Think of a dairy cow, milk and ice cream come to mind. Think of hogs and conjure up odors of bacon sizzling. Turkey? That Thanksgiving dinner. But what else? Very little of our livestock goes to waste – being utilized in thousands of everyday products. 99% of a beef animal is used for meat and valuable by-products.
American agriculture brings us nearly everything we eat, wear and use each day. Agricultural products show up in thousands of things that are a part of our everyday life.
Everyone can name many food products that come from plants and animals. Of course, many of these same products are also used for pet and livestock foods. Most can also state that wool is a product of sheep, down feathers from ducks and geese, milk products from dairy cows. How about sugar? Those in the northern great plain states know that sugar beets are produced – check the labels on sugar in the kitchen cupboards for the source.
Baseball Needs Sheep and Cows!
Official baseballs have a core of 150 yards of wool in the center. Surrounding this is cork or rubber – from trees. The covering is either horse or cowhide. One cow can provide 144 baseballs. Lower quality baseballs have cotton centers.
High quality baseball gloves are made from cowhide. Gloves need softening with oil; this is either animal, fish or soybean based. Bats are made from wood, mostly the northern ash trees. Today, many are made from maple.
Footballs may at times be called “pigskins,” but authentic footballs are actually made from cow hide. According to Ag in the Classroom, it takes 3,000 hides to supply the National Football League with enough leather for a year’s supply of footballs.
Pharmaceuticals, Drugs and Health Care
Hogs provide nearly 40 products for human use. According to the National Pork Board, pharmaceuticals rank second only to the meat itself in the contributions hogs make to our society, and the list continues to grow as technology and science move forward. Among the lifesaving and life supporting products are drugs such as Epinephrine and Cortisone. Hog heart valves are used for replacement valves. Insulin is perhaps the best known product derived from hogs.
Several important blood factors are obtained from hogs and beef cattle, along with surgical sutures, latex gloves and x-ray film.
Bones, Horns, Hooves, Fats, Fatty Acids
Many common household items come from bones, horns and hooves. Gelatins, marshmallows, bandage strips, glues and adhesives, bone buttons, fertilizers, much more.
Fats and fatty acids yield soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants, chewing gun, paraffin, candles, protein shampoos, conditioners and lotions, many other products.
Transportation
Both plant and animal products contribute to transportation. Plants such as soybeans, corn and switchgrass make biofuels including ethanol and biodiesel. Animal based components are found in lubricants, antifreeze, added to rubber to make tires, seat upholstery, packing materials.
Education
Soybeans are an important ingredient for the production of crayons. In fact, one acre of soybeans can produce 82,368 crayons. Plant and animal by-products are found in textbooks, chalk, desks, pencils, paper.
Entertainment
Candles can be made from soy oil. Film, string for musical instruments, piano keys, tennis balls and other products are made from animal fats, fatty acids and hides.
Construction
Elevators in the Statue of Liberty use a soybean-based hydraulic fluid. Other products includumber, paint, brushes, tar paper, drywall, tool handles, particle board.
Clothing
It is easy to see cotton, wool and flax (linen) in clothing uses. Hides are commonly used for purses, shoes, wallets, belts as leather. In addition, animal hair is used for brushes, upholstery and felt, among other products.
Manufacturing
Adhesives, lubricants, solvents, detergents, polymers, more are animal product derivatives.
Trees are an Agricultural Product
Everyone can identify trees as the source of paper, lumber and cardboard. How about cellophane, charcoal briquettes, cork, dyes, mulch, maple syrup, rubber, paint thinners and other tree products?
Uses for Wool
In addition to clothing, upholstery and carpet, wool has many uses. The lanolin is extracted for lotions and cosmetics. Wool is being used to clean up ocean oil spills and for garden mulch (a new product called Woolch)
The Animal Human Connection
People have varied opinions on the place of meat in the human diet. The reality is that we are heavily dependant on animal products for a variety of day to day products. These animals have been cared for properly and humanly, mostly by small family farmers found in every state.
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Valerie Prax - Valerie Prax recently retired after nearly 35 years with University of Minnesota Extension. She served as an Educator and Professor for 27 ...
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