(CondniMd from Pag* A2S) Certified Angus Beef: The Beef That Just Tastes Better.” Kober noted that the Certified Angus Beef Program produces a 94- 96 percent satisfactory eating experi ence rate (Prime holds almost a 100 percent satisfactory eating experience rating.) In die Clemens ad. consumers are enticed to buy die Certified Angus Beef boneless strip steaks for $3.99 a pound. The ad reads; “It’s okay to drool. . . We have plenty of napkins.” “The eating experience is going to be superior,” said Kober. “I want a 99.9 percent satisfied cus tomer every time they buy beef at Clemens.” Consumers, he noted, are will ing to pay more for Certified Angus Beef “because it’s worth it.” Kobcr noted they have some evidence of the worth of beef promotions. They did a survey of thousands of customers recently. The number one reason given for remaining faithful to a certain store or going to another store to buy food is the “quality of the meat,” he noted. Also, the store can* produce more cash flow with tire meat department than with any other. Clemens also works to promote pork through its “Clemens S-Dia mond Certified Pork By Hatfield,” he noted. This store “branding” offers a clear advantage, over competition. So the word to producers: “Rais ing cattle to grade Select is anti productive to increasing product consumption,” said Kober. BUILDINGS - EQUIPMENT - REMODELING Tri-County - Solid Rod Penning With Stainless Steel Feet BHBMifiW - Solid Rod Pig Saver Crates - Solid Rod Gestation Stalls With Stainless Steel Rear Legs 17V VanUlatlon Ventilation Systems aorotacn lndustry Leader For Over 50 Years - Heat Mats, Creep Feeders, and Watering Equipment Heaters Come See us at the 'KEYSTONE PORK EXPO" February 11 at Lebanon Fairgrounds, Lebanon, PA Producers, Retailers Must To achieve that goal, it’s impor tant for producers to know where the cattle come from, what their genetics are, how they will per form in the fccdlot, and, ly, how they’d grade. But producers should under stand that not ad meat that’s important to supermarket sales is ‘Tour-legged.” Eventually, per haps the beef industry can produce a product, like- poultry, that is “case-ready, prepriced, no labor, able to put on the shelf, portion controlled, with recipes on it Like chicken, pork is case-ready. Ad we do is price it” Clemens offers training to meat case workers, offering food prepa ration instructions, cooking tips, and other materials. The effort works to change the idea of “meat people at the retail level” from mere cutters to “center-of-the plate solution” managers. Mopac’s Customers George Wean, senior sales and marketing representative at Mopac, spoke about the com pany’s beef procurement efforts. Mopac. Wean noted, has been in the beef business for 125 years. Mopac processes about 1,800 head of beef per day, including 1,400-1,600 head of finish cattle and about 200 cows. Thirty-four percent of their market comes from the Mid- Atlantic states, including Pennsyl vania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Making up the remaining percen tage of beef supply; 18 percent from Ohio, 12 percent from New York, 10 percent from the southern KI-COUNT Confinement Systems, Inc. DESIGNING WHAT'S NEXTI YOUR 1 V forHOG AP Flex Augers and Feed Bins stales, 8 percent from Canada, 7.5 percent from Indiana and Kentuck y. 7 percent from the Midwest, 4 percent from Michigan, and 1 per cent from New England. Most cattle in the Mid-Atlantic region are from Pennsylvania, Wean noted. Hie beef is marketed to the fol lowing industries: •Club stores, including Wal mait, BJs, Price Costco, and Sam’s at 2.19 percent • Food service, including Wen dy’s patties, and chain restaurants, make up 7.66 percent • Further process, cooked beef, briskets, sausage manufacturers, make up 14.56 percent • HRI, or steak cutters, Philly Steak manufacturers, and restaur ant distributors make up 10.84 percent • Oritz for Japanese export make up 10.33 percent • Pet Food makes up .13 percent • Pharmaceutical research, including the marketing of teeth, eyeballs, and fetal calf blood to hospitals, colleges, and schools is .17 percent * Retain Chains are the largest single customer base. They include Pathmaik, Acme, Super G, Stop and Shop, and Super Fresh, all Choice grade cattle, is 42.33 percent • Trading companies, livers to Russia, etc., is .73 percent • Wholesale grocers, including co-ops, Wakefem, Super Value, and IGA, is .82 percent • Wholesalers, distribution warehouse, is 10.24 percent Lancaster Ruining, Saturday, February 7, 1998-A3l Work Together Of overall product quality from Mopac, 78-82 percent of the pro ducts grade Choice, 18 percent Select (marketed to some retail stores), and 14 percent other. The Japanese markets want a product that is high-end Choice with a high degree of marbling. Some Certified Angus Beef markets on the East Coast ate look ing for more Choice yield grade 2s and 3s, with a high proportion of meat to bone, grain-fed, high gene tic animals that are mature and consistent in their meat quality. Meat that is graded dark cutter or bruised is subjects to deep dis counts and is hard to move. Upgrading Fccdlots At the Cattle Feeder’s Day, pro ducers spoke about their efforts to upgrade their feedlols during a panel. Glenn Binkley is a cattle feeder based in Columbia who previously worked as a dairyman. Binkley manages about 200 acres and finishes about 240 head of cattle per year. In March 1994, the business was recovering from a fire which destroyed a barn. They lost half the dairy herd and needed to rethink and retool their business. With help from experts in the field. Binkley decided to start a beef herd, but had much doubt about building a modem facility. The fire left only three upright silos and a manure storage area. One of the reasons Binkley switched to a beef finishing opera tion was he wanted more time to his family and to pursue an interest Watering Systems pn HIRED HAND Curtain Drops, ifcJ Alarm Systems, HIRED-HAND* ST^Ctt Stainless Steel Generation 111 Feeders wßaytec Sure Step DOSMATIC Medicators DOSMAIC mo Doors & Windows CORPORATION in hunting. So the idea of having a beef finishing herd appealed to him. A Virginia-style bam was com pleted in the fall of 1995. It mea sures 72 foot wide by 36 feet deep on a counter-slope design (at 1 inch), with an eight-foot deep manure pit underneath (12 feet in center). No bedding is used. The . back is curtain sided and there is a 12-foot overhang in the front to protect the bunk from rain and snow. Having the overhang paid off that winter, when the area was deluged with lots of snow. A one-stop enclosed mixing area is right next to the silos. Plastic feed troughs are round ed, with no comers, and provide a smooth surface for the cattle. Binkley feeds twice a day. The only change he would want to make would be to alter the man ure storage to a consistent 12-foot depth. Darwin Nisslcy farms with his brother, Bernard, in Mount Joy. They’ve been in partnership on the farm since 1983. The cattle feeding business has been expanded in the past year. The Nissleys finish about 2,000 head a year. A new bam measuring 61- by 241-feet with a 10-foot deep man ure pit was constructed last sum mer. The facility adds to an exist ing bank bam at the farm. With the new facility, cows are cleaner, less stressed, and that comfort extends even over to die managers. There is 13 feet of room to unload feed from a mixer wagon (Turn to Pag* A 37) Hog Market and Litter Scales Plastic Flooring & Cast Iron Flooring
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