Think about all of the things you interact with day-to-day.
Everything we use, eat, wear, and interact with originated from one of two
places; a farm or the natural world. We have found out lots of cool ways to
reconstruct materials that were farmed or mined into the things we recognize as
final products, but we need to be aware that all of these materials originate
from planet Earth.
For this reason and others, it is always a good idea to use and
reuse everything we can. In agriculture, many by-products are given important
and useful purposes. Read through to learn more about a few ways agriculture
saves money and resources by using by-products!
1. Dried distillers grains
Ethanol is primarily produced using corn. Ethanol is created by
converting the starches in the corn kernel into sugars and then alcohol
(ethanol). The rest of the corn kernel solids cannot be converted into ethanol,
and are therefore by-products. This material, called dried distillers grains or
DDGs, is a common and very cost efficient feed source for livestock. It is a
protein-dense material that can be a good addition to a balanced feed ration.
2. Sunflower hulls
Have you ever eaten sunflowers out of the hull? Have you wondered
what they did with the hull? Well, there are a few good purposes for
them! They can be ground and used as a fibre or roughage source for some
livestock species, they can be used to power oil mills (think sunflower oil),
or they can be used for bedding for poultry or other livestock. Though
they are bulky and not very cost effective to ship, this can be a great
resource for various types of producers nearby sunflower facilities.
3. Potato peels
Potatoes, like many other fruits and vegetables, get processed in
many ways. This can generate a lot of what could be considered food waste — but
it doesn’t all go to waste! Potato peels can be another part of a healthy
feed ration for cattle or pigs as it is high in fibre.
4. Candy seconds
You maybe remember a couple of years ago there was a big news story
about a truckload of Skittles that overturned on
the way to a cattle farm. This practice isn’t so out of the ordinary, and can
save both the candy makers and cattle farmers money! In the particular news
story that covered social media, the candy couldn’t be sold, because none of
the Skittles had the trademark S. In order to recoup some of their losses, they
sold it as seconds to a cattle farmer, who could use the candy as an energy source for their cattle.
When the opportunity to buy a truckload of red Skittles comes to a
farmer, they will likely put in a quick call to a veterinarian or animal
nutritionist to get some guidance on the correct way to balance the sugars with
the other proteins, fibres, vitamins, and minerals that the animals need.
5. Produce waste
Though many grocery stores take seconds or over-ripe fresh fruits
and vegetables to food banks and shelters, sometimes food items are no longer
fit for human consumption. To avoid taking these goods to a landfill, a farmer
may be able to get a truckload of these items to feed their livestock. Again, a nutritionist
would likely be contacted to ensure the animals get the nutrients they need.
6. Bread store or bakery rejects
Similar to fruits and vegetables or even candy, many items do get
donated, but others may not be fit for human consumption or sale. These items
may be available in bulk for livestock
feed. For example, I’ve heard one cattle rancher talk about
unwrapping a truckload of snack cakes for his animals when the opportunity
arose to get Hostess seconds!
7. Cotton seed
Cotton seeds and other cotton by-products aren’t very prevalent here
in the Midwest, but they definitely are in some parts of the country!
Cottonseed, cottonseed meal, and cottonseed hulls can all be parts of a healthy
feed ration for cattle, according to this TAMU publication.
8. Manure
Lots of the by-products on this list are things that livestock —
particularly cattle — can eat. However, they also generate something of a by-product
that we use in agriculture! All livestock generate manure,
which is a valuable organic fertilizer and is used on croplands. The manure can
be tested for nutrient content along with the soil in the fields to make sure
it is applied in the correct amount. Farmers may also inject the manure into
the soil or incorporate it with tillage to minimize risks of the manure or
nutrients being lost with erosion or volatization.
9. Livestock by-products
Though we generally raise livestock for meat, milk, eggs, and fibre,
we can use the by-products for a wide variety of purposes. For example, fats
and tallows from animals can be used in cosmetics or adhesives. Bones and
connective tissues can be used in gelatin. Hides and hair can be used for
leather goods, paint brushes, hair brushes, and more. In pork production, it is
said that they use everything but the oink!
10. Corn stover
Corn stover is the term for the excess plant material that is left
after the grain has been harvested. It includes the corn stalks, corn cobs,
husks, and leaves. Though this can be left on the field to protect the soil and
be broken down naturally, there are some other ways farmers can use it. This
can be baled and used as bedding for livestock, it can be grazed by cattle as a
low-quality roughage, or in some areas it can be used to create cellulosic ethanol
(though this is not currently very common).
Waste is generated in lots of ways every day. However, by raising
crops and livestock responsibly, agriculture can help redirect some of that
waste by using it to produce more food, fuel, and fibre for us to use down the
line.
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