Robert Pore's Ag Blog

AMES, Iowa -- You may never look at a cut of pork in the same way again. In fact, research by an Iowa State University food scientist could have you seeing red.

Ken Prusa, a professor of food science and human nutrition, has been researching ways to improve pork quality since he joined the Iowa State faculty in 1985.

At that time, the push was to make pork extremely lean. By 1987, the pork industry had launched its marketing campaign, "The Other White Meat," which was based on public perception that chicken and turkey are more healthful than red meat, including pork.
Now, 20 years later, Prusa is part of a growing circle of scientists and leaders in the industry who think pork may be lean enough.

"So we're studying other attributes of the product to look for points of differentiation for value added," he said.

And Prusa may have identified a characteristic that could prove to be as significant to the industry as leanness.

"I was doing research in a meat packing plant and noticed that the Japanese export buyers always chose the darker pork," he said. "I wanted to find out why, so I evaluated some darker products."

Prusa's research showed the Japanese were selecting not by color, but by what color indicated: pH, a measure of acidity or alkalinity.

Darker pork has a slightly higher pH than lighter pork. A higher pH means there's less acid -- acid that damages muscle proteins and causes meat to be pale and watery.

"Through sensory testing, we found pH to be a pretty strong driver of ultimate pork quality. Higher pH products are more tender, juicy and flavorful," he said. "It tuned us in to an opportunity to add value to pork products in the marketplace."

"Now producers and packers are hearing more about the pH factor and learning that it's in their best interest to produce products with higher pH," he said.

So how do they do that?

Genetics, processing and stress cause low pH.

"Chilling is a big factor in processing," Prusa said. "It's critical to lower the temperature of the carcass fairly rapidly. Otherwise, the pH may drop too low before chilling can stabilize it. "
There's also a growing emphasis on reducing the stress an animal experiences just before slaughter. Keeping animals as calm as possible is key.

"Stress causes a high metabolism rate, which creates a lot of adrenaline. When that happens right before slaughter, it causes a really rapid pH decline. If there's a rapid pH decline in the hot carcass, it's even worse. At that point, there's not much you can do for quality," he said.
Prusa is working with packers, processors and geneticists to take advantage of the pH factor.
"There's probably a premium market in the U.S. for higher pH pork. Some major retailers on the West and East coasts are figuring out that the best pork is exported. We're looking at specific ways to provide them higher pH products," he said.

And, some processors and packers are moving toward buying pigs on the basis of pH. Packers are almost to the point of routinely measuring pH on the production line.

"When that happens, it will be like when they started measuring leanness. Pigs got lean. And when consumers started to pay for leanness, pigs got lean in a hurry," Prusa said.
"We hope that through our work with packers and processors, we'll see higher pH products on the market soon. We're looking at ways of marketing products on the basis of the deeper, richer color and flavor. People can see the difference. Once they taste it, the better quality is obvious," he said.

"If you tell the story correctly, back it up with scientific information, and have a better product," Prusa said. "Consumers will buy it."

By ARS News Service

Irrigated cotton fields in arid Israel and Texas may one day be watered automatically based on plant temperature.

Steven R. Evett, an Agricultural Research Service soil scientist based at the ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory in Bushland, Texas, and colleagues are working with the Israelis on infrared field thermometer sensors to take leaf temperatures from a short distance. They are designing computer programs that can automatically translate temperature readings into on/off irrigation decisions to get the most "crop per drop" of water.

This is the second year of a 3-year project, part of the Binational Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) program, a joint research program between Israel and the United States. The Texas work is funded by the state's Texas-Israel Exchange Fund.

ARS and Israeli scientists are comparing two different methods, both of which rely on the plant to signal water needs through leaf temperature: the newer time-temperature threshold, and the older crop water stress index. Both were developed by ARS.

For cotton, the time-temperature threshold method involves turning on irrigation when leaf temperature exceeds, for example, 82 degrees F for more than 4.5 hours. It is based on a discovery by ARS colleagues in Lubbock, Texas, that each crop has its own preferred temperature range for optimal growth. For cotton, that range is 73 to 90 degrees F.

The Israelis are using leaf temperatures and the crop water stress index to predict the water pressure in leaves, a measure of plant water deficit or stress.

Next year the Israeli and ARS researchers will each test both automated methods, along with a manual system based on soil moisture. Israel uses drip line irrigation and Texas uses center pivot irrigation.

In addition to the data exchange, the exchange of different irrigation concepts helps both Israel and the United States get the most out of each precious drop of water. The ultimate goal is to develop farmer-friendly wireless irrigation systems.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.

By ARS News Service

Some crop plants--like rice, kidney beans, soybeans and peanuts--stop producing seeds when exposed to high temperatures. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Gainesville, Fla., found that the higher temperatures affect reproductive processes in the plants.

Soil scientist L. Hartwell Allen, Jr., and plant physiologist Joseph C. Vu in the ARS Chemistry Research Unit at Gainesville carried out temperature-elevation studies with colleagues associated with the University of Florida-Gainesville and the International Rice Research Institute.

Increased temperatures affect reproductive processes more than they affect photosynthesis and vegetative growth, according to Allen. A plant may still grow to its typical size even if its seed development fails.

To evaluate heat tolerance of various cultivars, the scientists used growth chambers under natural sunlight and greenhouses for a range of temperatures. They measured heat’s effect on yields of rice, grain sorghum, kidney beans, soybeans and peanuts grown at two levels of carbon dioxide--350 parts per million (ppm), which is near current levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and 700 ppm--and at four maximum/minimum daily temperature cycles.

Each crop was found to have its own optimal mean daily temperature (OMDT) for seed yield. As temperatures rose, yields decreased, dropping to zero at about 18 degrees F above each crop’s specific OMDT. Seed productivity generally decreased by about six percent for every one degree F above a given plant’s OMDT, according to Allen.

For all the crops studied, even when pollination was successful, shortened seed-filling time and higher respiration rates at moderate temperature increases also contributed to yield declines.

Using traditional breeding to develop crops with built-in heat tolerance may offer the best hope for helping plants--and growers--cope with rising temperatures, according to Allen.

Read more about the research in the August 2006 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug06/plant0806.htm

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency.

By ARS News Service

It’s too bad that one of summer’s most enjoyed simple pleasures--the watermelon--can be such a bear to grow. Melon growers are beset by numerous problems related to disease, weather, pests and the quest for fruit uniformity. But now, unfortunately, a new threat has emerged--one that may cause growers to wince even more.

In separate studies, scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Lane, Okla., and at the University of Maryland (UM) in Salisbury have identified a new, more aggressive race of the fungus that causes Fusarium wilt in watermelon.

This disease is one that all melon farmers dread seeing. It can attack plants at any stage of growth, leaving young seedlings lifeless, or mature plants fruitless with nothing to show but shriveled and yellowing leaves.

ARS scientists Benny Bruton and Wayne Fish, together with UM’s Xin-Gen Zhou and Kathryne Everts, discovered a new race of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum that causes Fusarium wilt. Their findings were presented last week at the joint meeting of the American Phytopathology Society and Mycological Society of America, in Quebec City, Canada.

Bruton and Fish, who work at the ARS South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, found the new race, dubbed “Race 3,” while monitoring watermelon plants in fields near their Oklahoma laboratory. Bruton saw that a new, differently-acting fungus was plaguing plants thought to be resistant to Fusarium.

Three distinct races of Fusarium are known to cause wilt in melons. Plant breeders have developed watermelon varieties that can fend off Races 0 and 1 fairly well. And, luckily, Race 2--for which there are no resistant commercial cultivars--isn’t competitive in the soil environment.

According to Bruton, the same is likely true for the new, more virulent Race 3. But he’s got a solution. He and colleagues have found that grafting watermelon onto sturdy squash or gourd rootstock is an effective way of controlling Fusarium wilt. Those rootstocks are resistance to the Fusarium races that attack watermelon.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency.

Grand Island will be the site for an international marketing seminar Aug. 21 at the Midtown Holiday Inn.

The seminar will be sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) and will run between 9 a.m. to noon.

“Learn How to Reduce Your International Marketing Costs” is designed to inform small- and medium-sized Midwestern and Northeastern food and agricultural companies about how to offset overseas marketing expenses.

The seminar is free.

Participants will learn about the Branded Program, a cost-share program that reimburses 50 percent of approved promotional expenses, such as trade show fees, brochures, and advertising.

Participants will learn how the program works, what eligible expenses are, how to fill out the application, and how to submit reimbursements.

“The information shared at this seminar will be especially beneficial to individuals who are just beginning or are looking to expand product sales to foreign markets,” said Stan Garbacz, international trade officer with NDA.

The seminar is sponsored by NDA, the Mid-America International Agri-Trade Council (MIATCO) and by Food Export USA–Northeast.

Interested individuals need to pre-register to attend this event.

For more details, contact Neil Donovan with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at (402) 471-2341 or intintern@agr.ne.gov.

Washington, D.C. - The first-ever energy efficiency ratings for corn refineries and cement plants will enable those industries to cut energy usage, save money and prevent greenhouse gases.

The plant Energy Performance Indicators (EPIs) made available today by EPA as part of a national energy performance rating system, are the first of their kind for these manufacturing facilities. They provide critical information for driving energy savings by enabling the comparison of energy efficiency for a specific facility in the United States to that of the entire industry.

"By making smart energy choices, millions of Americans are saving billions each year," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "President Bush and EPA are improving our nation's environmental and energy outlook, in part, by offering leading U.S. industries efficiency solutions that make sense for our environment and their bottom lines."

U.S. cement manufacturers and corn refiners spend more than $2 billion annually for 626 trillion british thermal units of energy. If energy use for both of these industries was reduced by 3 percent, the energy saved could produce electricity for 187,000 households - preventing the emissions of more than 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gases.

Based on the input of simple plant-level information, the energy efficiency of cement plants and corn refineries is scored from 1 to 100 and compared to the average and "efficient" plants in the industry. In order to receive an efficient rating, a plant must achieve a score of 75 or better. Now, corporate energy directors can establish meaningful goals for reducing energy use in these plants and better manage their companies' energy costs.

The EPIs were developed as part of an Energy Star Industrial Focus with the cement and corn refining industries. EPA worked with the cement and corn refining industries to develop Energy Star plant energy performance indicators. The performance indicators measure an entire plant's energy use, a critical step in strategic energy management. The indicators enable companies to determine how efficiently each plant is using energy as compared to the industry as a whole, and whether better energy performance could be expected.

EPA works closely with manufacturing industries to promote effective energy management and provides tools and assistance necessary to reduce energy use. Many participating companies have reported substantial environmental, cost and energy savings while receiving recognition for their leadership.

EPA conducts focuses for the motor vehicle, food processing, glass, petroleum refining, cement, corn refining, and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries along with a separate focus for the water and wastewater treatment facilities operated by local governments and sanitary service companies. An EPI for automobile assembly plants was released in 2005. All EPIs can be downloaded from the Energy Star web site.

Energy Star is a voluntary, market- based partnership designed to offer business and consumers effective energy efficiency solutions for saving energy, money and the environment. In 2005, Americans with the help of Energy Star saved about $12 billion on their energy bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 23 million cars.


More information about the plant Energy Performance Indicators: http://www.energystar.gov/epis

LINCOLN — The 2006 Nebraska State Fair will feature a variety of events to teach youth and their parents about 4-H and the opportunities the organization has to offer.

The 139th Nebraska State Fair Aug. 25-Sept. 4 at the Nebraska State Fair Park in Lincoln will recognize youth from across the state. Events are scheduled to promote 4-H and increase awareness among non-members.

"The state fair is a time for youth to celebrate the work they have done throughout the past year," said Kathleen Lodl, 4-H youth development specialist. "It also gives the general public the opportunity to see what youth have been doing through projects in areas such as computers, science and technology and livestock. It's a great time to come and see all that's going on in 4-H."

This year will mark the debut of Nebraska 4-H's new mascot, Lil' Green, said Tracy Pracheil, 4-H extension educator. Lil' Green, along with former 4-H members, will be present at the 4-H All Stars Celebrity Autograph session. The event will be Sept. 3 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the 4-H Exhibit Hall.

"Lil' Green was designed according to youth suggestions. The mascot's mission is to increase the recognition of 4-H and reinforce 4-H's connection to the university," Pracheil said.

An ce cream social, open to the public, will follow at 2 p.m.
"4-H has developed a new vision and direction for the next five years," Lodl said. "The ice cream social is planned to present this new strategic plan and celebrate achievements of the past."

This year's Cyber Fair will be open to the public daily from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. in the Farmland Building. This year's Cyber Fair will spotlight entrepreneurs Aug. 26-Aug. 27 and Sept.2-Sept. 4 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. in the patio adjacent to the Farmland Building. The event will introduce entrepreneurship to 4-H members and give them the opportunity to visit with practicing entrepreneurs.

"The purpose of this event is for youth to get inspired, investigate what it takes to become an entrepreneur and explore what is involved through the different project areas," said Patricia Fairchild, curriculum specialist in 4-H youth development. "All community members are invited to come support young entrepreneurs."
The event also will introduce 4-H members and leaders to the new curriculum and manuals available this spring. Videos on entrepreneurship and hands-on activities will be featured as well, Fairchild said.

The Cyber Fair also will feature 14 booths from various departments in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and College of Education and Human Sciences. Faculty and students from each department will be present to answer questions. The booths will be open daily from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. in the Farmland Building.

The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources will hold a recruitment event on Sept. 1 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the presentation rooms of the 4-H Youth Complex. High school students and their families are invited to attend.

"The primary goal of this event is to show youth how their 4-H projects tie into majors in CASNR and eventually careers," said Pracheil. Food, activities and a message from Dean Steve Waller are planned for the evening.

New to this year's livestock scene is the meat goat show Sept. 2 at 10 a.m. in the 4-H Swine Arena.

"Meat goats are an up and coming industry in Nebraska," said Rosie Nold, animal science youth specialist. "There were only a handful of counties that had meat goat programs three years ago. Last fall the number had grown to nearly half of Nebraska counties. It's an appealing project to youth because the animals are relatively easy to work."

Discover 4-H: Free Fun Activities for Kids! will return this year Aug. 30 and Aug. 31 at 12:30 p.m. and Sept. 2 at 10 a.m. in the 4-H Exhibit Hall. The event offers a time for families to learn what is available through 4-H by participation in a variety of hands-on activities for kids.

Other exhibits will be on open to the public throughout the fair weekdays from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., weekends 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Labor Day 9 a.m.-6 p.m. in the exhibit building.

For more information or a complete schedule of events visit the Web http://4h.unl.edu/pdf/schedule.pdf.

Nebraska Farm Bureau is helping to sponsor the new Nebraska Master Showmanship Contest at the 2006 Nebraska State Fair.

The contest will be conducted at 3 p.m. on Sept. 3, in the Farm Bureau Open Youth Arena at State Fair Park. The contest is a statewide competition with one exhibitor per county showing beef, swine and sheep in six 20-minute rounds. Contestants must be at least 14 years old.

Winners for best performance in the beef, sheep, swine and written tests will receive $300 scholarships. Three overall winners will receive scholarships of $500, $1,000 or $2,000. All participants receive a t-shirt and a $50 scholarship.

For more about the Nebraska State Fair, Aug. 26 – Sept. 4, visit www.statefair.org.