UNIVERSITY PARK -
Population growing faster than
food production now occurring m
Africa and South Asia is the most
difficult food problem worldwide,
according to a Penn State
economist working to improve
international agriculture.
Wayne A. Schutjer, College of
Agriculture economist, said the
worst gap between food production
Conference outlines
in livestock, poultry
ST. LOUIS, Mo. Animal health
and nutrition experts reported
current developments in livestock
and poultry research at the 29th
Annual Pfizer Research Con
ference recently.
The keynote address was
presented by Walter F. Mondale,
former Vice President of the
United States, who discussed his
views on current affairs.
Following are highlights of the
research summaries presented:
Rumim. : Nutrition
Donald G. Wagner, professor of
animal science, Oklahoma State
University, reported that in 1980
much research effort contmued to
be devoted to the understanding of
factors affecting more efficient
protein production and utilization
by ruminants. Many factors ap
pear important in affecting protein
degradability in the rumen,
bacterial protein synthesis and
animal responses to protein or
nitrogen supplementation.
A variety of effective methods
are being achieved for improving
utilization of low quality forages
although still not economical.
Progress is being made in un
derstanding the factors limiting or
enhancing biological output and
.efficiency of the ruminant system.
These include defining limiting
amino acids and amino acid
requirements for various
biological progresses,
requirements Tor greater bac
teriological protein production in
the rumen, factors affecting the
nature, efficiency and extent of
digestive processes in the rumen
vs. lower digestive tract, and the
role of buffers and when they
appear most useful.
Poultry Nutrition
Edwin T. Moran Jr., professor of
poultry science, University of
Guelpn, Ontario, Canada, reported
that energy was the foremost topic
of research in poultry nutrition
during 1960. Measurement of true
energy available from feed and
feedstuffs had considerable at
tention.
Use of fat and carbohydrate
forms of energy by the bird were
also well investigated. Objectives
were not only to meet a
requirement for energy but to
present a balance between fat and
carbohydrate suited to the activity
and environment. Also, research
interest m a practical approach to
measuring amino acid availability
gained momentum. Increasing
productive efficiency was at
tempted by altering the manner in
which feed is presented.
Diverse mineral and vitamin
studies showed phosphorus
adequacy and fasting could in
crease liveability of birds during
heat stress, egg size and shell
quality could be improved by
appropriate manipulation of
calcium and phosphorus. In
vestigations on selenium and
vitamin E showed that the
metabolic functions of each were
discrete yet interrelated.
Swine Nutrition
Trygve L. Veum, professor of
annual nutrition. University of
Missouri, reported that protein and
carbohydrate components of milk
can ibe replaced by more
economical ingredients for ar
tificial rearing of pigs. British
Population US, food
and food needs is centered in
Africa and South Asia where food
production per person declined
between 1970 and 1980.
“Africa and South Asia are the
continents where the largest
population growth will continue,”
he affirmed. “The population of
Africa, which stood at 401 million
in 1975, is projecteu to reach 823
million by the next century.
researchers got acceptable per
formance from pigs fed a mixture
where 40 percent of the milk
protein was replaced with isolated
soybean protein. Missouri
researchers found glucose
basically equivalent to lactose for
pigs. They also found that pigs can
utilize sucrose at an earlier age (15
to 36 days of age) than was earlier
thought.
Laurence A. Davey, manager of
animal nutrition research, Pfizer
Central Research, Sandwich,
Kent, England, presented data
showing that the use of Mecadox, a
non-antibiotic antibacterial food
additive, significantly reduces
is critical, says
“South Asia, with the current
population of 1.2 billion, will
surpass 4.1 billion within another
hundred years. That many
billions,” he added, “about equals
the population of the entire world
back m 1975.”
To back his observations,
Schutjer said food production in
the less developed nations grew at
a faster rate than in the developed
progress
research
multiple antibiotic resistance and
the number of R-factor
(resistance) carrying strains of E.
coli in the gut of pigs.
Steven C. Henry, DVM, Abilene
Animal Hospital, Abilene, Kansas,
reported on the practical aspects
of swine dysentery control. He
pointed out that facilities, labor,
economics and most of all, com
mitment, determine the effort and
eventual success achieved in
dysentery control on a farm. The
persistence of pork producers
coupled with the knowledge and
skill available through veterinary
medicine can today make swine
dysentery control possible.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 6,1981—A17
Penn State economist
nations from 1970 to 1980.
Nevertheless, rapid population
growth in the “have not” countries
allowed almost no additional food
per person. In the developed
nations, food production per
person increased by 8 percent from
1970 to 1980.
The population versus food
situation is further complicated by
periodic famine among low income
groups throughout the globe,
closely related to chrome hunger
among 750 million people.
For 17 years, Schutjer has
conducted studies of international
agricultural development. During
an 18 month leave-of-absence, he
served as the Southeast Asia
Program Advisor for the Ford
Foundation. Earlier he directed
the Research and Training Net
work of the Agricultural
Development Council, a private
foundation in New York City. Prior
to this he was in the Policy Plan
ning Division of the Agency for
International Development, U.S.
Department of State.
The Penn State economist said
programs and policies are
available for the U.S. and other
nations to assist “have not”
countries in meeting their food
needs. Ultimately, however,
solutions must be found in the food-
deficit nations themselves, he
affirmed.
For “have not” nations to
provide adequate food, birth
control must be used widely and
other social and economic changes
must be introduced into
agriculture, Schutjer declared.
“It’s an old story but one that
bears repeating,” he said. “Social
and economic changes that
redistribute mcome downward
provide income to buy food. And
farmers need access to land and
capital to increase food production
- both lacking in many less
developed nations.”
He indicated the transformation
from “have not” to “have” will be
difficult, expensive, time
consuming, and not without
political turmoil and violence in
many countries.
“To redistribute assets and
create institutions to benefit the
poor and those not well served goes
against the existing patterns of
wealth and power,” he noted.
He concluded that the U.S. can
serve a major role in developing
agricultural technology for use m
the less developed countries. But
he said it is not likely that the
“have not” nations will welcome
foreign assistance in changing the
distribution of wealth and power.