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UNITEDD STATES DEPARTMENT 9 RICULTURE OF F INFORMATION -WASHINGTON, D.C. 20250
SJUL 1945 )



June-July 1965 No. 19

FOOD IN THE NEWS

Who Complains When Food Prices Go Down? In September 1963,
beef prices were at a high point from which they began to
fall. This decline lasted 10 months. Then beef prices
began the rise to current high levels. Why do beef prices
vary so? U. S. Department of Agriculture economists report
that at present it's basically a problem of supply. When
beef prices are down, farmers find it difficult to make a
profit and cut cattle production. Consumers who like beef
well enough to pay more for the limited supply bid the
price up. Supplies currently are below a year ago. Similar
factors contribute to higher pork prices. Beef, pork and
lamb prices are not likely to decline much in the next few
months. This is also the season when food prices usually
tend to be higher. Retail food prices generally increase
about 2 percent through winter and spring before beginning
to decline around the end of July and on into the months of
fall harvest. Despite fluctuations food is still expected
to take even a smaller part of take-home pay in 1965, less
than the 18.5 percent in 1964.

What's Ahead In Food Prices. "Specials" at the meat counter
may not be as frequent this summer. Take advantage of them
whent ey are offered Buy several cuts for the freezer.
Remember, only 25 percent of an entire beef carcass goes
into steak. For variety and budget stretching try some
other cuts, says the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Not
much change in poultry prices -- still reasonable and
abundant. Broilers are likely to be lower priced the second
half of the year. Egg prices for the first six months of
1965 are below a year ago, but will show their usual sea-
sonal price rise in the second half. What about vegetables?
Fresh vegetables have been in li ht supply so far, due
mostly to bad weather. Prices have been high for most,
particularly lettuce. More vegetables will be coming to
market in July, and prices are expected to decline. High
priced potatoes. Reason is small carryover from last season
and too few early potatoes to fill the need. Shoppers will
find abundant supplies for late summer and fall, with prices
down considerably.





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SMART SHOPPER

Plentifuls for July. An abundance of fresh plums is indicated for July, notes
the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Be sure to take advantage of other
locally grown or seasonally plentiful fruits and vegetables. USDA says frozen
orange concentrate, milk and dairy products, fresh pdeches, and watermelons
will also be plentiful. A '

NEW FOODS ;

Milk With A Fresh-Fruit Flavor. Have you ever thought to ask the milkman to
deliver apple, cherry, or strawberry flavored milk? Scientists at Milan,
Italy, have developed the first completely natural-fruit-milk concentrate
without use of commercial additives as stabilizers. Apple 6r quince pulp have
been the most successful, mixed with a high percentage of milk. The pectin
in the fruit isthe natural stabilizer. The combinations store well in
addition to having the nutrients of skim milk and the fresh-fruit taste. This
research was financed by foreign currencies received by the U. S. from the
sale of surplus agricultural products. Restrictions prevent converting the
foreign currencies to dollars, but they can be used to finance research
benefiting U. S. agriculture.

A Peach of a Drink. What happens to peaches too ripe to ship to market?
Usually they are wasted. But now, a peach drink with all the flavor and
aroma of fresh peaches has been developed by scientists of the Georgia
Agricultural Experiment Station, in cooperation with the U. S. Department of
Agriculture. The riper peaches are desirable for the new drink because both
color and flavor are at their best. In preliminary tests, consumers pre-
ferred the new peach drink above six other fruit drinks, but rated it
slightly below concentrated orange juice. The product is ready to drink after
adding an equal amount of water. Undiluted it can be used as topping for ice
cream, desserts, salads, and other foods. The product is not yet on the
market.

Low-fat Milk Becoming Popular Drink. Weight watching by consumers and the
high nutritional value and acceptable taste of low-fat milk, sometimes called
"two percent" milk, is making this new drink increasingly popular, reports
U. S. Department of Agriculture. Sales of low-fat milk rose an estimated
24 percent in 1963 over the previous year, exceeding gains in sales of
regular skim milk. USDA reports sales may triple by 1970. Low-fat milk
usually contains about 2 percent butterfat and 10 percent nonfat solids.
Whole milk, in contrast, has about 3.5 percent butterfat and 8.5 percent
nonfat solids.

FOOD HINT

Secret to Egg Cookery. For best eating quality, eggs should be cooked with
low to moderate heat, for just the right length of time--never overcooked.
This applies whether you are cooking eggs in water, frying pan, or oven.
For many other useful ideas on preparing eggs, write for a single free copy
of USDA's new bulletin, Eggs in Family Meals, (H.G.103). Address your
postcard to the Office of Information, U. S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. C., 20250.





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NEW PUBLICATIONS

How to Beautify the Landscape. Wherever man's hand alters the appearance
of the landscape, we have an obligation to retain and restore natural beauty,
Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman said recently, in announcing a
new "how-to-do-it" booklet on land beautification. The American Outdoors--
Management for Beauty and Use is designed to help land planners and managers
in their local programs. The booklet includes a section on planting to
hide unsightly areas; to provide sound barriers near airports and highways;
and to control drifting snow and soil. It tells where to get trees, how
and when to plant them, and how big they get. The same information is
provided for shrubs, plants, and flowers. Copies are available for 55 cents
from Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington,
D. C., 20402.

You, Agriculture, and the Facts. Eating habits, food grading, food marketing
costs, the School Lunch Program, price supports, farm workers, the family
farm, natural resources, and explanations of modern agriculture are among
many topics of interest to consumers in the Fact Book of U. S. Agriculture.
The Fact Book has been published by the Department as a handy reference
for anyone who writes or talks about agriculture in the broadest sense.
USDA has many statistical and specialized publications, but this is the
first summary, within one cover, of the total agricultural complex. Single
copies are available to editors and writers. Send a post card request to:
Editor, SERVICE. Others may buy copies at 75 cents from the Superintendent
of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 20402.

Protecting Shade Trees from Construction Damage. Loss of shade trees during
construction of a house can reduce value of the property, as well as rob
you of the enjoyment of a cook-out or comfortable rest in the shade of
a tree in your yard. Protecting Shade Trees During Home Construction
(H.G.104), a bulletin published recently by the U. S. Department of Agri-
culture, offers the advice you may need on selecting the right trees for
saving and protecting them from damage. To obtain a single free copy of
this bulletin, send a post card request to the Office of Information,
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., 20250.


PROGRAM AID

New Slide Set and Filmstrip on Choosing Food. Decisions! Decisions! What
meals should we have next week? What does the family like? What are their
nutritional needs? Selecting and Buying Food for theYoung Family. a 36-frame
filmstrip or slide set with script which has been produced by U. S. Department
of Agriculture, helps to answer some of these questions. The slide set may
be purchased for $5.50 from the Photography Division, Office of Information,
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., 20250. For the filmstrip,
send check or money order for $5.00 to Photo Lab, Inc., 3825 Georgia Avenue,
N.W., Washington, D. C., 20011.




UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

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RECREATION

Mystery Grass for Golf Greens. Though of uncertain origin, a new bermuda-
grass called Tifdwarf shows promise of providing a smoother putt for golfers
and easier maintenance by golfcourse superintendents. Preliminary studies
indicate it could surpass Tifgreen, the top golf-green grass in the South since
its release in 1956. Scientists of USDA and the Georgia Coastal Plain Experi-
ment Station "discovered" Tifdwarf when it was crowding out some grass in
test plantings of Tifgreen. Blades of this new variety hug the ground so
closely that a number of them never are cut by a mower set to a 3/16-inch
height. Tests show that it should require less mowing and less fertilization
than Tifgreen to maintain a smooth, attractive surface. Tifdwarf has been
released officially to qualified nurserymen through the Georgia Crop Improve-
ment Association and similar outlets in other states.

How Much Disinfectant for Swimming Pools? A quicker and more accurate method
for measuring effectiveness of chlorine, bromine, and iodine type disinfec-
tants for swimming pools is available this summer to Federal, State, and
municipal officials, says the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The new
method, developed by USDA scientists, measures the effect of the disinfectant
in terms of how long it takes to kill bacteria. Previous methods merely
measured how much disinfectant was in the water. Nearly a billion dollars
of swimming pool chemicals were sold last year, according to industry reports.
More than 500 products carry directions on their labels for swimming pool
disinfectants. These products and their labels must be registered with the
Department for evaluation before they are sold interstate. USDA determines
the effectiveness of the product and verifies that proper instructions and
precautionary statements are included on its label.

BEAUTIFICATION

Youthful Zest for Natural Beauty. To enlist the enthusiasm, the spirit and
energy of our Nation's youth in the campaign to beautify the countryside and
our cities, Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman joined recently with
Miss Luci Baines Johnson to launch a national "Youth for Natural Beauty"
program. When looking for new ideas and new approaches, the Secretary says
he looks to people who are young--or to people who think young. He points
out that many 4-H club members, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, and
other youth groups already have become involved in projects to beautify the
countryside, such as planting flowers, trees and shrubs, promoting conserva-
tion and beautification through posters, painting of old buildings, and
cleaning litter from the roadside. To help leaders of youth groups,
community organizations, and clubs in carrying out beautification projects,
the Department of Agriculture is preparing a packet of information materials
for distribution by mid-summer.


SERVICE is a monthly newsletter of consumer interest. It is designed for
those who report to the individual consumer, rather than for mass distribution.
For information about items in this issue, write, SERVICE, Office of
Information, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., 20250.

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