Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
products of cereal grain and oilseed processing; substandard human food products;
crop residues, and animal by-products.
surpluses of cereal grains and other food crops
A concern is the use of surplus grains for livestock, poultry, and aquatic animals.
The remarkable increases in crop yields (the green revolution), for which the Nobel
Peace Prize was received in 1970 by Dr. Norman Borlaug, has provided supplies of
feed grains beyond amounts ever before produced. However, trends for increased
corn diversion to ethanol production in the United States would modulate such sur-
pluses. (Sources of ethanol from cellulosic plants are viewed by experts as a better
choice of plant energy for ethanol production). The animal industry has been an
important force in providing relief from crop surpluses and in providing highly nutri-
tious animal source foods to improve human nutrition globally.
by-Products of cereal grain and oilseed Processing
The milling of corn and cereal grains to produce flour, starch, gluten, and other prod-
ucts results in large amounts of by-products of value in animal feeding (Klopfenstein,
2005). Corn dry-milling produces meals and flour for human consumption and the
by-product hominy (high in fiber) for cattle. Ethanol is also produced by a dry-mill-
ing procedure and by a more efficient wet-milling procedure. Large amounts of dis-
tiller's grain solubles, by-products of the brewing and ethanol production industries,
are used in livestock feeding. Plant oils for human consumption are obtained from
a variety of crops, such as soybeans, flax, cotton, canola, and olives, that are high in
oil. The high-protein meal that remains after extraction of the oil from these seeds
provides a valuable by-product for use by food animals.
substandard human food Products
Turnips, beets, carrots, cassava, potatoes, and other root crops produced in surplus
or not meeting human standards for marketing are available for animal production.
Waste bakery products and other pastries, by-products of the potato- and citrus-pro-
cessing industries, and surplus plant fats from the human food chain are marketable
as constituents of animal feeds.
crop Residues
Large quantities of low-quality straw and other residues are left in the field after har-
vest of cereal grains and corn. Straw is generally very low in digestible protein and
very high in fiber and is of low feeding value by itself, but it may be used as the basal
feed for beef cattle and other ruminants when properly supplemented with protein,
minerals, and vitamins. Corn harvested in the field leaves behind the cob, stalks,
and lost and broken seeds. These materials provide an otherwise wasted animal feed
resource when animals are allowed to glean these harvested fields (animal manure is
also directly applied to the soil for future crop production in this system). In cotton-
growing areas, cottonseed hulls and cotton gin trash are used in substantial amounts
for feeding ruminants. Other useful high-fiber by-products of the food-processing
industry include pineapple juice press cake, rice mill feed, sugarcane bagasse, and
citrus pulp.
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