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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1963)
Third Party Grading Discussion Points Up Development, Benefits CORVALLIS A panel dis cussion on "Third Party Grad ing," that is the grading of a farm commodity by a disinter ested third party, usually a fed eral or state agency, highlighted the Friday meeting of the joint , small fruits and vegetable sec ; tions of the Oregon Horticultur ' al Society. Moderating the panel was Rol and Groder, Oregon State Uni versity extension fruit and veg etable marketing specialist. The Federal-State Inspection Service, commonly known as "third party grading," was es tablished in Oregon in 1923 un der a cooperative agreement be tween the state of Oregon and U. S. Department of Agricul ture. Fees charged make the program self - supporting, ex plained M. D. Murphy, Salem, federal supervisor. Two Methods The inspection service oper ates under two different meth ods. One is for the inspection and certification of fruits andor vegetables for the fresh market. The second is to establish grades on products for processing, usu ally referred to as "third party grading." Murphy explained that in pro cessing plants, work is confined to establishing grades or per centages on produce as it is de livered by the grower. Grades are interpreted either on proces sor specifications or federal grades. If canncr specifications are used, these must be in writing and posted in the inspection area. Any changes during the season must also be posted. "An inspector is in about the same position as a baseball um pire. He may not be the most popular man on the field, but he must be right. Third party in spection is an assurance that an impartial inspector will be es tablishing grade," Murphy stat ed. Third party grading as a sell ing aid, as a pricing guide and as a bargaining aid was dis cussed by Howard Fujii, Salem, commoditites and farm labor di rector for the Oregon Farm Bu reau Federation. However, Fujii spoke for himself and not as a spokesman for the federation. The inspection certificate is the sellers' proof of grade and condition at the shipping point, Fujii pointed out. He views the inspection certificate as a "very neccsary tool" in selling fresh fruits and other produce for out of state markets. Grade standards and inspec tion is being used as a basis for pricing in the relatively new po tato processing industry, he not ed. The price schedule is based on the percentage of U. S. "Ones" and many of the con tracts provide for state inspec tion to determine grade as the basis for payment. Improvement of quality is part of the key for increased price in bargaining or market negotia tion for contract terms and con ditions, he continued. Eliminat ing the "junk" and pricing on specific grade standards will im prove farmers' income, Fujii be lieves, but this can be enforced on an industry-wide basis only by uniform inspection proced ures. Benefits All "Handlers of our farm prod ucts should not be afraid of com petition if everyone plays the game by the same rules. Uni form grades, prices or contract will benefit the farmers, hand lers and consumers," he de clared. Walter Collette, Salem, exec utive secretary, Oregon-Washington Vegetable and Fruit Growers Association, confined his opening remarks to green fruit grading variations evident in the canning crop industry and its effect on producers' income as well as on the quality of the finished product. Cecil R. Tulley, Portland, ex ecutive vice president, North west Canners and Freezers as sociation, pointed out that a set of standards, agreed to by both buyer and seller, is the basis for determining the grade or grades of a farm commodity. These standards may be set by the USDA or may be devel oped by a group of handlers or by the buyer and seller alone and applicable only to their con tract. The decision to use or not use an industry standard is always at the option of the buyer and is completely volun tary, he explained. The purpose of grading, he continued, is to provide a stand a maBcum nf nualitv and therefore a measure of value. In his opinion, "there is no saus- o.,kci(,itn fnr uniform grading or a raw agricultural product tor processing, iw ther the grower or the proces BUI. J . Although there seems to be little argument that uniform offlHoc nrfl necessarv to the ft unnv Ft.lF.S Sniiih nakota reported severe Infestations of horn flies this year with the backs of some herd bulls completely covered trith tho flips. In Nebraska, counts have gone as high as 3,- 000 flies per animal. PRODUCERS There were 89 plants and salt producers In the United States stable marketing of perishable raw agricultural commodities, there the agreement ends, Tul ley said. He noted that "there are those who stoutly maintain that the only satisfactory way to insure uniform application of grade standards is through a program of mandatory third party grad ing; that voluntary third party grading does not insure that all sales will be graded in accord ance with accepted standards, and that the competitive pres sures which exert themselves when a product is graded by a representative of the buyer are likely to cause a breakdown in the whole system of uniform grades." Opposite Views Tulley continued that opposed to this view "are the individuals who contend that mandatory grading, particularly as applied to a fruit crop, may introduce a degree of inflexibility into the system which may not be to the Crater Student Wins Scholarship Ron Stith, 4816 North Pacific Highway, Central Point, Crater FFA member, will be honored at the 42nd annual convention of the Agricultural Cooperative Council of Oregon to be held in Portland today. He was the winner of a sum mer scholarship to the Ameri can Institute of Cooperation in Lincoln, Neb., last August for his high scons in the 1963 "Co op Quiz Contest" series spon sored by the Oregon Council in which he topped contestants in the Rogue-Umpqua and Upper Willamette section of the state. His Angus steer and a barley crop were his Future Farmers of America projects. His voca tional education instructor is Darrell Shepherd, of Central Point's Crater High School. The progress of Oregon farm er cooperatives during 1963 will come into the spotlight in the Regal Room of Portland's Mult nomah Hotel at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, according to President R. H. (Dick) Wilcox of the Agricultural Cooperative Coun cil of Oregon and manager of the Gresham Cooperative. "The Case for Cooperative Consolidation" will be the sub ject of an address by Dr. Bur ton Wood, head of the depart ment of agricultural economics at Oregon State University. Directors as Effective Deci sion Makers" is the topic to be covered by a special panel or ganized by Council Secretary Lee Garoian and Arnold Hasely, rW$m&m m&'Z'&M '.y-i best interests of either the buy er or me sener. Another objection raised is that of availability of qualified inspectors, particularly in view of the seasonal work in widely scattered locations, he added. A related objection often heard is the cost of such a program, he pointed out, as most proces sors contend they would still have to have a force of fieldmen to perform buying and receiv ing functions which would fur ther enhance the cost of the raw product. "Unless such added costs were recovered from the grow er, they would create an added burden upon the processor in competing for a market for his products," Tulley declared. "In the long run, the problem resolves itself around the ques tion of contractual honesty and fair dealing. Integrity in busi ness dealings is essential to con tinued satisfactory seller-buyer relationships," he stated. associated with Dr. Garoian on the OSU extension staff. Youth Program The youth education program of the Council scored new ad vances in 1963 under the state chairmanship of Bruce B. Stra chan of Portland, stated Presi dent Wilcox. Some 48 chapters of the Future Farmers of Amer ica throughout Oregon entered the 1963 Co-op Quiz Contest se ries sponsored by the Council with the five sectional winners in the state receiving expense paid summer scholarships to the American Institute of Coopera tion held in Lincoln, Neb., last August. State FFA President Pat Neal of Medford accompanied the Oregon youth delegation to the AIC which included Doug Young, Enterprise; Ron Stith, Central Point; Roger Thompson, The Dalles; Frank Rutschman, Day ton, and Gary Johnston, Ver nonia. Vo-Ag instructors Darrell Shepherd of Central Point and Welcome Rumbaugh of Verno nia represented the Oregon Vo cational Agriculture Teachers' Association and served the group as advisor-counselors. The coming meeting is the 42nd annual convention of the state Council, President Wilcox stated. It will be preceded on Monday, Dec. 2, by the Oregon Chapter meeting of the National Society of Accountants for Co operatives, also to be held in the Regal Room of the Multno mah Hotel. MEDKOKD ASC Committee Election Planned The Jackson County Agricul ture Stabilization and Conserva tion Committee for next year will be elected by farmer chosen delegates to a county convention Dec. 6, 1953, at 10 a.m., at the A.S.C. office on the third floor of the Jackson Coun ty Court House annex, accord ing to Albert Straus, chairman, ASC County Committee. The convention will be open to the public, and any person interested in observing the vot ing procedure may attend. However, only farmer-delegates to the convention may partici pate m tne election process. A qualified candidate for the ASC county committee is one who is a resident eligible to vote in the county, and who meets other eligibility requirements. The Chairman noted that it is desirable that a member of the county committee be represent ative of the type and kind of farming in the county. Other details as to qualifications of candidates are available in the ASCS county office. Straus urged all ASC farmer- delegates to be sure to attend the county convention. These farmers were chosen as con vention delegates at the recent ASC community committee elections throughout the county. Scale Control Spray Required Any block of pears where scale was observed on the fruit at harvest time should be given a special spray for scale control according to Dr. Peter Wcsti gard, Entomologist, Southern Oregon Experiment station and C. B. Cordy, Jackson county ex tension agent. Apply this spray any time be tween now and Feb. 20. Apply during a quiet and warm sunny period of weather. Do not spray until temperatures reach 45 de grees Fahrenheit. They recommend the use of a minimum of 400 gallons per acre and use 2Vi gallons oi dor mant oil emulsion plus cither 3 gallons liquid lime sulfur or A'i pounds of polysulphide per 100 gallons. Air blast sprayers, as gener ally used, have not given good scale control in tree tops. A hand gun application applied from a tower would be prefer red for scale in tree tops, they noted. FEEDING BOXES Plans for salt feeing boxes for dairy cows are available at most county agents offices. MEN MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OSU Studies For Better Production and Profit CORVALLIS - Research by two Oregon State University ag ricultural scientists has shown how to establish a stand of sub clover for less than $20 an acre, and opened up the possibility of maKing proiitable pasture land out of more than a million acres of undeveloped hill land and de pleted cropland in Western Ore gon. Dr. William McGuire. OSU agronomist, and Dr. Murray Dawson, soil scientist, report yields of up to three tons dry subclover forage per acre the first season alter establishing Extra Care Saves Runt Pig Problem CORVALLIS - A little extra care can save those weak or un dersized newborn pigs the ones that usually die. And rais ing these "runts" can mean more profit for the swine pro ducer, according to Dr. D. C. England, animal scientist at the Oregon State University Agri cultural Experiment Station. Research conducted by Dr. England points to chilling and difficulty in getting enough food as the main reason for early death of runty pigs. Using cov ered brooders with heat lamps, and supplementing runty pigs with a sow milk replacer (or cow s milk with a whole egg mixed in each quart) made it possible to raise 91 per cent of t h e runts in OSU experi ments. Normal survival rate without this extra care is about 32 per cent for the runty pigs and 82 per cent for normal size pigs. England points out mat It takes about the same amount of feed and labor from the time the sow is bred until the pigs are weaned, whether six pigs or 12 are farrowed and raised. It takes about six pigs to pay all the costs charged to the sow. On this basis, one sow that raises 12 pigs is just as profit able as three sows that raise eight pigs each. DEFICIENCIES Iodine deficiencies, generally associated with the northern states, are also troublesome and costly to sheep raisers in Colorado, Ulan ana Nevada. Feeding trace mineralized salt will correct this and other lacks in their diet. SALT FAMINE It was salt famine, many maintain, that drove the Ro mans to try to conquer the salt rich lands of Palestine. AT WORK it VY OREGON Point Way to Pastures the stand. This is a high quality feed that could produce some 400 pounds of meat per acre if fed before drying on the ground. Mixing the seed with lime and superphosphate before planting is the key to cutting the cost of establishing sub clover. Surrounding the seed with the fertilizer and lime mix ture as it is planted sets up ideal growing conditions, with out the expense involved in lim ing and fertilizing the entire plow layer. 100 Ter Cent Stands Using this method, McGuire and Dawson succeeded in es tablishing 100 per cent stands in almost all of the trials, when seed was also inoculated with effective strains of rhizobia bac teria. Trials were conducted at 10 locations throughout Western Oregon. The lime-superphosphate mix ture changes soil acidity around the seed so that rhizobia bac teria multiply rapidly and enter the seedling roots. This takes three to four weeks for sub clover. The rhizobia bacteria must be present for the sub clover plant to manufacture its own nitrogen, which is essen tial for plant growth. It takes about 200 pounds of lime and 200 pounds of 20 per cent superphosphate per acre to plant with the seed. Lime is added to the superphosphate about 10 days before seeding, so the mixture will be chemicaly neutral when it is added to the inoculated subclover seed. If a soil test shows less than 15 pounds of phosphate per acre, it may be necessary to double the amount of the mix 2739 ture used; that is, 400 pounds each of the lime and superphos phate per acre. In fact the phos phate soil test value is a reli able index to use in determining the pounds of lime and super phosphate mixture to apply. McGuire and Dawson tried OPEN NIGHTS UNTIL 9 P.M. Week Days Until Christmas Except Sat., Dec. 7 and 14 SSffjl SAVml ! Ride 'n Shop Member! ROBINSON BROS. Everything for Next to Pick's Apparel HAPPY HOLIDAYS Begin With Extra CASH Do your shopping early with Holiday CA$H from $TARK FINANCE CO. - No payment 'til next year Phone or come in today. Stark Finance Co. North Pacific Highway Phone 773-1817 MEDFORD'S ONLY HOME-OWNED FINANCE COMPANY MEDFORD'S ONLY HOME-OWNED FINANCE COMPANY seeking new gas reserves for your future comfort These geologists at left, examining terrain near Shiprock in northern New Mexico, are part of a team of modern explorers search ing for new gas reserves. They travel by jeep, helicopter and afoot in this con tinuing program to seek out new supplies for your future comfort. Natural gas,' formed millions of years ago, is a resource which will serve the West far into the fu ture. Each year new reserves are found, keeping well ahead of the growing demand for America's most modern fuel. Heating, cooking, water heating-and scores o payroll-building commercial and industrial uses-are among the benefits brought lo tho West today by natural gas. If you're now enjoying the benefits of natural gas it's partly because of the team of highly trained people who bring it to you. If you're not a user of natural gas, it is easy to become one. EL PASO NATURAL GAS COMPANY Ihmuih Hi slatllMt, El Pw Nilurel mprjllet whnleiile at service lo retail nituril in rj'ilnbulort in WASHINGTON ORlGOtl IDAHO AHI10NA CAU'OPNIA COlOltAOO HIVADA HIW MUICO ttWS UTAH WYOMING In Ortton reliil tai diitribuiion wowiM f' NOIITHWtST HHIURHl r,5 COMPANY . CASCADE NATUMt CAS COBPOBATION CAUFOnrllA PACIFIC UIIIITIES COMPANY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 163 several other methods of estab-. lishing subclover, including I pelleting the seeds with three to four pounds of lime per acre, with band application of phos phate at seeding time. The pelleted seed treatment was only partly successful. Typical results show that it takes two to three years for stands planted with pelleted seed to produce as much forage a i ii e nine - auperpnospnaie Men and Boys Downtown Medford If T 'h I 3 "i'h'J treatment yielded the first year, Major objective of the tests was to find a means of keeping the cost of establishing sub clover below $20 an acre, and still get a good stand. The lime - superphosphate treatment costs about $6.50 to $10 per acre, depending on the amount of phosphate I costs include used. Additional the cost of the I seed, seed bed preparation, and I seeding. WE VALIDATE PARK & SHOP TICKETS WITHOUT ASKING -Bf Iffl "4 BNERQY FOR THE f west : m. m a v m .AIL In '60.
