Where to Order Beef in Ohioville Pa

In May, many folks set up their grills and prepare some of America's favorite meals — steak, hamburger and brisket.

We eat them year-round, but it's no wonder that May is Beef Month, coinciding with the official start of grilling season. A sizzling steak sends up scented smoke signals that make neighbors wish they were invited to dinner.

Pennsylvania is home to 13,176 beef cattle farms and, according to our newly updated agriculture economic impact report, Pennsylvania's beef producers support 39,200 jobs, including farming, processing and manufacturing. The beef industry has a mighty $9.1 billion impact on Pennsylvania's economy.

The report also reveals that Pennsylvanians are beef fans. We eat 95% of the beef raised in our state and bring in more beef, produced in other states, to meet the demand.

Beef Cattle Expertise

The commonwealth invests in the beef industry in many ways, including through the ag excellence budget line, which supports both the Center for Beef Excellence and the Pennsylvania Beef Council.

The Beef Council administers the beef checkoff program in Pennsylvania, which funds promotion, education and research to improve the beef market, as well as Pennsylvania Beef Quality Assurance.

The Center for Beef Excellence administers grant funds that provide farmers with on-farm tools and resources to help producers build their business, improve their herd and strengthen the overall beef industry in Pennsylvania.

The center started the Bull Credit Program in 2021, which pays $1,000 toward qualifying bull purchases.

The program assists beef producers in buying quality bulls that will enhance the value of feeder steers going to market and the quality of replacement heifers.

Ultimately this will create more marketing opportunities and improve the quality of Pennsylvania feeder cattle, making them better positioned to enter feed lots and command higher prices.

The deadline to apply for the Bull Credit Program is June 1. Get an application at BeefExcellence.com.

The Center for Beef Excellence is also currently offering Beef Excellence Initiatives, a cost-sharing grant to assist producers pursuing projects that will make a positive impact on their operation, such as fencing, starting an artificial insemination program, or building a new barn. Applications are online and must be complete by June 30.

The center also has two mobile cattle chutes available to borrow. One is in the east and the other is in western Pennsylvania. Producers can go online to schedule free use of a chute.

Superior Genetics

Pennsylvania cattle offer documentable genetic competitiveness through the Samuel E. Hayes Jr. Livestock Evaluation Center, a central livestock testing station with shared direction from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Penn State, Livestock Evaluation Center Technical Committee and breed associations in the state.

From the time a bull arrives at the center to the time it leaves, it is tested for desirable qualities. Bulls enrolled in this program complete a 112-day test, evaluating average daily gain, weight per day of age, feed efficiency, loin muscle size and fat deposition. Many states don't have a similar testing facility.

In March, 94 bulls completed the performance test at the Livestock Evaluation Center and were sold at auction. The evaluations and annual bull sale help farmers have access to quality genetics to enhance the genetics in their herds.

Guarding Herd Health

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services is responsible for controlling and eradicating diseases in livestock and poultry.

The bureau routinely tests beef cows for everything from Johne's disease, bovine leukemia and brucellosis to reproductive panels.

Beef exported to other countries is first tested by the bureau. Since 2009, the bureau has tested what amounts to roughly 3,000 head of Angus cattle for export.

The bureau and the Center for Beef Excellence collaborated to purchase and provide RFID tags to beef producers at no cost. The department currently has more than 400,000 tags for distribution to beef producers.

We've used federal dollars to purchase RFID taggers available at no cost, and producers may borrow an RFID tag reader. We have RFID wands available to interested producers, veterinarians or fairs for use in "loan-out" situations to introduce the industry to available technology.

The department also oversees both meat establishment licensing for meat processors and the domestic animal dealers and haulers license for the sanitary handling and exchange of domestic animals.

These investments are designed to strengthen resiliency in Pennsylvania's beef industry.

Funding Support

Early in the pandemic, we saw food distribution disruption when large meat processors encountered staffing challenges as sickness spread.

When a large operator is affected, it is felt in the grocery store. It underscored the need for more diversity in the types of meat processing facilities, work on which was already in the works.

Months before the pandemic struck, the department had awarded $500,000 in Very Small Meat Processor Grants, funding 15 projects that supply locally produced meat, and created around 30 new jobs.

Projects included helping startup businesses get USDA inspection to provide meat processing for local farms; expanding processing capacity; and expanding specialized meat processing including organic beef or custom processing for restaurants and grocery stores.

The program, funded through the PA Farm Bill, provided small meat processors with reimbursement grants for planning and startup costs associated with meeting federal inspection and certification guidelines.

We expect to make a similar grant program available later this year.

Another useful program, the Farm Vitality Grant, is currently open for applications.

Every farm should have a transition or succession plan, but it can be complicated to write a plan that will satisfy everyone involved in the business or the family.

The Farm Vitality Grant will fund up to $7,500 in professional services for a lawyer, financial planner, mediator or other adviser to write a business plan for an expansion or change in business.

Farmers and prospective farmers are eligible for the grant. Applications will be accepted until all $1 million in funds is exhausted.

Climate Resilience

The national climate change dialogue often mentions the beef industry, and it is important for beef producers to be part of that conversation. We must share stories about the good conservation work beef producers have been practicing for years and tell of beef's sustainability.

Those who choose the hard and sometimes unpredictable work of cattle farming have a natural inclination to protect the land and water that sustains their herds. Farmers continue to lessen their impact on the earth by practicing sustainable measures like nutrient management plans, providing off-stream water sources and installing riparian buffers, but the public needs to understand the benefit of these practices so they can trust that beef farmers have already engaged in best management practices and are part of the climate change solution through BMPs.

The beef industry has a wonderful story to tell during May Beef Month and all year long. Thanks for all you do.

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Source: https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming/beef/opinion-celebrating-and-supporting-pennsylvania-beef/article_4cf927f1-30f5-5854-82c6-62ee0b3183a8.html

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