And Well With Pork Processors
New LanChester Pork Council director Scott Augsburger, far left, joins directors Scott
Bailey, president; Jerry Hostetter; Kurt Good, secretary; Brent Hershey, vice president;
and Richard Kreider at the recent meeting.
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(Continued from Page A2O)
and onto the sorting floor. “She
gets in the chute and crawls up
there,” Moyer said.
Grandin is “one of the most
important people that pork
packers have,” Moyer said. She
is the liaison, Moyer noted, with
packers and the public.
The TQA program for truck
ers will be critical. It will include
similar Hazard Analysis Critical
Control Point (HACCP) stand
ards in place in other agricul
tural programs.
The TQA will make use of
USD A inspectors that will
watch hog unloading. If exces
sive shocker use is evident, the
trucker can be written up, noted
Moyer.
When the hogs leave the farm,
the producer basically loses “all
control of them,” which can di
rectly affect the pocketbook.
The TQA will take into account
tractor-trailer appearance, with
slip-resistant floors; proper
lighting; and recommended will
be sprinkling systems during the
summertime (though they won’t
be required).
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The driver is the most import
ant segment of TQA. He’s the
packer’s “eyes and ears,” said
Moyer, of the industry, provid
ing feedback about what’s hap
pening on the farm. The health
of the animals, and legal weight
loads, are the driver’s responsi
bility, Moyer noted.
Often, producers listen 10
drivers. Some take driver’s ideas
to heart.
Moyer noted that “crippled
animals should not be loaded,
period,” he said.
And “excess shocker and
whip use is forbidden.”
Moyer said, “All truck drivers
want to do a good job. From a
farm community, we probably
have the best truck drivers any
where. For the most part, driv
ers do a real good job.”
Rob Meinen, Penn State
senior extension associate, spoke
about the new Penn State Live
stock Environmental Certifica
tion Program. And Bob Mikesell
of Penn State Cooperative Ex
tension provided an overview of
the Pork Quality Assurance
Level 111 Certification.
According to Scott Bailey, council presi
dent, three new directors were elected to serve
three-year terms. They included Scott Augs
burger, production manager of Hostetter
Management Company; Doug Brubaker,
swine services representative, Hess Mills; and
Eric Zeiset, White Oak Mills.
Tobacco Auction
Opens Jan. 4
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
QUARRYVILLE (Lancaster Co.) The
Pennsylvania Tobacco Marketing Association
(PTMA) has announced the tobacco auction
will begin 9 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 4, here at
the Solanco Fairgrounds.
According to manager Dennis Hess, the
auction will take place in the new exhibition
building built last summer, the largest on the
fairgrounds in the southwest corner.
The association, which runs the auction,
will begin accepting tobacco Tuesday, Jan. 2
and Wednesday, Jan. 3.
The auction will accept tobacco for auction
by appointment only. Contact Hess at (717)
626-6970.
The fairgrounds are located along Rt. 472
one block south of Rt. 372 in Quarry ville.
About three to four buyers notified Hess
they would be at the auction.
Tobacco is sorted into three grades and a
“scrap” grade, Hess noted. Scrap is green or
off-grade tobacco.
Shed burn or blue mold tobacco needs to
have a separate grade. Shed burn is caused
when the tobacco is hung too close in the barn
and doesn’t receive proper ventilation to dry
it down correctly. Leaves drop off stalk and
“it rots rather than drying down,” Hess said.
For producers who want to market to
bacco, Hess noted it is important to keep the
moisture content down. Leaves should
“rattle,” said Hess.
Good cigarette tobacco should be at 15-18
percent moisture. In the past, some Hess has
tested had moisture levels at SO percent or
more. That kind of wetness “has hurt our
market over the years,” he said. And water
simply adds weight the buyers don’t want.
Each bale should be about 50-60 pounds
ideally, Hess noted.
Also, Hess said the auction is looking for
warehouse workers to help move tobacco
around four days per week. The auction also
needs office workers to run calculators and a
computer. Contact Hess at (717) 626-6970 for
details on wages.
Hess also said that he is aware that two dif
ferent lots of processed tobacco were sold by
growers in the association. The association
must receive three cents a pound on that sale.
Some growers who sold privately also need
to forward three cents per pound of the to
bacco sold to the association. Send checks to
PTMA, 870 Clay Rd., Lititz, PA 17543.
The PTMA has about 450 members, Hess
said. Hess expects about four million pounds
.trf lq.b?qpp tq.be sold this season.