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MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION NO. 10 65, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



operations. They are also an important part of a 

 few specialized dairy and poultry operations in 

 areas near large metropolitan centers. Pertinent 

 economic aspects of alternative means of waste 

 disposal and regulation of disposal methods in- 

 clude effects of disposal methods on production 

 costs, farm incomes, and the supply and quality 

 of food produced. 



Many firms processing agricultural commodi- 

 ties have serious problems in disposing of their 

 byproducts or wastes. Most of the past research has 

 been directed at developing new products, or uses 

 for existing products, or finding a low-cost method 

 of disposing of the wastes. Industries with the 

 most acute waste problems include dairy, meat, 

 poultry, cereal milling, and wool scouring proces- 

 sors. Waste materials from these industries include 

 offal, blood, bones, feathers, grease, starch, and 

 water. Research conducted since the late 1950's to 

 help put these wastes in a more marketable form 

 has been highly successful. 



In response to the President's message concern- 

 ing the Water Quality Act of 1965 pertaining to 

 our "rivers flowing red with blood from slaughter 

 houses," new methods for handling packinghouse 

 wastes are being investigated. Two methods which 

 currently look favorable are (1) treating these 

 wastes with polyelectrolytes, and (2) converting 

 them into a protein supplement by a phosphoric 

 acid digestion method. 



Research Accomplishments. — Numerous market- 

 ing research reports have been published during 

 the last 10 years in an effort to find new markets or 

 develop new products for the wastes from in- 

 dustries processing agricultural products. Results 

 indicated that ( 1 ) spent sugarcane can be used for 

 making paper; (2) hide trimmings and fleshings 

 can be converted to a high-protein feed; (3) irri- 

 gation is a low-cost disposal method for poultry 

 and dairy sewage; (4) drying of blood in poultry 

 and meatpacking plants increases returns; (5) 

 development of hydrolized feather meal increases 

 returns to poultry processors; (6) citrus pulp is 

 an economical feed; (7) recovery of wool grease 

 is economical in some instances; and (8) alterna- 

 tive methods and their costs are available to the 



cereal starch industry for controlling stream 

 pollution. 



Detailed studies of waste treatment methods for 

 canners of tomatoes, corn, apples, peaches, cherries, 

 beans, and mixed products were completed in 1958. 

 Results indicate fruit and vegetable canners can 

 adequately control their effluent by screening, bio- 

 logical treatment, lagooning, or spray irrigation. 



In 1964, farmers spent, on the average, about 

 $300 for pesticides (11) . This did not include pesti- 

 cides used for treating seeds, stored crops, or stor- 

 age buildings, or in farm households, farmyards 

 and gardens. Expenditures ranged from a high of 

 $882 per farm in the Pacific States to $119 in the 

 Northern Plains. Ninety-four percent of the 

 farmers surveyed used some pesticides. The pro- 

 portion of farms using pesticides did not vary 

 appreciably from region to region or among differ- 

 ent types of farms. Farmers with the highest sales, 

 that is $40,000 or more annually, accounted for 

 43 percent of the money spent on pesticides. 

 Eighty-five percent of the pesticides were used on 

 crops, and 11 percent were used on poultry and 

 livestock. 



Many firms processing agricultural commodities 

 have put the recommendations of marketing re- 

 search into action. The best examples are the re- 

 covery of blood, offal, feathers, and grease from 

 livestock and poultry industries. Other examples 

 are the installation of irrigation systems for using 

 waste water from the poultry and dairy industries. 

 Currently, 14 tanners and hide dealers have in- 

 stalled processes for converting hide trimmings to 

 high-protein feed. 



Although past and current research does assist 

 in making decisions in regard to waste disposal, 

 the efforts are inadequate to provide optimal solu- 

 tions to waste disposal problems. There is an ur- 

 gent need for national and regional surveys of 

 rural waste problems. Likewise, studies should be 

 initiated to identify economic and social implica- 

 tions of selected problems. Alternatives for allevia- 

 tion of waste problems should be evaluated to pro- 

 vide essential information for arriving at rational 

 compromises between production efficiency and en- 

 vironmental quality. 



