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CHAPTER 7 AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS GROWN FOR INDUSTRIAL USE COTTON Cotton is important both for the production of lint and cottonseed. For every 480-pound bale of cotton lint, 825 pounds of cottonseed are also produced. Historically, out of each ton of cottonseed crushed, oil accounts for 16 percent of the derived products, meal for 46 percent, hulls for 24 percent, and linters for 9 percent, with 5 percent being lost. The production of cotton in this country has changed little since the middle 1920s (Table 15). (All statistics are from the United States Department of Agriculture 1974 and earlier.) During the same period world production of cotton has increased as has the production of synthetic fibers. Cotton acreage in the United States has declined steadily from a high of 44.6 million acres in 1926 to 13.0 million in 1972. Yields per acre have risen steadily over the years to compensate. The United States is a major exporter and a limited importer of cotton. Recent estimates indicated that the United States is still the world's largest producer of cotton with a 1974-75 (August to July) output of 2.9 million tons (12.1 million bales of 480 pounds). This nation's percentage share of world production has been steadily declining over the years, however, from 63 percent in 1920 to 19 percent in 1974. The second largest producer, the U.S.S.R., is only slightly behind the United States with current production estimated at 2.88 million tons (12 million bales) for 1974- 75. The People's Republic of China is the world's third largest cotton producing nation with an estimated crop of 2.3 million tons (9.5 million bales), and India is fourth with 1.2 million tons (5.2 million bales). These four nations account for 63 percent of the current total world production of cotton. In a preliminary study in 1974, the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture estimated future production of cotton lint under a series of alternative assumptions (Quance 1974; Smith et al, 1974) Its Agricultural Baseline projection assumes a medium growth (series E) in population, moderate growth in income, and - 75 -
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moderate growth in farm exports. It is summarized for 1985 and 2000 in Table 16. In this projection, a declining demand indicated by a per capita consumption dropping from 16 pounds in 1974 to 14 in 1985 and to 12 pounds in 2000, coupled with little change in per-acre yields, would result in a decline in acreage planted to cotton from a present 13 million acres to slightly more than ten million acres. A more realistic scenario would include a continuing rise in yields per acre. The projection that cotton acreage will continue to decline through the year 2000 has been questioned by Michael J. Pallansch, Assistant Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Demand may not continue to fall if, indeed as many believe, the competitive inroads by petroleum-based fibers into cotton's traditional markets have ended, and that some reversal of past losses will occur. For instance, cotton/synthetic blend levels may well shift toward a higher cotton content. Also, future trends in heating and cooling of homes and offices may well change, due to higher energy costs and result in increased demand for cotton and wool apparel. Another factor that might favor the increased use of cotton is the relatively low amount of energy required for its production. Gatewood (1973) estimated that the production of cotton requires only one-fifth as much energy as that of synthetic fiber. Also, environmentally, cotton products are biodegradable. Reflecting these more optimistic prospects, the Cotton Council of America has provided projections of cotton production and energy requirements to achieve production at low, medium and high levels of per capita consumption for 1985 and 2000 (Tables 17 and 18). The 1985 range of per capita consumption of 14-18 pounds was projected in an economic analysis by Dudley (1974). The range for the year 2000 was increased to 15-20 pounds because of the projected 155 percent increase in real per capita income assumed in the economic parameters. A moderate increase in exports to 4 million bales in 1985 and 5 million in 2000 was based on the assumption that foreign countries will continue to have an increasing level of demand for feed and food crops, and this will constrain cotton production. Only moderate yield increases were assumed and the application rate of fertilizer was assumed to remain about the same. Fuels used in growing crops were assumed to drop by 5 percent for each period due to the emerging .trend toward minimum tillage and fuel conservation. Lower use of pesticides were predicated upon acreage shifts away from areas that are the heaviest consumers of pesticides and the development of insect and disease resistant varieties. The intensity of labor was - 77 -
Table 16 COTTON PRODUCTION AS PROJECTED BY U.S.D.A. ECONOMIC RESEARCH SERVICE 1972 1985 2000 Acreage - million acres 12,984 10,409 10,073 Yield - pounds per acre 507 506 515 Production - million bales 13.3 11.0 10.8 Imports - million bales 0.1 0.1 0.1 Exports - million bales 3.3 4.2 4.3 Net U.S. Consumption - million bales 10.1 6.9 6.6 Consumption per capita 18.7 14.0 12.0 Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (1974a). - 78 -
Table 17 COTTON PROJECTION SUMMARY FOR 1985 Cotton Council of America 1972 Base Data Low Medium High Per Capita Cotton Demand (Ibs) 20 14 16 18 Population (1,000,000) 235 235 235 Domestic Demand (millions of 480-lb. bales) 10. 0 6 .86 7.85 8.83 Exports (millions of 480-lb. bales) 3. 3 4 .0 4.0 4.0 Total Demand (millions of 480-lb. bales) 13. 3 10 .86 11.85 12.83 Yield per Harvested Acre (Ibs.) 507 515 515 515 Aba ndonmen t ( % ) 5 5 5 Planted Acreage (millions) 14 10 .13 11.04 11.96 Harvested Acreage (millions) 12. 98 9 .62 10.49 11.36 Inputs for Production Fertilizer (millions nutrient Ibs.) 1,500 1,116 1,217 1,317 Fuel (million gallons) 246 268 290 Pesticides (million Ibs. active ingred.) 112 68 .5 74.7 80.9 Seed (thousand tons) 180 127 138 149 Labor (million man-hours) 202 127 139 150 Irrigated Acreage (millions) 3. 44 3 .30 3.59 3.89 Harvesting (millions of 480-lb. bales) 13. 27 10 .87 11.85 12.83 Ginning (millions of 480-lb. bales) 13. 27 10 .87 11.85 12.83 Cottonseed (millions tons) 5. 44 4 .48 4.89 5.29 Energy Consumption Total energy consumed through ginning (billions Btu) Fuel 31,920 34,774 37,629 Fertilizer 2,051 2,237 2,421 Pesticides 783 854 924 Irrigation 13,038 14,184 15,370 Ginning 1,669 1,819 - 1,970 Total 49,461 53,868 58,314 Btu Per Ib. Lint 9,488 9,470 9,469 Kw. Hr./lb. Lint 3. 30 2.781 2.776 2.775 Cost of Production Total Cost Per Harvested Acre of Producing Lint and Seed $156 $250 $322 $413 Cost of Producing a Pound of Lint Adjusted for Seed Value at $150/ton .36 .50 .67 Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (1974a) - 79 -
Table 18 COTTON PROJECTION SUMMARY FOR 2000 Cotton Council of America Low Medium High Per Capita Cotton Demand (Ibs.) 15 17.5 20 Population (1,000,000) 264 264 264 Domestic Demand (millions of 480-lb. bales) 8.26 9.64 11.02 Exports (millions of 480-lb. bales) Total Demand (millions of 480-lb. bales) 5.0 13.26 5.0 14.64 5.0 16.02 Yield Per Acre (Ibs.) 540 540 540 Abandonment (%) 4 4 4 Planted Acreage (millions) 12.28 13.56 14.83 Harvested Acreage (millions) 11.79 13.01 14.24 Inputs for Production Fertilizer (millions nutrient Ibs.) 1,368 1,510 1,652 Fuel (million gallons) 286 316 346 Pesticides (million Ibs. active ingred.) 60.9 67.2 73.5 Seed (thousand tons) 154 169 185 Labor (million man-hours) 128 142 155 Irrigated Acreage (millions) Harvesting (millions of 480-lb. bales) Ginning (millions of 480-lb. bales) 3.46 13.26 13.26 3.82 14.64 14.64 4.18 16.02 16.02 Cottonseed (million tons) 5.64 6.22 6.81 Energy Consumption Total energy consumed through ginning (billions Btu) Fuel 37,123 41,017 44,911 Fertilizer 2,514 2,775 3,036 Pesticides 696 768 840 Irrigation 13,6711 15,093 16,516 Ginning 2,035 2,248 2,460 Total 56,039 61,901 67,763 Btu Per Ib. Lint 8,804 8,809 8,812 Kw. Hr./lb. Lint 2.58 2.58 2.58 Cost of Production Total Cost per Harvested Acres of Producing Lint and Seed $311 $496 $783 Cost of Producing a Pound of Lint InO ,â; Adjusted for Seed Value at $190/ton .41 .75 .28 Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (1974a) - 80 -
as estimated to drop 15 percent by 1985 and another 15 percent by 2000 because of the trend toward minimum tillage and improved pesticides. Irrigated acreage was expected to decline because of the falling water table in the high plains of Texas. In terms of acreage, cotton currently accounts for 13 million, or less than 4 percent of the total United States crop acreage of 360 million acres. The projected acreage is expected to drop to 10 million acres by 2000 in the Economic Research Service projections and to range from 11.8 to 14.2 million acres in the low and high levels of the Cotton Council of America projections. Since cotton was grown on as many as 45 million acres in the mid 1920s (albeit to a considerable extent en non-irrigated lands not used for cotton today), there is obviously no shortage of farm land suitable for meeting future cotton demands in the United States. Whether or not these lands will be used for cotton will depend upon the relative profitability of growing alternative feed and food crops on them. In terms of yields per acre, both sets of projections assume only modest improvement to 515 or 540 pounds per acre as compared to 507 in 1972. The National Research Councils 1975 report on Agricultural Production Efficiency indicates clearly that substantially higher yields are biologically feasible through the application of more intensive agricultural practices. For example hybrid cotton is a possibility for potentially producing much higher yields. We may safely conclude, therefore, that the limitations of cotton production in the United States are imposed to a much greater extent by economic restraints than by the availability of suitable farm land or by biological considerations. FLAX Flax is grown in the United States primarily for the linseed oil obtained from flaxseed, although a small amount of flax straw (36,000 tons) is pulped for cigarette and electrical condenser paper. It is grown primarily in the Dakotas and adjoining states in the northern Great Plains. United States production of flaxseed peaked in the early 1950's (Table 19) and has since declined severely. In 1970, the United States production of 839,000 tons was 19 percent of the world production of 4,478,000 tons. Of the United States production, 165,000 tons or 20 percent was exported. By 1974, the acreage planted to flax had dropped to 1.64 million, the yield per harvested acre had dropped from 10.4 - 81 -
in 1970 to 8.1 and the production had dropped from 30 million bushels in 1970 to 13 million in 1974. Considerable uncertainties face flaxseed as a crop. The level of production might be reduced even further if the demand for food crops increases, since synthetics could at least partially replace linseed oil for many industrial uses. Another oil crop, sunflower seed, may be replacing flaxseed in some producing areas. The United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service estimates that production of flaxseed will increase slightly to 781,000 tons in 1985 and drop to 700,000 tons in 2000 (Smith et al. 1974). The corresponding acreage devoted to the crop would increase to 2.16 million bushels in 1985 and drop to 1.78 million in 2000. Yields would increase from 12.9 bushels per acre in 1985 to 14.3 bushels per acre in 2000. Two-thirds of the crop would be used for industrial purposes in the United States and the rest exported. The above projections are probably optimistic since the long-term trend of flax production in the United States has been downward for nearly a quarter century. Even if realized, however, the projected production figures would impose no major load on United States agricultural land. As with cotton, the limitations on flaxseed production in this country are economic and not the result of shortages of suitable land or limits of biological production. MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL CROPS Other than cotton and flax, a number of other vegetable fibers are imported into the United States but not grown domestically. of these, the most important is jute, which is largely imported in the manufactured form (Table 20). Since these fibers are from crops grown primarily in tropical and semi-tropical countries, their potential in the United States is limited. There are, however a few Agave species of possible industrial value that thrive in the southwestern states. Only 276 tons of silk were imported into the United States in 1972. There was no domestic production. On the other hand, Texas produced about 5000 tons of mohair from the Angora goat in 1972, and accounted for about 30 percent of the world's production. Of the vegetable oils, tung oil is used primarily for industrial purposes. The production of tung nuts from tung tree plantations dropped from a high of 123 thousand tons in 1964 to 12 thousand tons in 1970, at which time estimates - 82 -
Table 19 PRODUCTION OF FLAXSEED IN THE UNITED STATES Acreage Harvested 1000 Acres Weight 1000 (Tons) Farm Value $1000 Year 1920 1925 3,022 625 50,577 1930 3,780 607 34,950 1935 2,126 3,182 418 866 21,181 43,793 1940 1945 3,785 968 99,912 1950 4,090 1,127 134,531 1955 4,914 1,132 117,349 1960 3,342 851 80,533 1965 2,775 991 99,168 1970 2,888 839 71,803 1972 1,151 389 39,213 1974 1,645 373 126,034 One ton of flaxseed will yield 722 pounds of linseed oil. Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (1974a). - 83 -
Table 20 VEGETABLE FIBERS IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED STATES, 1972 Tons Bast fibers Jute - raw 14,764 manufactured 447,406 Flax 3,084 Leaf fibers Abaca or manila 20,528 Sisal 15,401 Henequen 39,710 Seed and Fruit-hair fibers Cotton 18,000 Coir 4,135 Kapok 12,361 Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (1974a). - 84 -
s were discontinued. Production was concentrated in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Coconut oil is extensively used in industrial detergents, and castor oil, though used in only small quantities, is also important. None of these miscellaneous industrial crops would appear to impose any increased demands upon United States crop lands over the forthcoming decades. AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS WITH IMPORTANT SECONDARY INDUSTRIAL USES Wool Also affected by market competition with synthetic fibers is wool, the principal animal fiber. From a peak United States population of 56 million sheep in 1942, numbers dropped to 18.7 million in 1972. The tonnage of wool produced has similarly dropped by two-thirds to 83 thousand in 1972 (Table 21) . The average weight of wool per sheep has remained at approximately 8.5 pounds over recent years. While United States production of raw wool has decreased, world production has increased. The United States share of world production dropped from 10 percent in 1910 to less than 3 percent in 1970. Wool production in the United States will probably not depend on demand for wool or even on the value of wool. Wool is produced in this country largely as a by-product of meat production, and its removal is essential to the survival of sheep in most of the United States. Wool does represent a portion of income to the sheep raiser. This situation may change if synthetics increase substantially in cost or if demand for wool increases greatly. Sheep are competitive with cattle in the use of range. Under western range conditions, sheep consume larger proportions of browse and shrubby plants and smaller proportions of grass than cattle. Optimum range rise comes from joint grazing by sheep and cattle. Sheep are generally more efficient producers of meat than cattle because of their higher prolificacy and shorter growing period, and are reported to be about 26 percent more efficient than cattle on the range. Cattle, however, seem to make better use than sheep of low cost grain. The present ratio of the value of cattle to sheep is 5.2 to 1. In the past, sheep numbers have generally increased - 85 -
Table 21 U. S. RAW WOOL PRODUCTION U . S . Production Wool Production U. S. Imports (2) thousand tons(D million dollars thousand tons (1) thousand tons Year 1920 147 $114 1,526 N/A 1925 150 100 1,680 49 1930 207 69 1,852 54 1935 214 70 1,802 70 1940 217 106 2,090 107 1945 189 129 1,895 255 1950 125 135 2,000 233 1955 141 103 2,342 124 1960 149 111 2,820 114 1965 112 95 2,920 136 1970 88 57 3,077 77 1972 83 56 _- Includes both shorn and pulled wool, grease basis. Clean content apparel and carpet wool. Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (1974a). - 86 -
relative to cattle when the ratio of relative values has fallen below 7 to 1. Because of this favorable economic ratio, and because of substantial technoloqical advances in the breeding and rearinq of sheep, Clair E. Terrill of the APS projects an increase in sheep numbers to beqin in the next 2 years and to reach a 50 percent increase by 1985. Available technology should permit a further 50 percent increase by 2000. Thus, we could qo from 15 million sheep in 1975 to 22 million in 1985 and to 235 million in 2000. If this were to happen, wool production would increase from 69 million tons in 1974 to 93 million tons in 1985 and 940 million in 2000. Obviously, these predictions assume major chanqes in what the American public habitually eats and wears, as well as a reversal of the lonq-term decline in the United States sheep industry. The ERS forecasts a decline in the amount of meat produced by sheep and lambs by 1985 to 35 percent of the 1970-72 average (Smith et al. 1974). Dudley (1974) also estimates that the consumption of wool will decrease from 2 pounds per capita in 1968-70 to 1 pound per capita in 1985. In either case, the value of the wool itself will have relatively little direct effect upon the numbers of sheep and lambs raised in the United States in the future. Rather, the demand for their meat will be the principal determininq factor. Should the use of range be substantially increased both for cattle and sheep, bioloqical factors could well be limitinq in the future. However, this is a problem for those concerned with aqricultural food production. For both animals, industrial uses are secondary to food. Animal By-Products Animal by-products form a recurrinq and renewable resource that contributes siqnificantly to our national economy. The two major by-products are hides and skins, and fats. The number of hides available is directly related to the number of animals slauqhtered. Cattle hides have constituted the main raw materials for leather production; only a small number of piqskins are tanned for leather. The recent development of a mechanical piqskin puller could make piqskins more readily available for tanninq, and thus piqskins hold considerable potential for increasing our supplies of leather. Currently, pigskins are used primarily for the production of gelatin, and their ultimate use will be controlled by the competitive position of the two markets. - 87 -
Animal fats consist primarily of tallow and grease from cattle, and lard from hoqs. In recent years, over 5 billion pounds of tallow and grease have been produced annually. About half of this quantity has been exported. Of the domestic production in 1973, the largest market has been animal feed (37 percent), followed by fatty acid production (30 percent), soap (21 percent), lubricants (4 percent) and miscellaneous uses (8 percent). Animal fats, which are of a hydrocarbon nature, constitute a renewable resource that has a potential for supplementing our growing demands for petroleum needed in the manufacture of petrochemicals. Lard production has decreased from 2.6 billion pounds in 1960 to 1.6 billion in 1972. The production of these products is entirely dependent upon the number of animals raised for food. Preliminary projections of the ERS indicate a slaughter of 50 million head of cattle in 1985 and of 61 million head in the year 2000, compared with a total of 36 million in 1972 (Smith et al. 1974) . Comparable projections for hog slaughter are 106 million for 1985 and 120 million in 2000, compared with 86 million in 1972. The resulting production of tallow and grease from cattle and lard from hogs would rise from 7.2 billion pounds in 1972 to 9.4 billion pounds in 1985, and to 11.3 billion pounds in 2000. The quantities of major animal by-products (fats, hides) available would thus seem to be sufficient to supply both domestic and foreign demand for the rest of this century. Substantially expanded supplies of cattle hides, pigskins and tallow should be available. Lard production should plateau at a level not too different from that of recent years. Oilseed Crops Oil from cottonseed is an important secondary product from the cotton plant, which is primarily grown for its fiber. In addition, several other oilseed crops grown primarily for the feed and food value of their seed have important secondary industrial uses. Soybean and peanut crops are the most important of these. Of the total United States consumption of fats and oils of 16 billion pounds in 1972, 5 billion, or about one-third, was used for industrial purposes. Of this industrial usage of 5,338 million pounds, 724 million pounds or 14 percent was used in the manufacture of soap, and 569 million pounds or 11 percent was used in drying-oil products. Both categories of use have been declining in recent years. About one-third of the production of peanut oil goes into - 88 -
industrial uses, while less than one-fifth of soybean oil is similarly used. In contrast to flaxseed, a crop whose production has declined substantially in recent years, the production of both soybeans and peanuts has increased over time (Table 22). The history of soybeans since 1950 has been one of moderately increasing yields up to 1971 and a dramatically increasing harvested acreage. Yield per acre increased by 28 percent between 1950 and 1973. Acreage, however, increased more than four-fold in the same 24-year span. The overall result was a five-fold increase in production. Peanuts contrast with soybeans in that yield has increased dramatically while acreage has actually decreased since 1950. Between 1950 and 1973, yield increased 2-1/2 times while acreage dropped by one-third. Production increased 70 percent during the same period. The EFS projects increases in the yield of soybeans from 28 bushels per harvested acre in 1972 to 32 in 1985 and 34 in 2000 (Smith et al., 1974). The acreage devoted to the crop is expected to rise from 46 million acres harvested in 1972 to 66 million in 1985 and 85 million in 2000. The projected production would then move up from 1.3 billion bushels in 1972 to 2.0 billion in 1985 and 2.9 billion in 2000. These yield projections are based upon expected levels of technology and pesticide and fertilizer application rates in the respective years. According to Billy E. Caldwell (personal communication, 1975, U.S. Department of Agriculture), there is no biological reason that these trends will not change, and the United States average yield in 1985 could be 38 to 40 bushels per acre and nearly 50 for the year 2000. The limitations on soybeans are both environmental and biological. Current varieties will yield 80 bushels per acre with proper technology; the major limiting factor is water. For peanuts, the ERS projects that the 1972 yield of 2,203 pounds per harvested acre will rise to 2,739 in 1985 and 3,079 in 2000 (Smith et al., 1974). Acreage, at present closely controlled by the U.S.D.A., will increase from 1.5 million acres harvested in 1972 to 1.8 million in 1985 and 2.1 million acres in 2000. Thus, production would go up from 3.3 billion pounds in 1972 to 4.8 billion in 1985 and 6.4 billion in 2000. - 89 -
Table 22 PRODUCTION OF SOYBEANS AND PEANUTS IN THE UNITED STATES Soybeans Peanuts Acreage Weight Farm Value Acreage Weight Farm Value Harvested 1000 tons $1000 Harvested 1000 tons $1000 Year 1000 acres 1000 acres 1925 415 146 11,430 996 361 30,836 1930 1,074 418 19,058 1,073 349 24,462 1935 2,915 1,467 35,565 1,497 576 36,181 1940 4,807 2,341 70,224 2,052 883 58,850 1945 10,740 5,795 402,234 3,160 1,021 168,878 1050 13,807 8,977 737,760 2,262 1,018 221,881 1955 18,620 11,210 830,909 1,669 774 181,985 1960 23,655 16,659 1,184,910 1,395 859 171,991 1965 34,449 25,368 2,151,305 1,435 1,192 272,000 1970 42,249 33,813 3,214,710 1,467 1,489 383,000 1972 45,755 36,488 4,451,797 1,486 1,637 475,000 One ton of peanuts yields 626 pounds of oil, and one ton of soybeans yields 364 pounds of oil. Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (1974a). - 90 -
of the long runner variety. In summary, we see that both soybeans and peanuts are expanding crops likely to be more important in the future than at present. Their industrial uses are decidedly secondary to their uses for feed and food, both in amount used and even more so in the dollar value of such uses. Future acreage devoted to them in the United States, therefore, will be determined in large part by relative economic returns from other food crops that can be grown on the same sites. Residues From Agricultural Food Crops Residues of food crops often have an industrial use. Some residues, such as wheat straw, are left in the field; others, such as bagasse, are concentrated at a processing site; still others, such as vegetable oil foots and animal tallows, are a result of the manufacturing process. Manure is available in large guantities at cattle feedlots, and processed sewer sludge is similarly concentrated at urban sewage disposal plants. Only small quantities of these residues are currently used as industrial materials because of low value coupled with high collecting and processing costs. Yet the potential uses for these large organic materials are great, should there be an economic incentive or should national policy require their use. Wheat and other cereal straws normally left in the field amounted to over 130 million tons dry weight in 1972. As recently as 1950, some 50 pulp mills in the United States produced 650,000 tons of pulp from wheat straw. Although currently discontinued, this once important source of cellulose could be used again. Bagasse is available in large quantities at sugar mills, but it must be dried and stored until needed. Of 5.5 million tons produced annually, only 218,000 tons are currently used for pulp and wallboard. Much of the rest is used for fuel in sugar mills. A small amount of flax straw is also pulped. Other field crop residues, chiefly corn stalks, contribute to a grand total of more than 300 million tons of plant fibers available annually if needed. Animal waste and by-products are important potential sources of organic materials (Anderson 1972). It has been estimated that 26 million tons of dry organic solids are currently available each year as manure from the largest poultry and hog operations and from feedlots with 1,000 or more head of cattle. An additional 23 million tons of - 91 -
organic waste are annually available from the largest processing facilities, such as canneries, mills, slaughter houses, and dairies. The utilization of waste organic materials from agriculture involves more than a purely economic problem. These wastes also constitute an immense pollution problem (Hadleigh 1968). Stream eutrophication and contamination may arise from the disposal of animal organic wastes. Crop residues may harbor breeding populations of destructive insects and diseases. Increasingly, the industrial use of agricultural residues, even if not profitable, may be the best way of reducing waste pollution. In summary, agricultural residues, such as straw, stalks, and manure, are potential sources of organic material and fuel. Concentrations of such materials, as at sugar cane mills and feedlots, may well be increasingly economically usable in the future, especially since disposal is often a necessity. At least 50 million tons (dry weight) per year of animal and plant residues are currently collectible and offer possibilities for use as fuel or in industry. Future production of plant and animal residues will be almost entirely determined by food requirements and use. If we assume continued population increase and to produce, concomitantly, an increase in agricultural residues. The extent to which these will be used for industrial purposes is uncertain, but they will be abundantly available. - 92 -
