A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 31,2003
Penn State Cooperative Extension
Capitol Region Dairy Team
MARKET COWS
Galen Kopp
Extension Agent
Dairy/Livestock
Lebanon County
What do we know about the
quality of these animals? As
dairy producers, we send our cull
cows off to market with very little
knowledge of the quality of these
critters as well as knowing very
little about any drug residues left
in them from previous treat
ments.
At a recent workshop, we as
extension educators observed first
hand the many issues packers
deal with after they receive mar
ket (cull) cows at the slaugh
terhouse.
Every time you cull an animal
you are making the same com
mitment to food safety and quali
ty that you make when you mar
ket your milk. Marketing cull
dairy cows in better condition, a
result of effective monitoring,
puts more dollars in your pocket
and makes the industry more
competitive.
Cows in the 2.5 to 3 body con
ditions score range produce the
most valuable carcasses for beef
processing. In addition to losing
volume as beef animals, low milk
cows that are kept past freshness,
or health compromised cows kept
until they are overtly biologically
broken, are not putting income
back into your operation. They
are costing you money and tak
ing up space that a more produc
tive animal could be using.
Dairy producers benefit when
they view themselves as impor
tant contributors of valued beef
products, and approach culling
as a positive, productive, and
profitable function of dairy herd
management. Of the value-added
beef items growing in popularity
with food service distributors and
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12 OO NOON PA JUNIOR JUDGING SCHOOL
TIOGA COUNTY
i\ LY 8-9
6 00PM SOMERSET COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS MEYERSDALE PA
JIXY 9
9 30A M LYCOMING COUNTY HOLSTFIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS HUGHESVILIE PA
JULY 10
PA HOLSTEIN ASSOCIATION SUMMER PICNIC AND ACTTVITIES
BLAIR COUNTY BALLPARK ALTOONA PA
JULY 13
11 00A M LANCASTER COUNT Y HOLSTEIN SHOW
SOLANCO FAIRGROI NDS QUARRYVILI E PA
JUt Y 16
7 ISP M PERKY COUNTS CT UB PICNIC
SAVILLE BRETHREN IN CHRIST CHURCH
Jill Y 17
9 30AM YORK COUNT Y HOLS ILIN SHOW
4-H CENTER YORK PA
JULY 21
10 00AM NORTHAMPTON BOUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS PLAINFIELD PA
JULY 21
SHIPPLNSBURG FAIR HOI STEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS SHTPPENSBURO PA
JUL\ 21
10 00AM SOLTHWESI CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS uniontown pa
JULY 26
O OOA M MORRISONS ( OVE HOLSTEIN SHOW
MEMORIAL PARK MARTTNSBURO PA
JULS 31
9 30 A M NORTHERN IILR CIIAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRC.ROUNDS MLSHOPPBN PA
JUI V 31
9 00A M LEBANON C OUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS LEBANON PA
AUGUST 1
consumers, products using non
fed beef make the top 10 list
every time. These opportunities
for increasing market value rely
on quality. The same manage
ment and culling practices that
assure quality beef also make the
milking herd more productive
and profitable.
Producers should consider the
industry’s public image and trust
when making decisions to keep,
treat, or cull dairy cattle. When
milk price, facilities, and replace
ment availability fail to compel
timely and voluntary culling de
cisions, then beef value, farm
profits, and the image of the beef
and dairy industry all suffer.
Most producers see the cows as
just milk production, not beef
production.
The following are valuable
Websites where you can get lots
of information and helpful assist
ance on producing a safe and
wholesome beef product;
• www.pabeef.org.
• www.extension.psu.edu.
• www.pa-bqa.org.
• www.pda.state.pa.us.
( ALFNDAR Ot L\ENTS
Galen Kopp
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Economic Ripples Of Canadian
BSE Case Felt In Pennsylvania
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Pennsylvania dairy farm
ers and meat packers will feel the
effects of a ban on Canadian cat
tle imports prompted by the dis
covery of bovine spongiform en
cephalopathy (BSE) or mad
cow disease in a cow in the
province of Alberta.
Canada exported 1.7 million
live cattle to the United States
last year, and a significant num
ber of Canadian animals typical
ly end up in Pennsylvania.
“Traditionally, Pennsylvania
has imported live cattle from
Canada for dairy and beef breed
ing, as well as for slaughter in
meat production,” says Larry
Hutchinson, extension veterinar
ian in Penn State’s College of Ag
ricultural Sciences. “Although I
know of no meat packer in Penn
sylvania that relies solely on Ca
nadian cattle, those that do im
port from Canada will have to
seek other sources of supply until
the ban is lifted.”
U.S. BSE Prevention Strategies
So BSEexistsm L S tart/* herds This puts the V V in the advantageous position of preventing a foreign animal disease This «in sharp contrast to Europe, whuh is
struggling to contain a disease that c\ ists n ithm its borders. Thegraphu below details the "firewall strategy” used by the VS government andfeed, rendering, cattle and meat
industries to ensure that cattle herds remain BSE free and that V V beef ranks among the safest meat products in the world
Federal government '
inspects borders* No
ruminant animals* like
cattle or sheep or
iroducts from
their bv|
countries with BSE may
enter the US J
. I
US Borders
* A ruminant animal has four stomachs and
includes cattle, sheep, goats, deer and elk.
WA M NORTHWFST C HAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS NEW CASTLE PA
10 OOAM WARREN COUNTS HOI STEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS PITTSFIELD PA
I I 00A M mjTLFR C OUNTS HOI STEIN SHOW
FARM SHOW GROUNDS BUTLFR PA
f, OOP M MIFFI IN C OUNIY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS REEDSVTLLF PA
10 00A M WAYNb COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS HONESDALE. PA
12 00 NOON CLINTON COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS MAC KEYVILLfc PA
9 00A M TIOGA COUNTY HOT STEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS. WHTTNEYVILLE, PA
9 30A M SOUTH CENTRAL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS SHIPPENSBURG PA
9 30A M HUN TINODON COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS. HUNTINGDON PA
FAIR HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS. KUTZTOWN. PA
9 30A M MONTOUR/DELONG FAIR HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS WASHINGTONVILLE. PA
1 I OOA M BUCKS C OUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
GRANGE FAIRGROUNDS WRIGHTSTOWN PA
I I 00A M WARREN COUNTY HOLSTEIN SALE
FAIRGROUNDS PITTSFIELD PA
6 00PM C ENTRAL < HAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS HUNTINGDON PA
9 30A M NORTHEAST CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
I AIRGROUNDS. WHTTNEYVILLE PA
9 30A M SOU I HEAST < HAMPIONSHIP SHOW
I AIRGROUNDS LEBANON PA
10 00AM PERRY COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS NEWPORT PA
9 00A M ( RAWFORD ( OUNI Y HOLSTFIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS MEADVILLE PA
10 00AM SUSQUEHANNACOUNIY HOI S TFIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS HARI ORD PA
BSE attacks the brain and cen
tral nervous system of cattle,
leading to weakness, loss of coor
dination, loss of appetite and
eventually death. The disease,
which is not contagious, is caused
by abnormal proteins called
prions that are thought to be
transmitted through feed con
taining rendered byproducts of
infected animals. BSE has been
linked to a similar illness in hu
mans, a variant of Creutzfeldt-
Jakob disease.
The United States has banned
imports of cattle and cattle prod
ucts from countries where BSE is
known to exist. No cases of the
disease have been found in the
United States.
The diagnosis of mad cow dis
ease in Canada is likely to affect
retail sales of beef. But Hutchin
son says U.S. consumers still can
enjoy their steaks and burgers.
“The prions that cause BSE
are not present in the muscles of
an infected animal, so the meat
itself is safe,” Hutchinson ex
In 1997, FDA banned the
for cattle and other ruminants
Industry certification/
affidavits help ensure
Icrlsa
Feed Mills
Rendered protein is sent to
feed mills so that small
quantities can be included
in some animal feed, in
accordance with FDA
rules, to make it more
nutritious.
JIL Jim
ln Coaiullalion
- .... • With Other
rroducers ask feed companies'
to certify that feed is produced
in compliance with federal
law, which requires that
ruminant protein is not fed
shack to cattle. j
Farms/Fndlots
FDA requires tenderers to separate
ruminant and non-rummant proteins
in renderinc facilities. ;
Industry created third-party certification
program to complement the FDA feed rule
and to ensure industry-wide compliance.
Rendering Facilities
6 OOP M ADAMS C OUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
SOUTH MOUNTAIN FAIRGROI INDS
AUGUST 22
9 30A M FRANKLIN COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS CHAMBERSBURG, PA
AUGUST 2^
12 00 NOON CENTRE COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS CENTRE HALL, PA
AUGUST 26
AUGUST 29 11 OOA M PA HOLSTEIN HEIFER SALE
PA HOLSTEIN FARM. MIDDLETOWN PA
SEPTEMBER 23 9 OOA M PA FALL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FARM SHOW BUILDING, HARRISBURG, PA
SEPTEMBER 24 9 OOA M EAST/CENTRAL HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS, BLOOMSBURG, PA
SEPTEMBER 24-25 EASTERN NATIONAL HOLSTEIN SHOW
FARM SHOW BUILDING, HARRISBURG, PA
SEPTEMBER 24 7 OOP M EASTERN ELITE ALL-BREED SALE
FARM SHOW BUILDING, HARRISBURG, PA
NOVEMBER 8 11 OOA M NUT ANY LION FALL CLASSIC SALE
AG ARENA. STATE COLLEGE, PA
FEBRUARY 6-8 2004 PA JUNIOR HOLSTEIN CONVENTION
FOUR POINTS SHERATON INN, GREENSBURG, PA
FEBRUARY 19-21 2004 PA HOLSTEIN CONVENTION
FOUR POINTS SHERATON INN, GREENSBURG, PA
Ono of our fovorllo timoo of yoar U Jut* around fho oornor:
Juno Dairy Month! i&\r (
And what o troat wo hovo for Farming oJO)
roodora In our Juno Dairy Imho aaha{ulod~Juna 7. jjTJ
Inaludad will ho family form foaturaa, brood and
OMoalotton now« and hlghllghta, and othor groat
raiding far our dairy famtlloa.
plains. “They are in the brain
and spinal cord, and it’s possible
during processing that spinal
cord material in particular can
contaminate the meat. But con
sumers in a BSE-free country
such as the United States can be
well assured that their beef is safe
to eat.”
In addition to the import re
strictions, the United States in
1990 established a herd surveil
lance program to detect possible
cases of mad cow disease. In
1997, the Food and Drug Admin
istration also banned the use of
rendered mammalian proteins in
cattle feed.
“After more than a decade of
close scrutiny, the United States
remains BSE-free,” says Hut
chinson. “But with world trade
being so diverse and far-reaching
today, we must continue to be
vigilant against this and other
foreign animal diseases.”
'Government veterinarians inspect all'
animals destined for slaughter.
Animals with symptoms of
neurological disorders are condemned.
Government tests on beef cows since
.1990 have shown no evidence of BSE V
Packers ask producers to certify'
that animals are fed in compliant
with FDA feed rules. ,
Packing Plants
Rendering plants process'
raw material from
packing plants and other
sources. .
Imlu'ln Asfociationx