J£blef) Idgbl [Expositor March 28 - 30, r At The Petm State Ag Arena Beef Expo Event Schedule Thursday, March 28 • Trade Show Set-Up 1 p.m.-8:30 p.m. • Beef Quality Assurance Demonstration (Ag Arena) 1 p.m.-4 pjn. • Beef Ambassador Interviews (Ag Arena) 2 p.m. • Quiz Bowl Preliminaries (PSU Meats Laboratory) 3 p.m. • Cattlemen’s Award Ban quet; PCA Annual Meeting Beef Ambassador Announcement; Quiz Bowl Finals (Celebration Hall/Hoag’s Catering 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 29 • Beef Skill-a-thon (PSU Meats Laboratory) 8 a.m.-10 a.m. • Trade Show Open 9 a.m.- 5:30 pan. Randall G. Renninger Certified Public Accountant Specializing in agriculture and construction industries “We help business people discover ways to cut costs, save taxes, and be more profitable” Call about our FREE seminars 535 W. Orange Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 (717)299-6480 ♦ Fax (717)299-6390 ON See your local dealer for details. Best Line Leasing Inc. Muncy, PA 570-546-8422 _ .„ , . . 800-321-2378 Burchfields Inc. Martinsburg, PA 814-793-2194 Bobcat of Reading ciugston Ag A Turl Reading, PA l nc> 610-926-2441 Chambersburg, PA 717-263-4103 Bobcat / One Tough Animat • Junior Heifer Check-in —lO am.-6:30 p.m. • MAEC Performance-Tested Bull Sale —ll am. • Simmental Breeding Cattle Sale 2 pm. • Shorthorn Breeding Cattle Show and Sale 4:30 pm. • Junior Steer Weigh-in 7 p.m.-9 pm. Saturday, March 30 • Complete Junior Steer Weigh-in 6:30 a.m.-7:30 a.m. • Junior Heifer Show 8 a.m.-Il am • Trade Show Open 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. • Junior Steer Show 12 noon. • Showmanship Finals (NOTE: Selections for showman ship finals will be made in heifer and steer classes) 6 p.m. Bobcat proudly introduces the MTSO walk behind track loader. A whole new way to get your work done! BS & B Repair Mifflinburg, PA 717-966-3756 DENVER, Colo. In recent years the beef industry has fo cused not only on making beef more convenient for consumers, but also for restaurateurs and grocers. “Beef producers, through their industry checkoff program, have sought to improve efficiency in retail and restaurant marketing efforts,” said Lisa Hefner, a beef producer from Oklahoma and vice chair of the beef industry’s Joint Foodservice Committee. “Making beef easier to merchan dise or feature in supermarkets and restaurants should ultimate ly help to increase beef demand.” Beef producers saw the need to make changes in order to fill die needs of their changing markets. The beef industry has already been focused on convenience and the ease of preparation of beef products to better fit the needs of today’s busy consumers and working moms. Just four years ago heat-and-serve beef entrees were almost unheard of, yet today 61 percent of supermarkets in the U.S. have a convenience section in the fresh meat case. Retail The industry is now taking its convenience work a step further. Cumberland Bobcat Carlisle, PA 717-245-9981 Grumelii’s Farm Service Quarryville, PA 717-786-7318 Creating Consumer Convenience Through Supermarket, Restaurant Efforts BQA Chute-Side Times, Locations Starting time is now 6:00 p.m. for April Chute- Side training schedule of the Pennsylvania Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. Please note this change from previously announced times. April 1: Crawford County at the Bob Rose Farm in Cochran ton For directions call (814) 425-7063 or Bob Calvert, Mercer County Extension Office, (724) Highway Equipment Harrisburg, PA 717-564-3031 Keystone Bobcat Lititz, PA 717-625-2800 # The checkoff-funded Beef Made Easy program is aimed at simpli fying shopping and increasing sales by reorganizing the beef sec tion of die meat case, making it easier for busy moms to choose beef. Since the program began in 1999 beef sales in test stores have increased 3.5 percent. Today nearly 12,000 stores are using the Beef Made Easy program. Expanding technology within retail operations is also part of the checkoff-funded convenience focus. Bar coding initially wasn’t feasible for random weight items like meat, but with Uniform Re tail Meat Identity Standards the industry had common nation wide terminology for different cuts. With these names and im proved scanning technology, the industry could produce Universal Product Codes for various beef products, which in turn led to “Value-Based Meat Manage ment” This program provides inform ation about better ways of valu ing and pricing beef cuts, and tracking sales. The beef industry pioneered the use of consumer videos at the meat case with “Meat Features.” This effort gives consumers assistance in 662-3141 April 3: Fayette County at the Warren Dick Farm in Smithfield. For di rections call (724) 569-2353, or Don Fretts, Fayette County Ex tension Office, (724) 438-0111. April 9: Franklin County at the Jason Johns 'Farm in Mercersburg. For directions call (717) 328-9850 or Jere Wingert at the Franklin County Extension Office (717) 263-9226. April 10: Lancaster County at B & R Cattle in Marietta. For directions call (717) 426-3258, or Chet Hughes at the Lancaster County Extension Office, (717) 394-6851. April 16: Direct market your farm products in Philadelphia Farm to City has places for growers in many outdoor farmers’ markets in Philadelphia this season. Contact Bob Pierson toll free at (866) 745-6587 or send an e-mail message to phill3mlarkets@aol.com. RITTENHOUBE FARMERS’ MARKET. Looking for vegetable, fruit, flower, mushroom, and other specialty grow ers for this Saturday morning Cen ter City market in a premier location. Currently seeking approvals. DREW SCHOOL FARMERS’ MARKET. Saturday 10 am - 2 pm West Phila delphia neighborhood needs one vegetable grower to sell at market with five returning growers. SOUTH & PASSYUNK FARMERS’ MARKET in east Center City. Tues day 2 to 7 pm. Looking for pastured poultry, meats, mushrooms and other specialties for Philadelphia’s oldest and largest growers only market Busy commercial setting. RIDOB & GIRARD FARMERS’ MARKET. Friday 2 to 6 pm. Neigh borhood market wants to add one vegetable grower and a tree fruit grower BROAD A GIRARD FARMERS’ MARKET. State Representative and coalition of 25 community groups will establish a farmers’ market on Girard Avenue near Broad Street Looking for vegetable and fruit growers, poultiy, and eggs Day and time open, depending on farmeis The farmers markets ore a joint project of Farm to City and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 23,2002-A43 making shopping decisions by showing video clips in the meat department of the supermarket. The clips show consumers how to select and prepare meat cuts to best fit their desired outcomes in the most convenient ways possi ble. The foodservice market ac counts for 40 percent of all beef consumption nationwide. With this in mind the beef industry has targeted key restaurateurs in the $370 billion-per-year foodservice industry. Marketing efforts are letting the operators know that they too, can save time, labor and money in the kitchen by incorporating new value-added beef items into their menus. These entrees offer consumers new beef dining op tions while remaining moderately priced. “The beef industry continues to explore ways to improve retail and restaurant marketing,” said Hefner. “The primary objective of our promotion programs is to increase beefs share on menus and in meat cases, as well as to build overall beef eating frequen cy. This, in turn, will help meet consumer demand for delicious Wyoming County at the Walt Dana Farm in Tunkhannock For directions call (S7O) 836-1907 res idence, (570) 836-2145 office or Wyoming County Extension Of fice, (570) 836-3196. April 17; Schuylkill County at the Zim merman Farms in Pitman. For directions call (570) 648-2078 or the Schuylkill County Extension Office, (570) 622-4225. April 18: Cambria County at the Dan Carney farm in Ebensburg. For directions call (814) 884-0231, or Rod Nostetter at the Cambria County Extension Office, (814) 472-7986. For questions phone or E-mail Pennsylvania Beef Council; (717) 939-7000 or pstoops@pabeef.org. ITALIAN MARKET. Philadelphia’s oldest, largest, and most colorful outdoor market. Thursday through Saturday Looking for general and specialty vegetable ana fruit grow ers to fill market schedule. Can be one or more days. FRANKFORD FARMERS’ MARKET. New market looking for farmers or association of farmers to sell own vegetables and tree fruit in North east Philadelphia neighborhood park. FLOWER AND FRUIT MARKET. University of Pennsylvania area, new market on weekday. Looking for flower and fruit growers for May, June and September market July and August also possible for veg etable grower NORTHERN LIBERTIES. Second Street Corridor north of Market Street Renaissance neighborhood New businesses opening, strong residential community Need veg etable and fruit growers for a week day market A « Farm to Foodservice