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
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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.
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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.
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