A2O-L«ncaster Farming, Saturday, February 20, 1999 VERNON ACHENBACH JR, Lancaster Fanning Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Those who raise feeder calves and feeder cattle need to pay more attention to genetics and health care if they intend to remain in the business of raising beef for retail cuts. That seemed to be the overall message presented by a number of speakers at a recent Lancaster County Extension Cattle Feeder’s Day event held at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center. The cattle feeder’s day event is sponsored by Penn State Extension with support from some agribu sinesses and is held annually to provide an educational forum for producers and those interested in learning more about industry and market trends, feeder cattle raising techniques and issues, and com pleted and ongoing research. Morning speakers including H. Louis Moore, Penn State Universi ty agricultural economics profes sor, who discussed the outlook for the feeder cattle market; Jeff Stolt zfus, an adult farmer instructor in the Eastern Lancaster County School District, who discussed nutrient management concerns for catde feeders; Dr. John Thompson, lowa State University professor of production animal medicine, who discussed establishing valid work ing relationships between cattle feeders, veterinarians and the cattle being fed; and Dr. John Comerfotd, Penn State Extension beef specialist who discussed a Penn State survey of cattle feeders. Afternoon speakers included Dr. Glenn Rogers, North Carolina State University assistant profes sor of ruminant production medi cine, who talked about animal health programs for feedlots; Dr. Comerfotd again, this time dis ucssing the basics of “expected progeny differences’’ (EPD); Dr. Erskinc Cash, Penn State Univer sity professor of animal science, who discussed the practical uses of EPDs in the feeder cattle industry; SMOKER, LANDIS & COMPANY, LLP CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS Individual Partnership & Corporate Taxes ✓ Accounting */ Tax Planning */ Auditing Management Consulting Personal Financial Services 1/ Computer & Consulting Services Payroll Preparation */ Retirement Plans 49 East Main Street, Leola 717/656-7544 or 392-1333 24 South Main Street, Manheim 717/665-5979 or 393-1929 FOR SALE 1) QUALITY GYPSUM - (Calcium Sulfate) * BEST PRICES * 100% satisfaction guaranteed * Available bulk or in 50 lb. bags * Field application service available * Ideal now for all fields, pastures, gardens 2) QUALITY BEDDING * FREE DELIVERY WITHIN 10 . MILES OF LEOLA • GREAT PRICE - buy one load - get one free! For pick-up or delivery call Agri-Marketing, Inc. Call (717) 627-2468 Substitute For Carcass Quality Consistency No and Bob Livingston, cattle mana ger at South Branch Farms, who discussed his use of EPDs and car cass evaluations in a producer retailer relationship he is in that helps his operation achieve a return on investment by ensuring that investment and effort is used to gain value, not just cattle weight. Also speaking was Tammy Weaver, director of industry rela tions for the Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC), a cattle producer funded beef promotion, marketing and research program. Weaver discussed some of the new products developed through the help of the PBC, such as the Rotiss-A-Roast pre-cooked roast beef modem family meal product, which was offered on site as part of a $5 lunch, served by a caterer. Beef Council Develops Products According to Weaver, while the beef industry has lost some of its domestic market share to the poul try industry, as is widely known and repotted, the work being done through the producer-supported marketing and research effort is giving the industry its best leghold against slipping further, as well as strengthening the industry’s posi tion to move forward. She explained that the poultry industry’s growth in capturing Prepare Now for Spring Haylage Season RING-DRIVE SILO UNLOADER Blower for easy servicing • Replaceable lower blower band with extra-thick, 1/4- mch steel. • 4 swinging, adjustable, cupped paddles with stainless steel pins. • Pouble-grooved pulley with taper bore hub. An optional independent electric motor rotates the unloader and distributor while filling. Chain guide wheel mounting to track silo wall closely. Big 9-foot drive ring flanged to the inside for added strength. The Polar Claw is ideal for frozen and hardpacked silage. The cutters-and-claw chain aggressively tears silage Joose and quickly moves it to the blower. Fast (634 ft/mm.) chain speed for high-volume delivery. more of the domestic consumer market is not only due to past health scares spread among the general public about cholesterol and beef, but mote so because the poultry industry has created and is a leader in providing convenience meals. Rotissarie chicken is common in most of the major supermarket store chains, and Weaver said that it offers consumers an easy and quick decision about what to have for an evening meal, especially since most consumers ate short on time for cooking. It is expected that, in order to remain competitive, it is necessary to provide consumers with a quick and easy meal solution with beef as the meat, she said. The new roast beef product is designed for that and she said that Giant Food Stores Inc. has agreed to be the first major chain to offer the product. It should be available in March, she said. Weaver said other develop ments are in the works, in an attempt to better position beef for consumer selection. According to Weaver, there are 28 new products involving beef and veal, in addition to deli counter rotissarie beef. She said work is being done to improve the use and demand for certain por tions of the carcass as well, such as for cuts from the chuck and round. with Polar Claw m chain Cedar Crest Equipment 608 Evergreen Rd. Lebanon, PA 17042 (717) 270*6600 1 *BOO-646*6601 Weaver also showed two video tape versions of a new beef com mercial following the slogan, “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner,” featuring movie star and celebrity Sam Elliott The commercial was produced as a 30-second commer cial, also edited into 10- and 20-second versions to fit different formats and budgets. Weaver also explained how the Pa. Beef Council has also been targeting youth to provide educa tional information on proper sanit ary hygiene, especially in the kitchen and with food handling. “We feel we can affect food safety by going to the youth," Weaver said, adding that it has been discovered that many elementary age youth have not received proper instruction in proper hygiene and safe food handling practices. She showed a video that has been produced to instruct youth on those two issues, “The 4Cs Rap.” The four “Cs” stand for: Cool it, for cooling the meat in the freezer or refrigerator quickly after pur chasing it; Clean it, for washing hands and handling surfaces and tools; Cook it, for cooking beef to the appropriate doneness, accord ing to temperature; and, don’t Cross it, which is for avoiding put ting cooked meats onto a tray or surface or using any unwashed Model 2100 Distributor to deflect feed when filling for improved packing. For larger silos, a motorized kicker can be added. Ideal replacement unloader for your suspension: • 3-cable tripod • 3-cable hexapod Powder coating is the new standard in finishing systems. It provides a superior, uniform and durable finish. Add these new features to your Patz Model RD-820 unloader. Purchasing a Model 2100 is easy with financing from Patz Credit. Ask for the details from your full-service Patz dealer. Your PARTNER in Progress” utcnsiles that had come into con tact with the uncooked meat She said the Beef Council edu cational program has been requested in about 500 schools, and the visits ate to be conducted through the year, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Infor mation packets are to be sent to schools that can’t be accommo dated through the promotion program. Feeder Cattle Cycling Back In other news, H. Louis Moore, a regular industry and Extension event economic speaker, annually provides an early year outlook for the meat and livestock industry. He has predicted that, based on industry inventories and inexpen sive feed, as well as cyclical trends in the beef industry, that cattle feeders ought to be able to make, a small margin in 1999 about $5O per head coming back from big losses for 1998. Most of the nation’s agricultural production industry has suffered low commodity prices for at least the past year. Especially hurt have been independent producers. For those unfamiliar with the current commodity pricing situa tion, common knowledge is that low producer prices have resulted (Turn to Page A 26) Polar Claw and the Polar Claw logo are trademarks of Patz Sales, Inc. Parts Outlet RD 2 Box 271 East Earl, PA 17519 (717) 354-0584
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