumer. “You can’t just sit back and hope things are self-evident” Lord said there are two key words that described what research has revealed about modem revolu tions and evolutions of markets: health and convenience. He said that today there is a “tre mendous emphasis on healthy” foods. He said now consumers are concerned about what is put in foods, not just what is taken out, citing such additives as beta carotene. He said the quality of and the availability of prepared foods impact a consumers quality of life, and if that can be stressed in a pro duct line there is opportunity. He said two of the most success ful food brands are Healthy Choice and Snackwell, because they imply that consumption benefits health. Campbell’s product lines, wide ly recognized for its line of soups, has developed a line called Intelli gent Cuisine, and offers mail order, pre-planned frozen foods designed for people with high blood pressure or diabetes. He said a full week’s worth of prepared meals costs about $BO, though it all has to be eaten. He said the competition is for shares of the stomach. “We now shop differently,” he said, which means there are “all sorts of new formats of competition.” In stores, thegrowth is notin the centra* of the store, but on the per imeters. “Not just flowers, but per parcd foods.” he said. Lord said PLANT NUTRITION SEMINARS Advanced Agronomics of Quarryville, PA invites all growers to attend one of the following meetings on the latest developments in plant nutrition. Topics to be covered include: ❖ How to use plant nutrition to reduce disease pressure, ❖ Critical factors for the proper use of vegetable oil in chemical sprays. ❖ Why nitrate nitrogen can cause reductions in yield and quality. ❖ Why calcium is important for optimal plant health. Note: A Free nutrient management plan will be offered at these meetings!! Meetings locations and times: 1) Marvin Zook Farm 5640 Limeville Rd., Gap on April 2 at 7 p.m. 2) Bird-n-Hand Farm Supply 200 Maple Ave., on April 3 at 7 p.m. 3) Joshua L. Stoltzfus Farm 202 Black Rd., Quarryville on April 4 at 7 p.m. Please call Leland Miller of Advanced Agronomics at (717)786-4075 with any questions Reservations are encouraged but not required. restaurants are now getting more into carry out At large plants employing many people, there is demand for “grab and go” meals. There is a merging of super markets and food service, he said. The strategy is “anytime, any where” to provide that service. “People survive not waiting for people to come to them, but by going to the people.” Some of the apparent reasons for the changes in consumer pre ferences are the number of women in the workplace, which seems to be stabilizing at about 60 percent, he said, as well as women working longer hours and taking on more responsibilities away from home. However, he said that women are still the primary food providers in the home. ‘The traditional family is his tory. In 1960 there were about 43 percent of couples had a non working spouse, hi 1995 that was at about 8 percent About 30 percent of households are single parent. There are smaller households, with about 2.54 people. About 26 percent of households are single-person. “The housewife is gone horn the kitchen,” Lord said. That has resulted in what he called, “cook ing illiteracy.” According to Lord, prepared foods are essential for working mothers. Also, he said that the population of those over 85 has increased five fold, and longevity has become part of people’s “life plan.” This means there are many opportunities to market for that group and the implications for types of products and packaging are different. The aged loose strength in their hands, the eye sight generally is diminished, and packages should be designed to make them easier to read and open. Ethinic changes are also strong. Other considerations, he said, are that people want to stay at home for a variety of reasons, “not the least of which is safety.” When they do cook. Lord said more and more people are cooking with using leftovers in mind. Also, there are more double income families, so the implica tion is that time is more important than money. ‘Time is the currency of the ’9os.” he said. Some of the other food market ing directions include having “just-in-time” meals; types of “comfort” foods; offering “cook ing kits” or “speed scratch.” Club stores, convenience stores, restaurant carry-out, and vending machines are more typical. Lord said it’s almost a rebirth of the Pennsylvania Pride Potential “Automats” of earlier in the century. “There is nothing new, but a recycling of things we had for years." Cooperative ventures are mak ing their way into the markets and combining health-positioned fine foods with others to offer “meal solutions,” are what is apparently in demand. Lord repeated that delivering “meal solutions,” is what is needed quick, fresh, home made taste and quality meals that don’t require much thought or preparation. However, he said that with some of these, there is an increased con cern over food safety. With canned goods, shelf-life isn’t a strong con cern, he said, but it is a concern when selling fresh, hot foods that require propet treatment and utilization. Dairy Management Column GEORGE F.W. HAENLEIN Extension Dairy Specialist University of Delaware At this time of the year the end of winter it seems our milking animals long for some thing green. They are not coming into heat as well as usual, nor are they settling as well. And their ail ments are more varied and fre quent than at other times of year. Once again pastures are getting green, and our fields of winter rye, winter wheat and other cereals are pushing new green growth, espe cially in response to a little nitro gen boost. As soot as the soil is firm enough to let our cows out to graze, these cereals will begin to work wonders on the health and production of our cows. This will also lower the cost of production because of the high nutrient con tent of this early grazing. Of course, a word of caution is al ways in order. Lushness can be overfed and cause diarrhea. If ni trate contents are suspected, test ing is necessary. Other than grazing and green chopping, the next best way of getting the most of the new forage growth is to plan ensiling, fresh or, even better, wilted. One advantage to wilted rye as haylage is that it can be harvested earlier without interference from unfavorable weather. Rye in the boot-stage has at least 15 percent crude protein con tent. Its nutrients are also much mote digestible than when har vested in the heading stage or Another insight into modem consumer trends is that people don’t eat three meals per day. “They eat five times per day.” That means there are now 35 meals per week. “The new dining rooms of America are in the office,” Lord said. Further, he said that consum ers want health benefits from their foods, but not at the expense of taste. In other areas, he said that work ing people still want their meat and potatoes, though there is a demand for more vegetables. And people want an “experi ence” with their meal. For exam ple, he said that at a restaurant he knows, all the employees sing opera. He said unaccompanied arias can burst out from the kitchen at any time. There is also research into com ing up with “pharmacuetical mote advanced maturity. Some re search has shown that cows will milk as well when rye haylage is fed in the place of com silage. In addition, a protein saving is possi ble in the grain supplement be cause of the higher protein content in the rye haylage. Rye in the boot stage will have about 15-20 percent dry matter, but good haylage should have at least 30-35 percent dry matter in horizontal storage systems higher in vertical silo or plastic bag storage systems. The length of wilting in the field varies not only with weather but with the type of mower-crusher-conditioner ma chine used to harvest and with the thickness of the stand. Usually on ly 24-30 hours are needed for good wilting. Wilted rye is a bit more difficult to cut for silage than com is. Sharp cutter blades are necessary. The chopper adjustment should give fiber length of VS to 114 inches to ensure that the haylage packs well, especially in horizontal storage, and also has the minimum fiber length for optimum rumen health, which depends on chewing and re chewing of long fibers to prevent displaced abomasum and low milk fat syndromes. Rye haylage (and * that made from other cereal grains) is an excellent milk-pro ducing feed., t Another excellent spring forage for dairy cattle, much overlooked in this area, is green alfalfa. My early boyhood memories of dairy farming are of the daily green chopping of alfalfa for our cows. foods” as part of a "functional foods” project that St Joseph’s is conducting in partnership with The Rutger’s State University in New Jersey. Lord said another potential market is in developing “green” products. (Which is what Rodale Institute has been suggesting as a possible marketing strategy of dairy products in a partnership with Atlantic Dairy Cooperative, though details on what happens to that relationship after the April 1 merger of ADC and Land O’Lakes have not been made available.) In general. Lend said that there are many apparent opportunities for marketing domestic product to domestic consumers, but the agri cultural sector has to be aware of consumer wants and needs, not historic or current farm family want* and needs. (Continued Next Week) This feed pushed milk and saved grain supplement costs. Some recent Midwestern stu dies compared alfalfa fed as silage or as hay. Alfalfa silage was in plastic bags; of course, it could have been wilted as well or better. Thirty-five high-producing Hol steins were fed alfalfa silage or al falfa hay of equal pre-harvest quality with some very interesting results. Ensilig resulted in less leaf loss of the alfalfa and, therefore, in a 4 percent higher protein content of the silage compared to the hay cut from the same field at the same time. The dry matter harvest form the fields was 27 percent higher per acre when ensiling alfalfa than when making hay. Cows woe fed either kind of alfalfa in a total mixed ration (TMR). Cows on the alfalfa silage ate significantly more total dry matter per day, produced 17 percent more milk and had a higher total solids content in the milk than the cows on the alfalfa hay TMR. No differ ences were noted in blood urea ni trogen content, body weight and conditions or health of the cows. Income ova* feed costs was signi ficantly higher for the alfalfa sil age cows by 39 parent compared to the alfalfa hay fed cows. It would seem that harvesting alfalfa without the loss during haymaking, especially during spring with its uncertain weather, and feeding it as silage or haylage is an excellent alternative. With its higher protein content, it is nutri tionally better and also more prof itable.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers