Assuring Beef Quality
(Continued from Page A 1)
agent.
About 25 producers who at
tended the meeting had a chance
to practice giving well-placed
shots to heifers.
They also watched a necropsy
on a calf that had been injected
both correctly and incorrectly at
various places on its body.
Dr. Jody Wade of Fort Dodge
Animal Health performed the ne
cropsy. He made a strong, clear
case for good injection techniques
by showing the group a number
of tough, discolored lesions on
Paul Slayton of the Pennsylvania Beef Council helps
Barbara Soga of Kutztown get ready to inject a heifer for
practice.
f
Agriculture - Residential - Commercial
Buildings • Basement • Floors
Retaining Walls • Footer
NRCS Approved Tank Designs
| • All Types Of Flat Work
Invest In Coiiid, Quit!
CALL FOR FREE ESTIMATES CONTACT
AND SEE HOW AFFORDABLE ROY SENSENIG
CONCRETE WALLS CAN BE 717-355-0726
Authorized Dealer For Keystone Concrete Products
J 2) [EI E f| E CONCRETE
IT Ini IE Q) E WALLS, INC.
meat created by misplaced injec
tions in muscle.
Researchers doing tenderness
studies on intramuscular injec
tion sites “had to move four inch
es away from where the shot was
given to get back to normal tis
sue,” Wade said.
Consumers who come across a
steak from such a site are likely
to be turned off of eating beef,
Wade noted. The major problem
is “unpleasant dining experi
ences,” he said.
It’s not the volume of an injec
tion that ruins beef as much as
601 Overly Grove Rd., New Holland, PA 17557
During a calf necropsy, Dr. Jody Wade shows a lesion
created by an injection in the muscle.
how the shot is placed, according
to Wade.
‘'lt’s location, location, loca
tion,” he said.
Dairy fanners need to quit giv
ing shots in the hindquarter mus
cle and learn to inject subcuta
neously (just under the skin) in
the triangular area on the upper
part of the neck (see picture di
agram.) They also need to make
sure the needles they use aren’t
too long preferably just Vs- 3 A
inch, Wade said. Needle ends
should also have a short, not a
long, bevel to prevent them from
accidentally entering the muscle,
according to Wade.
Many drugs formerly used for
intramuscular injections are now
labeled for subcutaneous use,
Wade pointed out. By following
the label instructions and locat
ing shots properly, beef .quality
can be preserved.
“Today, you need to be a very
good label reader,” he said.
Lancaster
Farming's
Classified Ads
Get Results!
For All
Your Concrete
Walls And
Construction Needs
IMM Last A Lifetime
Dairy producers at the meeting
took a test in order to become
certified under the larger Penn
sylvania Beef Quality Assurance
(BQA) program. Those eligible
will receive blue tags for their
cattle, signifying producer certifi
cation under BQA.
Slayton said the Pennsylvania
Beef Council is working with
major meat packers to gain rec
ognition of the blue tags as a
symbol of reliable, quality beef.
The PBC estimates that dairy
cull cow market prices can even
tually be raised about $7O a head
through dairy farmers gaining
packer trust by delivering quality
beef to the market on a consistent
basis.
About half the beef from dairy
H/eSMlhirFimiiigliiitsstiy
Introducing the gutsy new AGCO ST3OX Other models and pay
tractor, from the rugged new lineup of ment plans are available,
comports but far the opera- e„ - tnn hu tnriau and
tor. From AGCO Corporation, with 100 * ,Op nil J y Vrn
yeors of tractor building experience .This check out the AGOO
no*friSs mochine is the rawest priced hoc- ST3OX. It’s a whole lot ot
tor hi the family. But lowest price doesn't muscle for the money,
meon “stripped*. It comes with o 28.4
HP diesel jrawerplont, 4WO, power steer* ngpm
ing, root PfO, wide open operator's plot- ill »| §
farm ond much more, ol stondora
Visit our Display at the
LEBANON AREA FAIR
July 26 Thru Aug . 1
BHM FARM & LAWN EQUIP.
mjmMtmmw * xmilv • wwmkw
Rout* 934 - 2 Mtl«* North of Annvllle, PA
Tekflwiic 717 < i67*XXll
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 19, 2003-A33
/J
V
This diagram shows the
proper area for injecting
cattle intramuscularly (IM)
and subcutaneously (SQ).
Use the subcutaneous
method whenever possible,
veterinarians say.
cows goes for whole meat cuts
used in foods such as marinated
steaks, deli and fast food roast
beef, Philly steak sandwiches,
and fajitas, according to the
PBC.
John Adams of the NMPF said
the DBQA program will be ex
panding in the region based on its
success in Pennsylvania.
A DBQA meeting set for
Harrisburg in early September
will represent the program’s offi
cial launch. Watch upcoming is
sues of Lancaster Farming for
details.
sr SERIES