Holidays and the Domesticated Turkey

Have you ever wondered why we eat turkeys on holidays?  Who started the tradition? Why would we even domesticate turkeys? This is the history of the domesticated turkey.

The modern domesticated turkey is descendant from one of the six subspecies of wild turkey that came from southern Mexico. The earliest archeological signs of domestication, such as the construction of pens and large quantities of eggshells, have appeared on Mayan sites that date back to 100 BC. By 300 AD, the Aztecs and pueblo societies of the America southwest were domesticating turkeys as well, using their meat and eggs for protein and their feathers for decorative purposes. In fact, the Aztecs even associated the turkey with their God Tezcatlipoca because of his humorous behavior.

The first turkeys were imported to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. The English navigator William Strickland is credited for introducing the first turkey to England around the same time. Strickland even included a turkey on his family coat of arms. However, the turkey still remained a luxury food until the late 19th century.

In early America, wild turkeys were abundant and thus easy to catch for a feast. When the English began to domesticate this poultry species, they quickly realized that the animal had no other use then meat production. Other animals such as chickens or cattle were raised for a dual purpose. Americans followed the growing British tradition of eating turkey for holiday meals.  However, while the British have always associated turkey with Christmas dinner, Americans have grown accustomed to eating it for Thanksgiving as well.

By the 1940s, intensive farming production techniques had improved, which allowed turkey to be more affordable. In addition, refrigeration technologies allowed turkeys to be frozen and shipped long distances.

The Broad-Breasted White turkey is the most common commercial breed due to its size and amount of meat. The Broad-Breasted Bronze is second compared to the White. There are also many heritage breeds, which are raised to retain historic characteristics and natural behavior of wild turkeys. Although they have been praised as having a richer taste than commercial turkeys, the meat from heritage turkeys is very expensive due to their slow growth and low population. However, the recent movement towards eating natural and organic food has increased the interest in raising them domestically.

Whether you are enjoying a Broad-Breasted White, a Broad-Breasted Bronze, or a heritage breed, your holiday in America will be complete with a turkey. 

Guest post written by Lori Hutchison. Lori is an Art History Professor and owns the Masters in History Schools website at www.mastersinhistory.net.

GUEST POST: Transparency in Animal Research

A report recently published by a Canadian university has disclosed a sobering statistic regarding animal testing. In an effort to bring a sense of transparency to the controversial practice of using animals for research purposes, the University of British Columbia (UBC) disclosed that more than 200,000 animals¹ were used for experimentation and testing in 2010. The disclosure is the first of its kind in Canada, a country where federal law requires animal testing prior to conducting human clinical trials for new therapies. Animal rights activists have been alarmed by this number, but in context it is actually quite low, and indicative of humane testing practices at UBC.4

Human society is largely reliant on animals for a number of different things: food, companionship, entertainment, transportation, and as beasts of burden. The heated debate that surrounds the use of animals as test subjects for biomedical research has come under more scrutiny than other uses, mostly due to a sketchy ethical history. Early biomedical and even psychological studies on animals would have been considered quite cruel by today's standards, and would never have passed current regulations. Regulation in animal testing is a relatively new concept, as is animal cruelty legislation in general, and should be viewed as a sign of modernization.

Today, the research community is well aware that cruelty has no place in laboratories, and consequently scientists and technicians practice the utmost care in their research efforts in order to protect lab animals from unnecessary suffering. Whenever possible the three Rs of animal research are observed: replacement with non-animal testing methods wherever possible, reduction of the number of animals necessary wherever possible, and refinement before the animal testing stage to minimize the need for multiple experiments.

Government regulations in many countries have legalized the use of animals for the purpose of testing toxicity levels in products such as medications, vaccines, household cleaners, pesticides, and others before human use. However, the use of animals in cosmetic testing is more of a gray area, and regulation varies widely from country to country. Many argue that animals should not be used for testing of cosmetic and make-up products, which are not necessary to ensure the health of human beings. The United Kingdom seems to be at the forefront in this regard, with government initiatives such as the Animal Procedures Committee, and even there animal testing is growing more acceptable², so long as anti-cruelty measures are observed.

In the case of UBC, while 200,000 may look like a big number, the break down shows very little in the way of cruelty or even discomfort. All of those animals were carefully reviewed to make sure their treatment was humane, and 68 percent of them were classified as receiving minor or no discomfort during the testing process. “Minor” discomfort ranges from receiving a shot to small surgical procedures no more painful or cruel than spaying or neutering. Mammals other than rodents make up less than two percent of the total animals involved, with rodents and fish heading up the list. Animals involved in invasive procedures were appropriately anesthetized, and treated with the same level of care that humans receive while undergoing surgery. Before any study can use animals in an experiment, they have to go through several levels of review and approval, and all studies are subject to annual reviews and spot-checks to ensure that all cruelty regulations are obeyed. In short, animal research is not the haphazard institution that many animal rights groups would have you believe, and UBC is hoping its transparency will help rectify that misconception.

The fact is, there is no replacement for animal testing when it comes to medical research. Even the most modern advances³ in computer and cellular technology do not come close to the complexity of living organisms. The University of British Columbia has made it clear that their researchers are committed to affording the most humane conditions possible for the animals they use in biomedical research. The current trend among humans to live healthier and longer lives is evidence that it is working, and will lead to better, more accurate animal testing in the future. The humane treatment of animals in research labs must prevail in order to guarantee the survival of our own species, and transparency is essential to keeping it humane.

¹http://www.animalresearch.ubc.ca/

²http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/of-mice-and-medicine-in-defence-of-animal-experiments-2372843.html

³http://www.animalresearch.ubc.ca/_assets/pdf/ubc_ethical_research_20101130.pdf

⁴ www.phds.org

 

Guest post written by Brittany Lyons. Brittany aspires to be a psychology professor, but decided to take some time off from grad school to help people learn to navigate the academic lifestyle. She currently lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends her time reading science fiction and walking her dog.

Government Counting Sheep? Now, Only in Its Dreams

An interesting article appeared in the NY Times and thought I would share it on this blog...

Last year, Wisconsin led the nation in mink farming, producing 833,430 pelts. Texas was the undisputed king of pansies, growing 1.8 million flats of the flowers. And no state harvested more hops than Washington, with 24,336 acres.

This year? Who knows? The government has stopped counting.

Forced to cut its budget, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to eliminate dozens of reports, including the annual goat census (current population: 3 million), and the number of catfish on the nation's fish farms (177 million, not counting the small fry). Which raises an existential question: If the government stops counting catfish, do catfish farmers no longer count?

The decision, announced last month, to stop measuring various categories of agricultural products reflects a cold-blooded assessment of the economic usefulness of the 500 or so reports that the National Agriculture Statistics Service does every year. Corn, soybeans, cotton and other major commodities vital to the national economy will still be weighed, inventoried and otherwise tallied down to the last acre, bushel or bale. The same is true for cattle, pigs and poultry.

But USDA is saying, in effect, that the nation can get by just fine, thank you, without knowing how much hops brewers are holding in storage (46 million pounds in September) or the value of honey sold by North Dakota beekeepers ($70 million in 2010).

Farmers say such data is crucial - and not just because it helps them decide how much to plant or how many animals to raise. Potato farmers use reports on potato stocks to decide when to sell. Hops farmers use the data to persuade bankers to lend them money for costly processing facilities. Restaurant chains watch catfish numbers to anticipate price changes. With the Texas drought forcing farmers to send their sheep flocks to other states, wool and lamb buyers would normally use federal data to see where the animals went.

The government began producing regular crop reports in 1863, the year after Lincoln created the agriculture department. One of the reports being eliminated, an annual sheep inventory (5.5 million head on Jan. 1), can trace its roots at least as far back as 1866.

The statistics service said it was forced to reduce the frequency of some reports and eliminate others because its budget was cut for the fiscal year that ended in September and it expects further cuts for the current year. The eliminated reports will save $11 million a year.

Reprinted in part from The New York Times

Guest Post: University Research. What They Do and Why It Matters.

Animal research. It puts into one’s mind white lab coats, goggles, test tubes, and white mice. But in reality, there’s a world of research going on every day in our universities, and much of it concerns the animals we eat. From establishing new protocols for food safety to finding new ways to keep our beef less expensive, universities across the country are conducting diverse field and laboratory research to keep our animals healthy and productive. 

Pennsylvania State University’s Research and Extension office has not only provided excellent usable data for dairy producers in particular, but has also utilized their extension services to make that information available to small farmers. A big portion of their research has focused on comparing feeding methods in dairy calves, which has great financial impact for any milk producer small or large. Some of the most significant losses in milk production occur due to calf mortality rates and speed of development. These studies were proposed to find ways to limit that loss, and are built on results that are published in Israel, the United Kingdom, and other areas of the world to ensure that every farmer has access to the entire world’s knowledge.

Looking at another faucet of food production, the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) is currently working hard to not only discover more efficient methods of raising beef cattle, but also promote their welfare.

“The long-term goal of our research program is to elaborate strategies that prevent stress-related illnesses elicited by routine cattle management procedures and, consequently, promote cattle welfare and productivity.”(Cooke, 2011)

Several current studies in progress at the EOARC are doing just that. From finding ways to make transport and handling less stressful to suggesting new business practices that make production more efficient, the EOARC promotes welfare by working with cattle producers and identifying financial benefits associated with welfare. Research at the center sponsored by Oregon State University also takes place at many other stations and environments across the state, and all of them collaborate to find the best ways to utilize the unique resources in Oregon and beyond.

Across the country, there are animal scientists working in locations just like those in Oregon and Pennsylvania, and all of them are constantly reviewing the research that’s been completed, and finding new questions to answer. Funding these projects has made the systems we use today possible, and makes the daunting task of affordably feeding the world a reality.

Guest post written by Austin J. Bouck. Austin is a student at Oregon State University studying Animal Science with a focus in pre-veterinary medicine. He is currently interning at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Burns, Oregon. You can read more of his animal science research posts on his blog, Animal Science Review.

Wordless Wednesday: Beef Excellence

Wordless Wednesday today is devoted to a video focused on the Center for Beef Excellence (CBE) in Pennsylvania. CBE is devoted to working with beef farmers to keep production profitable while supporting research to ensure that Pennsylvania cattle farmers are safely producing the highest quality and best tasting product for consumers.

Enjoy learning about the Pennsylvania beef industry!

“I scream… You scream… We all scream for ICE CREAM!!”

PA's National Ice Cream Month celebration with Sec. of Ag.

It’s July 31^st and that means that one of my favorite national unique holidays is over at 11:59 tonight. July, along with a few other unique holidays, is National Ice Cream Month. This whole I have been just screaming for ice cream! Of course being a part of the agriculture industry makes me a strong supporter of all days and months devoted to agriculture celebrations, such as beef month, dairy month, strawberry month and the list goes on. 

So in honor of the ending of National Ice Cream Month, here’s the “scoop” on the history behind this fabulous agriculture holiday. 

President Ronald Reagan declared July and every July after 1984 as National Ice Cream Month because he felt that ice cream is a nutritious food that is a perfect treat in the designated month. President Reagan actually declared the third Sunday in the month as the National Ice Cream Day. He recognized that ice cream is enjoyed by about 90 percent of the US population. Reagan was a huge supporter of this unique holiday as he called for US citizens to observe National Ice Cream Month with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Since that day, Americans have consumed 48 pints per person annually, which is more ice cream than any other nation. 

The United States dairy industry has more than $21 billion in sales each year. 9 percent of the milk produced in the US is used to make ice cream. Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the production of ice cream and the top five milk producing counties are Lancaster, Franklin, Bradford, Berks, and Chester.  

Many people enjoy this wonderful product without even thinking about where it began. It is said that Nero, Roman Emperor first began the thought of ice cream type concoction when he ordered his people to harvest the ice from the mountains and add fruit toppings. China’s King Tang actually created the ice and milk combination. For this reason, it is thought that ice cream was likely brought from China to Europe. Recipes were altered and ices, sherbets, and milk ice were served as a fashionable dessert. It was recorded that many famous American individuals served this dessert, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Governor Bladen of Maryland, and many more. Then in 1776, the first ice cream parlor opened in New York City. Americans were the first to scoop up the term “ice cream”. Ice cream cones began in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair when a vendor ran out of bowls and teamed up with a waffle vendor to make bowls and cones for the ice cream. 

All this talk about ice cream has surely made me screaming for ice cream and I am sure you are too. Go celebrate the nation’s famous dessert product by enjoying a great big bowl of ice cream! President Reagan would be proud!

Change is the law of life...

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are

 certain to miss the future.”- John F. Kennedy

Change is certainly the law in life. Every second, minute, hour, day, month, and year, change happens and we have to learn how to adapt to it. Change this month for me has been huge. As you can tell I haven’t been a faithful blogger and that’s really only because of my transition. As of the middle of June, I left my job as an Animal Science Extension Educator and accepted a position with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, an opportunity to further my current goals and achieve personal growth.  

Extension was a tremendous opportunity. I served the community and met the needs of agriculture producers, professionals, and the county residents. It was a pleasure working with outstanding producers in the counties. I feel that I have learned so much because of our progressive farmers and prosperous land that we have right here in our region.

Now, I enjoy working for the Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Pennsylvania. It is truly rewarding (just like Extension) seeing the “good change” and differences we can make in the lives of farmers and agriculturists.  I am excited about my change and hope to continue this blog with more stories in agriculture whether it’s through our family farm, my career, or news in the industry. 

Wordless Wednesday: June Dairy Month

In Pennsylvania, June is Dairy Month. Who loves their milk products??? I do! I do! There is nothing better then coming in from working on the farm and enjoying a cold glass of chocolate milk or a big bowl of delicious ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry! 

Pennsylvania's dairy industry is ranked 5th in the United States for milk production. There are approximately 7,400 dairy farm families that manage 543,000 cows. These cows produce an average of 10.6 billion pounds of milk or 5.6 percent of the entire nation's total milk supply. To learn more about dairy farmers and their everyday care of cattle and farm duties watch the video on the Pennsylvania dairy industry below. 

By the way... the video is much better when you watch it while enjoying a glass of milk...



Video courtesy of  Jnsebright YouTube channel.

Dairy Producers Are Beef Producers Too!

Dairy cattle produce milk. Beef cattle produce beef. Yes, you are probably thinking that this is common sense, but is it? Most people only view dairy cattle as producing milk and beef cattle only beef. Dairy cattle are more than just milk. Dairy cattle play an important role in the beef industry. 

In fact, according to the Beef Checkoff, dairy beef accounts for 20 percent of the total beef supply in the United States. Even though beef makes up only 6-8 percent of a dairy farm’s income, it is still an important part of the farm.  Dairy producers produce beef when they sell their calves for the market or cull their cows on the farm.   The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has counted approximately six million dairy calves that enter the beef industry as well as three million dairy cows and three million Holstein steers processed yearly.  

So what does all of this mean for the producer? Well for the dairy producer, this means shared responsibility with beef producers with regards to quality assurance. It means changing habits, practices, and management so that beef quality and cattle stewardship is improved. For the beef producer, this means working together with the dairy producer to make sure they are providing a quality product for the market. Proper management in both beef and dairy herds are needed to improve consumer confidence in the beef industry. 

Proper management consists of implementing practices that focus on both beef quality and stewardship. Practices to consider could be minimizing injuries due to rushing and slipping, decrease aggressive driving of cattle, administering injections correctly according to Beef Quality Assurance principles, culling cattle before they are thin or lame, preventing bruises and injection-site lesions and always having accurate records to verify proper practices. These practices should be implemented in both beef and dairy farms. 

Consumer confidence is key in the beef industry. The reality is that dairy and beef producers ultimately have to please their customer, the consumer. This can be accomplished by ensuring the safety of the beef products. Dairy producers are constantly concerned with producing a safe high quality milk product. Let that be the example for the beef industry. We should be treating beef cattle how the dairy producers treat their milk products. 

The Beef Checkoff has funded research that has shown dairy beef’s contribution to the beef industry. The industry has valued the dairy contribution so much that many new value added products have been created using dairy beef animals, such as the Flat Iron Steak.  In fact, 44 percent comes from dairy beef providing steaks, roasts, filets, and strips. 

By this point in the year, you should already know that it is Beef Month.  A month filled with promotions and celebrations for the beef industry in Pennsylvania. Common sense tells us that beef cattle produce beef, but we also need to keep in mind that dairy cattle produce milk and beef. So this month also should celebrate the dairy producers for they are a part of the beef industry as well. May beef month, certainly transitions nicely to June dairy month, because dairy cattle are beef cattle too!

Wordless Wednesday... The Farm Dog

 

It's still May, so you know what that means... it's still beef month! This picture focuses on the farm dog watching over his cows on a Berks County, PA farm.  As long as I can remember, our family farm has always had a dog and sometimes two of them. The farm dog is a watch dog for the livestock, an assistant, and of course a companion for the farmer, the children, and the workers. The dog serves a purpose and usually knows it's purpose on that farm. Without that dog, we probably would get along just fine but with that dog, our days seem sunny and our farm chores go by just a little quicker. It's something special when we see the farm dog wagging it's tail and running to greet us. So to honor beef month we must also honor the farm dog for being that faithful companion, assistant, and watchdog for the farm.

Wordless Wednesday: I Heart Beef Campaign

Did you know that May is Beef Month? The Beef Checkoff celebrates beef with it's "I heart beef" campaign. A program introduced last year to encourage consumers to enjoy the nutritious value of beef. It also encourages consumers to learn that beef comes from farmers that care about producing a safe, wholesome, product, while caring for their animals in a humane way. The program makes consumers feel good about enjoying beef.


Celebrate beef month by joining in on the "I heart beef" campaign.

Guest Post: Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies – What Would You Do?

With the recent tragic events caused by the disastrous earthquake in Japan, did it make you pause and think of how we would react as an agricultural community if an emergency nuclear event would happen locally?  Are you aware that sections of Berks County fall into four nuclear power plant 50 mile radius zones?  In fact, several Southeastern Berks municipalities fall within a ten mile radius of the Limerick Generating Plant.  These zones include almost all facets of the diverse agricultural commodities and enterprises in Berks County.  While we recognize that this disaster is extreme and nuclear power plants have a great record of safety overall, this recent incident and the anniversary of the Three Mile Island incident (which is one of those four) should heighten our awareness for preparedness.

First of all, I think you should know that our Berks County Department of Emergency Services has emergency plans in place and on a regular basis, holds emergency response drills.  They have always recognized the significance and consequences of agricultural issues and value our partnership in their preparedness plans, as we value them.  Penn State Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency are integral parts of these drills and efforts and we are always at the table.  Between our ag agencies, we have established a protocol of coverage, educational information and notification in the event of an emergency.  Ironically, two days prior to the Japan disaster, Berks Extension Educator Morgan Firestine and I along with many extension and ag colleagues from our region, participated in a regional emergency response exercise focusing on the Limerick Nuclear Plant.  Many of the scenarios dealt with livestock, water, food distribution and production issues.  While we practice how to respond to these issues, there are many steps and precautions which producers should put into effect immediately should an event occur to minimize contamination.

We would be glad to send you a packet of background information and steps to consider preparing for and reacting to a possible nuclear accident.  Or if you would prefer to review it electronically, visit the Berks County website and click on the link on the left side of the home page or on the agriculture main page under “Disaster Management”. 
 

Let us hope we never have to encounter such an event but as with so many things, we owe it to ourselves to be as prepared as possible.

- Rick Kauffman, Penn State Extension County Director- Berks County.

Special thanks to Rick Kauffman for his post on disaster management. Rick can be reached at rsk5@psu.edu. We love to accept guest posts on Animal Science News! If you have something to say and you think it corresponds with the animal science industry, email Morgan Firestine at maf5002@gmail.com with the article. We will review the article and post it if it matches our goals and objectives of this site. 

Wordless Wednesday... Backyard Poultry Short Course Ends With A...

Field trip! I have been filling many my latest blog posts with information about the Backyard Poultry Short Course that was held this month in Montgomery County, Pa. The course was a great opportunity for those folks that want to raise chickens. See this post to read more about the class.  We had a wonderful class of 40 outgoing and eager students just thirsty for poultry information. The course ended this past Monday night with an opportunity to view a working small scale poultry operation. Participants had the ability to combine all of the knowledge they learned throughout the course by seeing it first hand.

Enjoy the photos below.

Grass Fed vs. Grain Finished Beef?

Consumers really have lots of decisions these days on what they feed their families. This video is a helpful tool to decipher the difference between grass finished and grain finished beef.

Wordless Wednesday... well almost!

Wordless Wednesday comes to you from the Backyard Poultry Short Course being held in Montgomery County, PA. This class is a four week course that covers breeds, brooding, production of eggs and meat, housing, equipment, biosecurity, mortality, and so much more. The last class is a tour of a small scale poultry farm. These two pictures are from the first class this past Monday where we went over breed identification with real live chickens! It can't get any better than that! Hands- on learning is what we strive for in this class...

I can't just show you these pictures without a brief description of the breeds. So the first picture is a Brahma. The breed originated from India. They are a large heavy breed with beautiful coloring. The feet and legs are covered in feathers which make them so unique. This breed is known for their light brown eggs. The second picture (below) is an Old English Game bird. This is one of the most popular fighting chickens. Their muscle tone and body shape is a giveaway to their fighting genetics. The hens lay a creamish brown egg and are the highest producer of eggs of the fighting chicken breeds.

Celebrating Wordless Wednesday!

Small Scale Poultry: Do you really know what it takes?

New poultry owners, aspiring poultry owners, or those interested in exploring a new venture on a small scale basis are invited to participate in the Backyard Poultry Short Course, to be held starting March 28 until April 18 in Montgomery County, PA. The goal of the course is to assist poultry producers with an introduction to the resources and support available to them. Producers will also be able to develop a better understanding of what it takes to grow their own small scale poultry operation. Topics that will be covered are breed identification, brooding and growing, production of eggs and meat, nutrition and health, housing facilities, equipment, fly control, biosecurity, and resources. The final class in the course will be a small scale poultry farm tour. Come to learn about techniques in raising these fabulous birds! Email me for more information: maf5002@psu.edu