Released May 16, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A regional supermarket chain has teamed up with Penn State Cooperative Extension and the state's beef industry to give consumers an opportunity to "buy local."
Weis Stores of Pennsylvania worked with Pennsylvania beef producers certified through the Beef Quality Assurance program to market a high-quality product called "Pennsylvania Proud Choice Angus Beef," which Weis stores began offering this month.
"Pennsylvania Proud" beef is the culmination of efforts to lend added value to beef from farmers who are certified in the Beef Quality Assurance program initiated more than 10 years ago by Penn State Cooperative Extension and now administered through the Pennsylvania Beef Council and the Pennsylvania Beef Quality Assurance Commission. The Beef Quality Assurance Program is a training program for beef producers in best-management practices that influence food safety and product quality.
"In addition to the Weis product, Beef Quality Assurance-certified producers may also use the 'PA Preferred' label administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture," says John Comerford, Penn State associate professor of dairy and animal science and a member of the Beef Quality Assurance Commission. "Beef Quality Assurance training is a two-tiered program that includes both classroom and chuteside instruction. The objective is to encourage farmers to associate their cattle and their management practices to the production of safe, wholesome food for consumers."
Certified producers must agree to abide by the practices taught at the workshops, and farms are sampled every year for inspection by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture personnel to provide oversight to the program, Comerford explains. Recertification training occurs every two years. There is a youth training program in place that qualifies 4-H and FFA members to exhibit meat animals at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and at many local fairs. More than 2,000 beef producers in Pennsylvania are certified.
To enter the Pennsylvania Proud Choice Angus Beef program, cattle must have Angus-based genetics and grade USDA Choice or better, and must have been housed and fed on Beef Quality Assurance -certified farms in Pennsylvania for more than 100 days prior to harvest.
"Farmers receive a premium price for qualifying cattle, plus a transportation allowance to Cargill Beef Solutions at Wyalusing, Pa., the processing facility for all Pennsylvania Proud Choice Angus Beef," says Comerford. "While there are many breed and location-based labeled beef product programs in place around the country, Pennsylvania Proud Choice Angus Beef may be the first that also requires the producer to meet training and certification standards that will enhance the quality and safety of the beef for consumers."
-30-
http://aginfo.psu.edu/News/2008/5/labeledbeefproductproduction.html
Contacts: John Comerford, (814) 863-3661, jxc16@psu.edu
Jeff Mulhollem, (814) 863-2719, jjm29@psu.edu
