Animal Agriculture Can Contribute to Needed World Food Supply

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Animal Agriculture Can Contribute to Needed World Food Supply R. E. HODGSON

Animal Husbandry Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, USDA Beltsville, Maryland 20705 Introduction

Value and Importance of Livestock

How the world's rapidly expanding population is to be properly fed now and in the years ahead is a subject receiving great attention by the world's leading authorities, including population, agricultural, nutrition, economic, and political specialists. I t is a most serious problem and deserves the best efforts of all who can contribute. The problem of feeding people is not only one of enough food to eat but also one of the kind of food that will provide a reasonable sufficiency of the nutrients required for maintenance, development, activity, and health. Aside from the future need for food, there are millions of hungry and malnourished people in the world today. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these people live in countries that are poorest and least efficient in mobilizing their agricultural resources in the production of food. Striking and significant progress is being made in some areas. One need only to look to the development of the new varieties of rice, wheat, and corn, etc., and their utilization in a number of countries, to see what can and is being done. But this is not enough. More should be done also in all aspects of the agricultural systems to make a total balanced agricultural economy contribute to the food supplies of all countries in need of it. While the major sources of food reside in a relatively few crops, such as wheat, rice, and corn, there are many others, particularly in the tropics and subtropics, that historically form an important p a r t of local people's diets. Crops such as sorghums, cassava, plantains, and pulses to name only a few are in this category. These crops, too, will respond to genetic and cultural improvement and management to make even greater contributions to local food supplies.

Then, too, there is the contribution that the livestock and poultry populations make to the food supply, even in food-deficient countries. Animal production could make a very much greater contribution, if the potential were more fully developed. There exist large livestock and poultry populations, particularly cattle, in many of these countries (1). There is every reason why these animals should be developed to make a greater contribution to the food supplies of the respective countries in which they are mainrained. Animal products contribute much more than mere volume to the food supplies. As natural foods they effectively balance and supplement foods from crop sources. Meat, milk, and egg proteins are high in biological value and provide essential amino acids often deficient in crops used for food. I n addition, milk and dairy products are rich in calcium and riboflavin; meats are rich in niacin and nicotinic acid. Milk and eggs also are important sources of vitamin A. I n fact, in these respects animal foods are historically looked upon as protective foods. Moreover, animal foods contribute to palatable eating and variety in the human diet. Animal foods are perishable and must be treated and handled as such. I n developing animal production it is also necessary to develop along with it necessary transportation, processing, marketing, and distribution systems. The availability of cooling and refrigeration is also important. These services are necessary, to maintain quality and allow animal products to make their full contribution to the food supply. Animal foods already make an important contribution to local food supplies in most of

Livestock populations in the developing countries of the world. Region

Cattle

Sheep

Latin America Africa Near East F a r East

235 123 36 258

133 135 125 60 1881

Goats

Pigs

Buffalo

(millions) 44 108 59 89

99 6 0.1 45

--4 88

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the food-deficit countries. F o r example, the Food and Agricultural Organization's third world survey showed that in Latin America, animal foods contributed 35% of the 67 g of protein consumed p e r capita p e r day (2). They also provided nearly a third of the calories. Animals will make a vastly increased contribution to the production and utilization of food, if given proper attention in development. It is estimated that food from farm animals could be increased by a third to a half with essentially the same animal populations, i f available technology adapted to local conditions were put into use.

Much of the grassland in food-deficit countries is poorly developed and that which it produces in forage is poorly used. I n addition, land in food crops occasionally needs to be seeded to grassland crops in rotation and this provides additional supplies of forage. Then, too, of the food grains grown, perhaps from a third to a half of the crop is not useful for human food. The nonedible p a r t s are sources of feed for farm animals. This low-grade forage in combination with other by-products and nonprotein nitrogen can be useful as feed for ruminants. Balances in Agricultural Economy

Inadequate Emphasis on Animal Production

I n the effort to increase the world's food resources and supplies, those concerned with the problem place almost all their emphasis on increasing the yield and quality of crop products. Only cursory attention, or less, is given to the possibilities of increased animal production as an important contribution to both the quantity and the quality of local food supplies. An important reason why animal production is discounted is that animals are inefficient in Conversion o£ feed to animal food and, indeed, they are in competition to an extent with humans for grains. Another reason is that improvement in animal production is slow and we cannot wait. Both reasons are partly true and p a r t l y in error. Most people agree that the most immediate task is to increase production of crops, food grains, vegetables, fruits, etc., as fast and as much as possible. And with this, human needs take precedence over farm animal needs. Land suitable for production of these crops should be effectively used for those purposes. In nearly all food-deficit countries there are large acreages of land not suitable for food crop production and that should not be used for this purpose. Much of this land is not in forest and need not be. I t is in grassland of one kind or another. The Food and Agricultural Organization reports that in Latin America 506 million hectares, or 25% of the total land area, are used as permanent meadow and pasture; and in Africa, 682 million hectares, or 28%, is so used ( ] ) . F o r comparison with more highly developed livestock-producing areas the percentage of total land area used for permanent meadow and pasture is for Europe, 28% ; North America, 14%; Oceania, 54%, and USSR,

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I n the efforts to meet the world food deficit the need for the development of a total and balanced agricultural economy in each country must not be overlooked. I n this respect, a viable animal agriculture is of vital importance. As we dedicate our efforts, to increase local food supplies of plant origin, let us not overlook the fact that animal production can and should be developed also. Those who propagandize that animals have little or no place in the future food production schemes can do many countries' agricultural and food economics an injustice. I t is an accepted fact that grains that can be used directly for human food, when fed to animals, result in a comparatively low conversion. I t is also an accepted fact that meat, milk, and eggs are cherished, delectable foods that add importa~t food nutrients often deficient in diets mainly of plant origin. I t is believed that it remains to be seen yet whether varietal improvement in the nutritional composition of crops, or even the addition of synthetic crops, lacking nutrients, can and will replace the need for animal foods in an acceptable, adequate diet. Animal production is necessary to maximize effective use of available natural resources. Most countries do have significant animal populations. Animals form a p a r t of the way of life and social scheme. The prospect is that most of the countries under consideration favor increasing animal production. The objective should be to first increase the efficiency of the existing animal population and then expand it in keeping with a balanced agricultural economy and in keeping with land resources that can be made available for animal production. Animals as Competitors with Man for Food'

The question of the degree of competition of animals with humans for food needs further

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comment. This is appropriate, particularly with reference to ruminants. The ruminant, cattle and sheep particularly, can consume and utilize large amounts of roughage, pasturage, and forages. This is important in relation to the production on grassland and with harvested hays and silages, crops refuse, and crop and vegetable by-products. I n the United States, where large amounts of feed grains and crop by-products are used in animal feeding, it is important to realize that for all farm animals on the average they receive some 54% of their feed nutrients from forages--beef cattle, 74%; dairy cattl% 67%; sheep and goats, 90%; hogs, 4%; and poultry, 0% (3). It is possible to realize very good production from cattle and sheep on rations of nothing but forages. For example, in experiments with dairy cattle over three lactations, 30 cows fed all-roughage rations of pasture, hay, and grass silage produced an average of about 3,600 kg milk per lactation (4). In four different experiments in which cows were fed all forage rations, and compared with stablemates fed grain and concentrates in addition, produced 3,400 to 4,300 kg milk per lactation, or 60 to 70% as much as the concentrate-fed cows (5). Thus, it has been amply demonstrated that dairy cows can maintain themselves and produce milk at very creditable levels when fed rations made up entirely of forages, pasture hay, and silage. It usually is profitable, however, to feed good dairy cattle grain and other kinds of concentrate to higher levels of production in most markets. The important point here is that by proper development and use of grassland crops in feeding dairy cattle, high yields of milk can result, to contribute importantly to the food supply. One only need to examine the dairy production system in New Zealand to confirm this fact. Beef cattle and sheep can do even better in performance on forages. They can be raised from birth to market or to an age suitable for fattening or finishing with very little feed other than the mother's milk and forages. I n most situations in the more developed countries it is profitable to finish cattle and lambs for market. This requires high-energy feeding with rations heavily fortified with grain, grain by-products and supplements, including nonprotein nitrogen. It has been estimated that in a beef cow-calf operation, a cow and her seven offspring can be maintained with the calves raised and fed out to slaughter weight at 454 kg, on good rations consisting largely of forages supplemented with a molasses-urea mixture or in the finishing

period with corn and cob meal and urea. The yield of meat protein from this operation is as much as the protein fed in the form of grain and oilseeds, that otherwise might be fed directly to humans (6). This illustrates that through proper management the production of beef need not be a competitor to the human for protein. I t would appear logical to approach the prob, lems of improvement in animal production from the standpoint of developing production and use of grassland resources with their effective management and as feed for cattle, sheep, and goats. Hogs and poultry, being nonruminants, cannot use a great deal of forage and are much more competitive with humans for food supplies from grains and by-products. Yet hog and poultry meat and eggs are important contributors to food supplies. I n developing balanced agricultural and food programs, attention should be given to the animals and their potential contribution to the food production schemes. I t could be that allocations of grains and by-products that could be used directly by humans should be made for animal feed. At the same time the opportunity should be raised to develop new sources of animal feedstuffs from locally available byproducts of food processing and from other available sources. I n this respect the use of nonprotein nitrogen with forages and byproduct feeds can provide much of the protein needed. Improved Rationing is Primary Need

The idea that animal production improvements are too stow and costly to consider in relation to critical food supplies needs further examination. I t is true that animal improvement by genetic study and application is a long-time goal. I t is a fact that most of the animal populations in food-deficit countries are not producing at all near their genetic potential. Therefore, production can be rapidly increased within the existing animal populations. The immediate approach to increased production is through increased quantity and quality of the rationing of animals, improved animal and feed management practices, and better health and disease control. Of these, improved rationing perhaps is the most important. The approach to this should be development of the grassland resources. There are many and varied approaches, depending on local conditions, to increasing and improving rationing of ruminants through the grassland route. While investigational work is needed to answer some questions, great progress J. DAIEY SCIENCE VOL. 52, NO. 11

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can be made by intelligent adaptation and use of technology already at hand. A great deal can be done with small additional capital input. What is needed is the interest, will, and mobilization of talent, technology, technical guidance, and motivation of leaders and farmers alike to get on with the job. One would hope that as time passes the people that are concerned and lead in the task of increasing the world's food supplies will consider and upgrade the developmental programs to eapitalize on the opportunities animal production holds in contributing to the quantity and quality of food that the people need and want.

(2) (3)

(4)

(5) (6)

References

(1) Production Yearbook. 1967. Vo]. 21, Table

I and Table II. Food and Agr. Organization, Rome, Italy. The Third World Food Survey. 1963. Basic Study No. 11, Food and Agr. Organization, Rome, Italy. Hodgson, R. E. 1968. The place of forages in animal production, now and in years hence. Proc. Amer. Forage Grassland Count., Chicago, Illinois. Hodgson, R. E., et al. 1938. The nutritive value of home grown roughage rations for dairy cattle. Washington Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 336. Hodgson, R. E. 1954. Feeding dairy cows for efficient milk production. BDI-Info-164. USDA, Washington, D.C. Moore, L. A., P. A. Putnam, and N. D. Bayley. 1967. Ruminant livestock--their role in the world protein deficit. Agr. Sci. Rev., 5, no. 2. USDA, Washington, D.C.

Who Will Control the Price of Milk? 1 W. D. KNOX

Editor, Hoard's Dairyman, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538 Abstract

Since 1952, except for a few months during 1966, the price of milk in the United States has been controlled by the minimum price support level determined by the Secretary of Agriculture under the Agricultural Act of 1949. Class I prices in federal order markets are also determined by the Secretary through formulae adopted following public hearings. Currently, through horizontal integration, dairy cooperatives are attempting to gain control of sufficient milk that they can influence farm prices. I n the Associated Dairymen area, from Minnesota to the Mexican border, the goal is $154 million in added farm income through level Class I prices, reduced hauling costs, and retirement of high-cost processing plants. There are two primary obstacles to the success of the integration venture. Internally, there is the problem of the noneooperating cooperative. Proponents of dairy unity are hampered by the lack of majority rule legislation which would bind all produeers to marketing and pricing arrangements approved by a majority or two-thirds of the producers in a marketing area. Externally, rapidly increasing production in the European Economic Community and 1 Presented at the annual convention of the National Association of Animal Breeders, August 20, 1969, Madison, Wisconsin. ft. DAIRY SCIENCE VOL. 52, NO. 11

the Eastern Europe Communist Bloc has resulted in extensive export dumping and the demoralization of world trade. Without effective dairy import controls, the United States is vulnerable to the world overflow.

Introduction

Th e price of milk is of direct concern to farmers, processors, and consumers. For 35 years, the federal government has endeavored to influence the price of milk that farm income might be protected and an adequate supply of milk and dairy products assured the consuming population. Over this span of time, farmers selling milk or cream have declined in numbers from 2.4 million to less than 400,000. Those remaining are now bringing about some massive structural changes in the organizational framework of the nation's dairy cooperatives. I t was just four years ago in Washington, D.C., when it was my privilege to address your 18th annual convention on The Changing Dairy Policy Arena. I am not going to recultivate that ground. Instead, I will simply add two footnotes to the previous presentation. You may recall that I emphasized the historical background of the Class I base legislation which was then before the Congress. I t had been passed by the Senate in 1963. Shortly after your 18th annual meeting it was approved by the House of Representatives, but there