Beverages, Brazil, And Farm BUI At Grain Seminar (Continued from Page A 1) took 15 months), it was moved on to con sumer testing. The university’s football team was picked as the group of consum ers to try the product. After practice, researchers asked the players opinions of the drink, which re sembles a chocolate milkshake, according to Bordi. “The players actually developed the drink they told us what they liked and didn’t like,” he said. By NCAA rules, the drink could be no more than 30 percent protein. Pasteurized as Penn States Creamery, it has a shelf life of 30-45 days. Besides taste, health benefits were also an important part of the project. Re searchers gathered weight data, measured dietary intake, and took blood and urine samples. They also asked the players to rate their pain on a numerical scale. Players gave positive feedback on the drink and reported lowered soreness and increased energy. They also did not experi ence the drastic weight drops that may characterize preseason workouts, reported Bordi. Health benefits, said Bordi, go beyond soreness and body recovery. Oxidant stress during exercise may contribute to fatigue and muscle injury, and “we strongly be lieve soy really reduces this,” he said. As for the future of the drink, “we’re looking to have it bottled and hope that next year we can make it available to all the sports teams at Penn State,” he said. Ray Leiby, quality assurance, Wenger Feed Mill, Inc., discussed grain quality during his presentation. Quality grains will not have a musty, sour, foreign odor, damaged kernels, or have foreign materials, said Leiby. This ensures the proper formulation of diets. Grain accounts for 60 percent of the for mulation, “so it can have a significant im pact on the final ration,” he said. The business accepts 15.5 percent maxi mum moisture for corn and 14 percent for soybeans. A sieve is used to test for foreign material. Random samples are taken to the labo ratory for nutritional analysis. “We also test for molds and mycotoxins, and for ward to another lab for amino acid pro files,” said Leiby. Grain spoilage is the result of microor ganisms using a grains nutrients for grown and the reproductive process. However “molds don’t tend to attack good, sound grain,” he said. According to Leiby, if sound grains are harvested and kept a low moisture and low temperature, they may retain their original processing quality and even origi nal viability for many years. Leiby also spoke about the advantage of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). He expects to see an increase in consumer confidence in GMOs. Larry Hepner, department chair, development of agronomy and envi ronmental science, Delaware Valley College, told the college’s experience of growing com for an unusual mar ket: Hollywood. The college rented ground to Dis ney for the movie “Signs,” a movie about visitors from outer space that left crop circles in a cornfield. Since the com was valued for its ' sv - rather than productive \ year’s drop poscd.unusual , according to HepaS? ; rirst chatfeUgeT. «„ the filnqucrew waaHK’ to shorn the mdfef"from September 151& October 15 a ***•» tinliwhen l*ennsylva- . niafpcom is tradition- •SSStZ allf'already harvested. ** Consequently, DeWal pulled up the yapfe already-grow ing com mid replanted" " - in the first week of June so that it would be maturing and green for the movie. “We were also try ing to grow corn through the driest part J of the summer,” he said. Consequently, the Del Val team de signed an irrigation system for the 80-acre farm. “We worked for a month to get every thing set up,” said Hepner. The system in cluded a center pivot and drip tape. Effluent was taken from a wastewater treatment plant. Newly-installed pipe mains fed the 100 miles of drip tape that traveled down every other row of com. “The wastewater did a very efficient job for us in growing out the com,” said Hepn er. Employees from a firm in California took two-by-four boards to create the crop circle pattern in the field. “Our other fear was killing frost,” said Hepner. In fact, in the final week or shooting the area had three days of frost. However with the addition of green paint for the first three- Speakers during the conference included, from left, Larry Hepner, Delaware Valley College; Dr. Peter Bordi, Penn State, and Ray Leiby, quality assurance, Wenger Feed Mill, Inc. rows of com, the last scenes were com pleted. “It was a fun summer,” said Hepner, “but there are practical applications we hope we can take from it.” Del Val pur chased the irrigation system from Disney to look at wastewater use for irrigation. Marcia Zarley-Taylor, editor, “Top Pro ducer,” presented “Brazil: The Competitor You Can’t Ignore.” From her first trip to Brazil in 1998, Zarley-Taylor was impressed with the rap idly changing country. She has since spent several years re searching “how Brazil’s production affects our competitiveness on the world market. Their production capacity will change the way we look at the world. “It’s not soil, it’s water that is making crops,” said Zaley-Tayor. . In addition, “over the last 25-30 >y»a»s, their scientists have definitely proven i *that Wmtihd ** V*' Grandrib 3®PLUS Distributors 0f... Equus Horse Stall Systems Equus Dutch Door Systems Plyco Sliding Door Components Fabral Metal Roofing and Siding Complete Building Packages, Trusses And Glue-Laminated Timbers 717-866-6581 701 E. Linden St. Richland, PA 17087 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 15, 2003-A23 lipstructun it’s not soil quality that counts. They’re making soil in South America.” In the 1970 s producers and scientists discovered that using phosphorus and other elements could correct the soil that has an organic content of one percent. The southern part of the country, long considered the agrarian area, is now joined by the “Cerrado” savannah area in the middle an area that was previously con sidered wasteland. Recently the USDA released a scientific study that revealed that with improved transport, capital investment, and technol ogy, Brazil could bring 420 million acres into production. “What this means is that we have over looked a continent and this isn’t mar ginally productive land,” she said. “The U.S. has been asleep at the switch, (Turn to Page A 24) Skidding. Matmah ■*!> (f The Best Metal Warranty 10 Layers of Protection Up to 50% Stronger Thicker 29 Gauge Steel 25% - 50% More Galvanized Coating |l FABRALI] TRUSB PLATE INSTITUTE ACTIVE MEMBER 301-334-3977 1283 Joni Miller Rd. Oakland, MD 21550
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