Piedmontese Is Choice Breed For Levan Family (Continued from Pago Bit) Chariots breed that the Levans also raise on their Berks County farm. The Levans were looking for a niche market that would keep them from being at the mercy of low market prices. Piedmontese allows them to get a premium. They sell finished beef to the Ohio Belter Beef and to George town Farms, who provide beef to the organic, no hormone market The Levans are pleased with the prices paid by the two companies. The pay rate is a bit different, but averages out to about the same amount Georgetown Farms pays top price plus 12 percent live weight Ohio pays IS percent over top market price for hanging weight “The nice thing is that we don’t need to pay shipping,” Shirley said. The cattle are loaded on a truck at the Leesport Auction located within a few miles of the Levans. For the past IS yean, the Levan’s have lived on a Hamburg farm where they raise 60 head of beef and all the calves to finishing. They farm in partnership with Paul’s parents. In addition to the 60-acres on the farm, they rent 250 acres. Justin, 18; Cathy, IS; and Jason. 12, share duties on the farm. Justin lakes care of most of die field wok and manure removal since his father has an off-the-faim job. According to Shirley the Pied montese breed was imported to the U.S. within the past 10 yean. Pied montese cattle originate from Italy .where it is the most popular breed. Shirley said, "Piedmontese pro duce eatm loaa meuMvith, mpps , , < , high quality cuts than any othir ■ breed. -Bone structure is finer, hinds weigh less, and dress out much better. Case in point is a recent heifer that a group judged would give 12 ribeyes. It dressed out to 16.9-inch ribeyes with .3 backfaL Even hanging on the rail, doesn’t do justice to the Piemon tese in many cases. | With the Hydro Cow Flotation I System you can float a down | cow back onto its leas I harmlessly without using . I clamps, belts or chains. The 1 _ Hydro Cow is a natural way to ■ get a cow back on its legs using I Hydro Cow Flotation Service is ■ _ available in Lancaster, York and Chester ■ 1 Counties, and ■ northeastern Maryland I From: Solanco Veterinary Service I 496 Solanco Rd., Quarryville, PA ■ I 717-786-1303,1-800-262-7331 | “On the rail, the meat looks similiar to deer meat because it is lean, but it has a real beefy taste,” Shirley said. To the untrained eye, the meat looks mote like a bull carcass because of the double musceling. and the meat is expected to be tough because it has no marbling. In actuality it’s pure beef that is amazingly tender and takes only half the time to cook as an ordinary cut of meat Most lean beef produced sacri fices flavor and tenderness because fat cover and marketing has been associated with good fla voring. Piedmontese have no mar bling and minimal fat cover but provide tender, juicy beef flavor. All this, according to Shirley, is due to genetics. About half the herd is Charolais, but the Levans prefer the Piedmon tese both for taste and for handling. “Piedmontese are very docile,” Shirley said. “Even a half blood will tone down the whole tempera ment of a Charolais. There is a drawback to raising Piedmontese. They grow a bit slower than the average calf, because they put on more muscle. The Levans have had some prob lems with first time calving of hall blood heifers, but no trouble with full blood. Although the cattle have access to two barns, they remain in the TTcrshcv mKm mKm equipment no. inc SEE YOU AT THE KEYSTONE FARM.SHOW ■ JANUARY 4, S & 6 YcffiK fairgrounds - ea' 92 FULL LINE CORE AND FLEX AUGERS • 4" -6" -8" Core Augers • Power heads, Drives, •6“- 8" -10“ -12” -14" &Up Gear Boxes Trough Augers •2" -3" -3 1/2“ -5“ Flex Augers pasture except for the most fierce storms. “They seem to know the best place for their health is outside,” Shirley said. “We have no respirat ory problems or any health problems with diem.” Because die cattle spend their time in the pasture with little expo smed to human contact, they are more agressive and protective of little ones. The Levans wanted to see what a bunch of really good Piedmon tese cattle looked like in the show ring so they decided to attend the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE> held November IS. They took along two heifers to show. Cathy said,‘Tam so accustomed to being placed at the bottom that when the judge motioned me to the top, I couldn’t believe it” After placing first in her class, Cathy went on to capture the reserve junior heifer over all with her heifer Cheyenne. The heifer is considered out standing for very thick muscling and correct underpining. The Levans said they were puzzled by the terminology until underpining was explained as “how she stood on four comers.” The Levans plan to flush for embryos since several people at the NAILE requested it The taste of victory has been sweet to Cathy who now plans tc show at the Ohio Beef Expo in March. The Levans have their own Piedmontese bull but have alsc used imported Italian semen on cows for flushing. The five embryos they purchased resulted in only two pregnancies so the Levans are inclined to resort tc using theirown bull to build up the herd. Cathy and Jason show sheep and hogs at fairs. In the Levan home ribbons are strung across die top of both sides of the large doorway between the living room and kitch en. The ribbons and trophies were accumulated from Kempton, Schwenksville, Reading, Olcy, and Kutztown Fain. “I tell them they can only have the ribbons and trophies from one year down here; otherwise they go upstairs,” Shirley said, “There are just too many to display.” In addition to Justin arid Jason - having won champion market lambs at local fairs. Jason captured STIR-ATOR THE ONLY STIR-ATOR THAT STIRS ALL THE GRAIN @)C • WET TANKS • AUGERS • ELEVATOR LEGS We Stock A Full Line Of Parts For VjltiA/ HEfls.Hr/ EOUiPWEMT SEA/ICE TECHNICIANS OH CAll 2i HPS AOAf W, OA/S A YEAR TO ASSIST /0»J Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 1, 2000-817 V.. In-Bln Batch Grain ig, Aaalatlng Inuoua-Flow, Or Grain iga Malntenanea Ing Pattern • QUALITY EQUIPMENT • EXPERT INSTALLATION PROMPT Aprt COURTEOUS SERVICE IT'S WORTH YOUR INVESTMENT 1-800-HEC-0988 _ RSH€V _ MM EQUIPMENT CO., INC SYCAMORE IND. PARK 255 PLANE TREE DRIVE, LANCASTER, PA 17603 717-393-5807 FAX 717-291-1534 the champion project market lamb banner. In this competition, scores are based not only on a lamb’s cor rectness. but the exhibitors are tested on showmanship and gener al knowledge such as identifying feed and equipment, animal health, and general management skills. Although they live in the Ham burg School District, the kids attend Tulpenhockcn for the ag program. “Things are changing,” Shirley said. “When I was in school about 75 percent of the students either lived on the farm or their grandpa rents did. But in my son’s class, he was the only one out of 200 stu dents working on a farm.” Cathy and Jason will show sheep and hogs at the state Farm Show. Cathy also is raising a Sim mental in order to be more compe titive in area show rings. Although she has achieved champion show man status for steers and sheep, she said that it has been difficult in fitting because Piedmontese have (Turn to Pag* B 19)
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