UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As officials track a recent salmonella outbreak from ground turkey, consumers can take some simple precautions to protect their families, advises a food-safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

The most important tip is to acquire a food thermometer and use it when you cook burgers - whether they are made from ground poultry or ground beef.

"It's really that simple," said Martin Bucknavage, extension food-safety specialist. "It is critically important that consumers realize that anytime they prepare any type of raw-meat product, it must be cooked to the correct temperature.

"And whether cooking whole turkey or ground turkey, the proper cooking temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit."

Salmonella has made headlines around the country because Cargill Meat Solutions, of Springdale, Ark., is recalling 36 million pounds of ground-turkey products linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has infected about 80 individuals in 26 states, including Pennsylvania. Of those, 22 have been hospitalized and one has died.

Cargill announced the recall on Aug. 3 after its products were linked to an outbreak of a multi-drug resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg. It is one of the largest-ever recalls of poultry products, Bucknavage noted.

"The cases of illness have been widely distributed across the country, and there has been a long time period over which the cases occurred," he said. "So it has taken months for the regulators to get a handle on this outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control receive many reports each day, and it can be difficult to identify trends and then link those cases to a specific source."

The most common symptoms of Salmonella infection are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, which occur within eight to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product and can last for three to five days. It can be life-threatening to the elderly, the young and those with weakened immune systems.

Raw meat, including raw beef, pork and poultry, often contains pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. But the disease can be avoided, stressed Bucknavage. "Proper cooking kills the bacteria," he said. "But it is also important to note that the only way you can ensure that you have reached the required temperature is with a cooking thermometer."

Unfortunately, Bucknavage added, too many people judge doneness of a cooked burger by the color and texture of the meat. "It is especially difficult with ground turkey, because the product appears to be a little drier and the color is a bit lighter - you really can't go by those parameters," he said.

"The best way to do it is to stick a thermometer into the center of the meat and be sure it has reached 165 degrees."

Bucknavage also emphasized the need to prevent cross contamination when handling raw meat products - especially ground poultry. "Ground turkey tends to be a little bit tacky, and it has a tendency to get all over your hands and the counter, knives and cutting board," he said.

"So it's important when you are handling ground poultry products to wash your hands thoroughly, as well as carefully wash all the surfaces that have come into contact with the meat to prevent cross contamination to other foods."

If you think you have ground turkey included in the Cargill recall, contact the company for information on the process for getting a refund, Bucknavage urges. Consumers with questions about this recall should contact Cargill's consumer relations toll-free telephone number at (888) 812-1646 or visit the Web at http://www.cargill.com/turkey-recall/.

At last years Harford Fair the Susquehanna County Forest Land Owners Association (SCFLOA) held a youth weed ID contest in which the prize was to be awarded at the 2011 Harford Fair. At last year’s SCFLOA booth there were approximately 75 youth who correctly answered enough questions and who were awarded a SCFLOA wooden cookie/token which qualified them for this years contest. SCFLOA President Jim Kessler explains “as with many contests there is a catch, those kids who were awarded the cookies must bring them back to our booth this year. We will help them fill out a drawing ticket, if they don’t have the one that was on last years cookie, and put the tickets into a box for Saturday’s drawing.”

The $200 prize - a 7” CRUZ tablet with Kindle for Android App - will be awarded Saturday at 1 p.m. when Director Rob Alfred pulls the lucky ticket.

The 2011 contest is one in which the entrants will be asked to identify insects that are attacking our forests. The contest is entitled “What’s Bugging Our Woods.”

The third to last Sizzlin' Steaks 4-H meeting was held July 28 at 7:00. Members who attended this meeting were David Bradshaw, Evan Clarkson, Corey Kasa, Kayla Kasa, Holly Harvatine and Alyssa Clarkson. David called the meeting to order and everyone said the pledges. Alyssa took roll call and said the minutes from the previous meeting. Each member of our club decided if they wanted a 4-H chair or a 4-H blanket. Julie Harvatine said that a friend of hers can put our name on our blanket for us.

David did his demonstration on one of several of the chickens he owns. He talked about his chickens and he even let us pet one of his chickens. David adjourned the meeting so we could have smores. The smores were awesome! We had chocolate marshmallows and square marshmallows to fit the cracker better. The next meeting was set for August 11 at the Harvatine house. The 4-H projects go to the fairgrounds on August 18 at 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Baked goods go to the fairgrounds on August 21, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

News Reporter: Alyssa Clarkson

The Community Foundation of Susquehanna & Wyoming Counties is proud to announce that due to increasing requests for its work in a broad geographical area it will now serve an expanded region of northeastern Pennsylvania and will change its name to The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains to reflect this growth. The Community Foundation was founded in 1998 to serve Susquehanna County, and in 2005 at the suggestion of local citizens it expanded its service territory to include Wyoming County. With assets exceeding 6 million dollars The Community Foundation is currently managing 127 charitable endowments that serve a broad array of purposes stretching as far east as West Chester County, New York and as far west as Cameron County, Pennsylvania. Moreover, since 2003 The Community Foundation has administered the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit Program and in partnership with its corporate donors has provided more than one million dollars in education assistance to schools and students in four counties.

The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains will retain its headquarters at 270 Lake Avenue in Montrose and will be governed by its current Board of Directors and administered by its current staff, which includes Chairman Earle Wootton, President Peter Quigg, Director of Planned Giving Charm Giangrieco, Accountant Angela Frystak, Magazine Editor Marian Miskell, Graphic Designer Maria Conigliaro Toffey, and Technology Consultant Jerry Golis. Recently The Community Foundation was among the 100 fastest growing community foundations of the more than 800 such organizations in the United States. The Board and Staff of The Community Foundation look forward to continuing to serve its donors and their charitable causes and are excited about new opportunities in the future. For more information about The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains please visit its web site at www.community-foundation.org or call 570-278-3800.

HARRISBURG - State Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna), who has helped lead efforts to revamp and reform the state’s welfare system, offered the following comment in response to Auditor General Jack Wagner’s report of rampant abuse and waste within the state’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP):

“The auditor general’s previous audit of the LIHEAP program a couple of years ago signaled a need for reforms within the Department of Public Welfare, and that’s why my colleagues and I have been persistent in our efforts to reform the system to weed out waste, fraud and abuse. This week’s report, which uncovered even more fraud and abuse within this specific program, found that wide open cracks remained at DPW during the latter years of the Rendell administration, and that taxpayer money was being misused at astonishing levels, even after several people were convicted of cheating the system.

“The recently enacted state budget included many welfare reforms, including a cross-referencing database that will be used to determine eligibility, and I believe these new safeguards will make a dramatic difference in reducing cases of fraud and abuse. In addition, we asked Welfare Secretary Gary Alexander to find $400 million more in cost savings. Based on this audit, achieving that savings should not be a difficult task.

“There will always be unscrupulous individuals who will try to cheat the system, but the level of fraud and abuse uncovered in this report is unfathomable. I find it appalling, not only that taxpayer money was wasted in fraudulent claims, but that there are people who are in desperate need of energy assistance and may have been turned away due to lack of funds. I am hopeful that in addition to our new welfare reform measures, new leadership at DPW will turn the ship around and give a greater level of confidence to the taxpayers footing the bill.”

The Rail-Trail Council of NEPA would like to remind trail users that the D&H Rail-Trail is closed to all motorized vehicles including ATV and dirt bike use. The O&W Rail-Trail from Simpson to Stillwater also prohibits all motorized use. State conservation officers are enforcing these rules and tickets will be written out to offenders. Fines may be in the hundreds of dollars per each violation with additional court cost fees.

Trail users are asked to call the rail-trail office with information about reoccurring motorized use. The Rail-Trail Council will issue trespass complaints through the local magistrates and district attorney. Call 679-9300.

Please keep off the trails with any motorized vehicles. Parents, please remind your children that ATVs and dirt bikes are not allowed on the rail-trails.