DB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Juna 13, 1998
Dr. Edward Mills
Associate Professor of
Dairy and Animal Science
Penn State University
Amerrcan consumers are
continually changing Population
trends include, among others,
increasing numbers ot teenagers,
elderly/rctircd, single parent house
holds and meals consumed away
from home
In the last election campaign
the term “Soccei Mom” came to
represent demands and desires of
today’s families During a match
last week the “Soccer Moms”
talked about capital gains taxes,
Joey’s shin guards, retirement, the
loud soccer coach, hiring a new
department manager, what’s for
supper, ralfle tickets, violin
lessons and the playei on the other
team who “must he 100 old tor
this league" Meal planning
didn’t get much covciagc
As American demographics
change so docs the way we eat
More than 1/3 of all meals are
now consumed away from home
with restaurant and food service
meals accounting for over 529 f ol
all lood sales
Miciowave
ovens
minivans give a whole new
meaning lo the icnn "last lewd”
Even meals at home arc frequently
consumed m shills as some
family memheis lease caily or
return late Many ot the changes
in the way we cal are dnven by
the need to lit lood into a busy
schedule Nevcithcless, as lives
become more hectic, the desire
lor a traditional eating experience
seems lo he increasing
A traditional meal with family
members sitting around the table
can require considerable planning
and loicsight With very little
time allocated to such planning,
the challenge lor the food industry
is to find ways to provide tor
convenient at-home and away
(rom-home dining experiences
Food marketers are beginning to
think about consumer needs in
terms ot “Meal Solutions”. A
meal solution might be thought
of as a combination of foods and
services which fulfill consumer
desires for a particular meal.
Variety is the unifying
principle for providing meal
solutions. Convenient meal
solutions include ready-to-eat,
ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook
foods Ready-to-eat items (hot or
cold) are consumed on the spot or
taken home, often for immediate
use Since most meal planning
occurs less than I hour before the
meal, retail displays are often
Christmas Tree Growers To Meet
POTTSVILLE (Schuylkill Co.)
Christmas tree growers and in
dividuals interested in growing
Christmas trees are invited to a
program sponsored by Penn State
Cooperative Extension. Registra
tion is required to attend this after
noon meeting.
Dr. Larry Kuhns and Tracey
Harpster, Penn State University,
Horticulture Department will dis
cuss round-up herbicide plot,
trickle irrigation, and sprayer cali
bration. Dr. Paul Heller, Penn
State University Entomology De
designed to suggest whole meal
solutions.
At the prepared foods deli a
shopper might pick up a rotissene
roasted broiler along with the
salad and side dishes needed for a
family dinner. Ready-10-heat
foods are partially prepared,
precooked and chilled or frozen so
the shopper will heat and serve the
meal at home. Roasted turkey
breast or chicken nuggets might
form the center of a ready-to-heat
meal which can be picked up on
the way home from work and
prepared in less than 15 minutes.
Rcady-to-cook items give the
cook an opportunity to be fully
involved in food preparation
without much preplanning. When
merchandising ready-to-cook items
the retailer may add seasonings,
marinades or stuffing to provide a
distinctive flavor or presentation
Rcady-to-cook chicken breast
roulade. Cajun marinated turkey
tenderloins and others may be
ollcrcd in either refrigerated or
frozen form
Adjacent display space may be
used (or bagged lettuce salad. Iresh
gicen beans, prepaicd sauces and
other ingredients or condiments
By ollenng a wide lange ol meal
solutions the retailer is able lo
match his service to the varied
hlcstyles ol his customers
Until recently the focus on
“meal solutions” was mainly at
the telatl level However, as this
market category grows major
poultry processors such as Tyson
and Perdue and many smaller
companies have begun to offer
new products.
Retailers and food service
operators now have a wide
selection of seasoned, marinated,
formed, glazed, breaded, stuffed or
cooked poultry products from
which to choose. Hardly a week
goes by without the release ot a
new prepared poultry product
designed to be part of a meal
solution.
And this may be just the
beginning In a recent
presentation to a food industry
group Berme McGorry, Food
Service Business Manager for
Hershey Foods,' suggested that all
food industry growth in the next
7-10 years will occur in food
service (including supermarket
prepared foods). If that is true, it
means even bigger changes lie
ahead for the poultry industry.
Next time
Assuring Safety and Value
(taste, convenience, availability)
of meal solutions
partment, will discuss insect prob
lems found in 1998.
Rayanne Lehman, Pennsylva
nia Department of Agriculture
will discuss how to control scale
on Christmas trees.
The meeting will be held Tues
day, June 23, from 12:30 p.m. -
4:30 p.m. at Whispering Pines
Tree Farm, Breingsville. This
meeting will qualify for credits to
ward pesticide recertification.
For more information, contact
George P. Perry Jr., extension
agent/horticulture, (717)
622-4225.
Do Your Homework When
Environmental Professional
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) If consumers or develop
ers are in the market to purchase
farmland or a framer industrial
site, hiring an environmental pro
fessional to inspect the site should
be a high priority, according to ex
perts in Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences.
“If you are about to purchase
property that has not been used as
a residential area in the past, you
should make sure there are no en
vironmental problems or financial
liabilities associated with the
land,’’ said Jim Garthe, instructor
in agricultural and biological engi
neering. “By spending money
now to assess any possible prob
lems, the buyer can save a lot ot
time, money, and legal fees down
the road.”
In most cases, buyers should
hire an environmental profession
al to perform a Phase I site assess
ment, which includes a site tour;
descriptions of all buildings.
Underground Fuel Tank
Deadlines Approaching
EDGEWATER, Md. Far
mers who want to utilize the
Maryland Department of the En
vironment’s (MDE) Underground
Storage Tank (UST) Upgrade and
Replacement Loan Program must
submit a completed application
before the June 30,1998 deadline.
The UST Upgrade and Replace
ment Fund was established in
1991 to assist tank owners in fin
ancing the upgrade, replacement,
or removal of their motor fuel
USTs in order to comply with
federal requirements.
Owners of farm storage tanks
with a capacity more than 1,100
gallons, located on a farm and de
voted to the production of crops or
raising animals, and have been re
gistered since July 1991, are eligi
ble to borrow up to $50,000 per
site. The term is for a maximum of
15 years.
Farm tanks with a capacity of
1,100 gallons or less are exempt
from all technical regulations, fed
eral, and state. However, if an oil
release occurs, MDE must be noti
fied at (410) 974-3551 within two
hours after the discovery.
“Storing fuel on the farm is just
not a necessity but also a liability.
MILK
Where's your mustache 7
WELL
LEARNED...
LANCASTER
FARMING’S
CLASSIFIED
AOS
GET RESULTS!
tanks, drums, ponds, pits or dis
posal systems; and a report of sig
nificant environmental liabilities.
It also entails a background his
tory of the property; a records
search for state, local, and federal
violations; a tide search; and en
vironmental liens and evidence of
past use.
'The safest route is to have an
assessment done even if you feel
the property is clean,” said Jenni
fer Shufran, research technologist
in agricultural and biological engi
neering. “No one should go into a
large purchase with blilnders on.”
Garthe and Shufran suggest a
few guidelines to heed if consum
ers plan to hire an environmental
professional.
• What is an environmental pro
fessional? This is a person who
has credentials and experience in
environmental science and works
with environmental management,
planning, impact assessment, en-
Although there are costs with
meeting fuel storage requirements
for underground tanks, contam
inating someone’s water supply
could cost even more,” said Mel
vin Baile Jr., president of the
Maryland Grain Producers Asso
ciation.
Maryland has been delegated to
administer the federal Resource
Conservation & Recovery Act
Program for the US Environment
al Protection Agency. The Depart
ment of the Environment is now
strictly enforcing the federal
standards for leak detection and
insurance requirements.
After December 22, 1998,
MDE will also be enforcing feder
al standards for corrosion protec
tion and spill and overfill protec
tion for UST systems. The Depart
ment calculates that about 80
percent of the owners of the ap
proximately 35,000 tanks have
complied with the requirements.
For more information about the
UST Loan Program or to obtain a
“compliance outline,” farmers
should contact the Maryland De
partment of the Environment, Oil
Control Program, (410) 631-3386.
PHONE. 717-6*B-1164 or 717-394-3047
PAX 717-733-6058
Mon.. Tut... Wed . Frt 8 AM to 5 PM. Thun 7 AM to 5 PM
Itsl construction
EQUIPMENT
175 InL track loader, fair
condition, $5750 OBO; 3-5
ton Gallon roller, motor
overhauled, paid $lBOO,
sell for $l2OO OBO; Fence,
chain-link, B' agates, $4OO
obo. 610/921-8246 NO
calls after Bpm.
1997 0125 Case backhoe
attachment, only has total
use of 3-days, looks & runs
like new, $6,500.
717-262-2874
• Ask for detailed documenta
tion after the assessment is done.
Garthe said the report should in
clude a summary of each proce
dure the firm performed and a de
tailed explanation of the com
pany’s findings. “You don’t want
a report that says ‘we walked over
the property and found nothing’,”
Garthe said. “It should tell exactly
what the environmental profes
sional did during the assessment
of the site."
SUY. MII.TIIADt OH HINT THBOUCiH THE
1989 Toyota Skid Loader,
2SDK7, $7900.
717/343-1191.
1990 Case SBOK, 4WD,
cab, E-stick, 4nl bucket,
auxiliary hydraulics, VG
condition, $27,500.
(301)371-5500.
1969 Int single axle dump
truck in good condition,
w/230 Cummins diesei, 10
speed trans, 10' box, setup
to pull trailer w/electric
brakes, $3,500 080.
(717)246-8955.
Hiring
vironmental protection, or compli
ance. Shufran says environmental
experts can have varied scientific
and educational backgrounds. She
suggests checking telephone list
ings under “Geologists,” “Engi
neers Environmental Pollution
Control” or “Environmental and
Ecological Services.”
• Estimates. Contact at least two
or three firms or consultants for
estimates. Expect to pay between
$BOO and $l,OOO for an inspection.
• Ask for a statement of qualifi
cations. Each company should
provide a professional resume that
includes education of owners and
employees, relevant work experi
ence, projects the firm has recent
ly completed, references from past
clients, preferably on similar proj
ects, and professional member
ships. Garthe said look for mem
bership in the Institute of Profes
sional Environmental Practice,
American Academy of Environ
mental Engineers, or the National
Association of Environmental
Professionals. Also, ask for a his
tory of the company and listing of
employees and their specializa
tions.
• Make a preliminary phone
call. “Describe in detail what you
need,” Shufran said. “The com
pany can tell you if your project is
smaller than their typical assign
ment or much larger than they can
handle.”
• Ask about other experts,
Garthe said clients should aks if
the company or consultant
employs or has existing profes
sional relationships with special
ized environmental professionals
such as hydrogeologists, water
quality analysts, or environmental
soil chemists.
• Ask for a written proposal.
“The document should be a step
by-step description of what the
company is going to do. It should
include some rought estimates of
costs as well,” Shufran said, “If
you receive an estimate that is
well above other estimates, be
sure to ask what services are in
cluded to warrant the higher
price,” Shufran says. “If those ser
vices are important to your proj
ect, it might be smart to go with
the higher estimate.”
1988 JD 455 G crawler
loader, excellent condition,
$29,000. (301) 371-5500.
75 Cat 951 C, R.O.P.S,
good runner, good appear
ance, good G.P. Bucket,
10K put into drive train of
machine. 40% bottom.
$13,500. 410-893-2405.
75 CAT 966-C EROPS
4,500 hrs. 23.5-25 tires.
Balderson quick-detach/
release in Cab, G.P./Forks,
2 Owners, $33,500.
410-893-2405. '