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Agriscience in our Growing World Continued… Agriscience Course Improving Life through Agriscience Research Americans have long appreciated the extensive research on the peanut done by the American scientist George Washington Carver, who is credited with finding more than 300 uses for the peanut. These include food for humans, feed for livestock, cooking fats and oils, cosmetics, wallboard, plastics, paints, and explosives. Less known are the secrets of the soybean. The Chinese have known for centuries that the soybean is a versatile plant with many uses. Calling it the “yellow jewel”, the Chinese are said to have grown the soybean 3,000 years ago. The strong flavor of the soybean itself is not appealing, but the bean is a legume and is nutritious. A legume is a plant that hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These bacteria convert nitrogen from the air to a form that can be used by plants. They also convert atmospheric nitrogen to excellent sources of protein for humans and animals. Tofu A Chinese scholar is believed to have first made tofu from soybeans in 164 B.C. Tofu is a popular Chinese food made by boiling and crushing soybeans, coagulating the resulting soy milk, and pressing the curds into desired shapes. Today, tofu is a major food in the diet of China’s huge population. Tofu contributes to a reasonably healthful diet. It can be fermented; marinated; smoked; steamed; deepfried; sliced; shredded; made into candy; or shaped into loaves, cakes, or noodles. Soy Oil Soy oil is the world’s most plentiful vegetable oil. It is first extracted from the soybean, and the material that is left is processed into a protein-rich livestock feed known as soybean meal. The components of the soybean are used for hundreds of items. These range from food products to lubricants, paper, chalk, paint, printing ink, and plastics. Baked Potatoes Many improvements in our way of life can be traced to Agriscience research. For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture developed many pest-resistant varieties of potatoes. A case in point is the work with the Katahdin, a popular potato variety of the 1930s. From the Katahdin, scientists developed the BelRus, a superior baking variety bred to grow well in the Northeast. In a similar manner, the Russet potato grown in the volcanic soils of Idaho and the Northwest has been improved through research. Selection of parent stock has increased its resistance to diseases and insects, resulting in greater yields. Turkey for the Small Family In your grandparents’ time, Thanksgiving was probably observed by having all the relatives visit to consume the typical 30 lb. turkey. As families became smaller and more scattered, the need for such large birds decreased; but even people with small families liked turkey. The 30 lb. bird was too much, so the problem was to develop a breed of turkey that weighed 8 to 12 lb. at maturity. A solution was the Beltsville Small White turkey, named after the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, where the breed was developed. Further research and development have yielded meat animals with high yields of lean meat and less fat. The Green Revolution During the 1950s, starvation was rampant in many countries of the world. A major question was: “Could the world’s agriculture sustain the new population growth?” The solution was partly in the development of new, higher-yielding, disease-and insect-resistant varieties of small grains for developing countries. The result was the Green Revolution, a process whereby many countries became self-sufficient in food production in the 1960s by using improved plant varieties and proven management practices. Biological Attractants The use of chemical pesticides usually provides short-term solutions to many insect-control problems. However, it has become apparent that chemicals have some disadvantages and that additional means of control must be found. A partial solution was to discover chemicals that insects produce and give off to attract their mates. These chemicals are now produced in the laboratory. Laboratory production of these chemicals has permitted mass trapping of insects to survey insect populations for integrated pest-management programs. Breakthroughs in Agriscience Genetically Engineered Tomato Calgene, an agricultural biotechnology firm in Davis, California, developed a bioengineered tomato that resists rotting. The new tomato was developed by turning off the gene that causes the tomato to soften and rot. The new tomato lasts longer on the shelf at the grocery store, retains its flavor longer, and has proven superior in taste tests. Breakthroughs in Agriscience Natural Rubber Production Scientists at the USDA Western Regional Research Center at Albany, California, have modified a scrubby bush called “guayule” by genetically engineering methods to produce up to 1,000 kg of rubber per hectare from the plant. The This plant looks like sagebrush. new technology makes it possible to produce a domestic supply of natural rubber in the U.S. Breakthroughs in Agriscience Bioengineered Designer Foods By altering the genetic structure of food products, scientists have created new foods such as crispy vegetables, sweeter carrots, leaner meats, high-protein milk, longer-lasting melons, and healthier cooking oils. Monoclonal Antibodies in Goats’ Milk Monoclonal antibodies are natural substances in blood that fight diseases and infections. Transgenic goats have been developed by inserting a gene into the goats’ DNA, causing them to produce and secrete up to 4 g. of the monoclonal antibody in each liter of milk. This level of antibody production is 10 to 100 times greater than traditional methods of production from cell cultures. This early work with transgenic goats produced an anticancer antibody. Breakthroughs in Agriscience Bio-Diesel from Animal Fat Excess animal fat (tallow) that is trimmed from the carcasses of meat animals is a low-value by-product of the meat-processing industry. A process has been developed that converts tallow to bio-diesel, a product much like the diesel fuel extracted from crude oil. The fat is heated to a liquid, followed by a purification process. The purified fat product is then mixed with methyl alcohol and a chemical catalyst. The bio-diesel that is produced from this process has approximately the same heating value and power potential as traditional diesel fuel, and it will burn in an ordinary diesel engine. Breakthroughs in Agriscience Mastitis Reduced The mastitis organism has always been a serious problem for dairy farmers. Mastitis is an infection of the milk-secreting glands of cattle, goats, and other milk-producing animals. The resulting loss of milk production adds millions of dollars yearly to the cost of milk in the United States. Recent research efforts resulted in the development of abraded plastic loops for insertion into cow udders. The procedure results in a reduction of clinical mastitis of 75%. The reduction in infections resulted in increased milk production, averaging nearly 4 lb. of milk per cow per day. Breakthroughs in Agriscience Exotic flowers Horticulturists, gardeners, and hobbyists will be delighted with the new varieties of impatiens. Plant explorers introduced exotic new germ plasm, and plant breeders developed a new technique called ovuleculture to develop hybrids and new kinds of impatiens. A hybrid is the offspring of a plant or animal derived from the crossing of two different species or varieties. Breakthroughs in Agriscience Satellites and Nitrogen Gas Lasers Nutrient deficiencies in growing corn and soybean crops are not easy to detect from the ground. A deficiency occurs when a nutrient is not available in the amounts that are needed for optimum growth. New technology now permits the monitoring from satellites of deficiencies of iron, nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients using nitrogen gas lasers (devices used to determine wavelengths given off by the plants). These wavelengths indicate the levels of various nutrients in plants. Agriscience & the Future In 2011, the average American farmer was capable of producing enough food and fiber for approximately 167 people. Agriscience will become even more important in the next 100 years. As the world’s population increases, it will require a highly sophisticated Agriscience industry to provide the food, clothing, building materials, ornamental plants, recreation areas, and openspace needs for the world’s billions. Americans will have to work more in the international arena as more countries become highly competitive in Agriscience and as trade barriers are removed. Research and development will continue to play a dominate role as they lead the way in Agriscience expansion in the future. Agriscience & the Future The USDA has developed the following mission statement to guide the agency: We provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. The new century and millennium bring a new set of challenges to the U.S. and world agriculture. The international business economy is a dominant factor in marketing agricultural products. A major share of U.S. agricultural production is now consumed in foreign countries, and this trend is expected to increase the volume of agricultural commodities that are sold outside U.S. borders. Canada and Mexico have become two of our biggest markets. They have also become successful competitors with the United States for a world market share in some agricultural commodity markets. Agriscience & the Future The future of U.S. agriculture will require that farmers become even more efficient in the production of food and fiber crops. Animal agriculture will depend on scientific improvements in production methods and in the genetic superiority of food animals to improve the quality of animal products. The efficiency with which they are produced must also improve for animal products to continue to demand a strong market share of the food supply in a world crowded with humans. Brainstorm In groups of 3-4, develop an idea for a new piece of farm equipment that will improve the harvest or production of a locally grown crop, farming technique, or ranching practice.
