Louisiana State University - Gumbo Yearbook (Baton Rouge, LA)

Page 28 text:

Duckweed May Be Useful for Feed Could LSU have the answer to water pollution, the energy crisis, and food shortage? Dudley D. Cul- ley. Associate Professor of Fisher- ies, and his fellow researchers may have a key solution to these prob- lems. The answer lies in duckweed - a little nuisance plant that kills fish and other marine life when it multiplies and cuts off the water system ' s oxygen supply. The tiny flower thrives on manure-polluted water, survives almost freezing temperatures, and doubles its mass in five days. This stubborn persis- tency can be used to man ' s advan- tage if channelled in the right direc- tions. In a two-year preliminary study funded by the Environmental Pro- tection Agency, a cycle was set up. Duckweed was gathered to feed to the dairy cows at the Agricultural Experimental Station. The cows liked the plant and were consuming a valuable protein source at the same time. The weed did not affect the qual- ity of their milk. The cow manure was then col- lected from the feed lots and taken back to the ponds to fertilize more duckweed. The weed cleansed the polluted water as it generated more feed for the cattle. Duckweed could prove to be the highest yielding animal feed yet. Some 7.85 tons of it could be pro- duced each year on a one-acre pond, roughly seven times more than the present feed crops. This same pond would be generating 5808 pounds of protein annually, ten times the amount given by soy- beans and Georgia peanuts. Duck- weed may prove to be as valuable a food source for people as for ani- mals, though it does contain some calcium oxalate, which is indigesti- ble by humans. The research group is currently awaiting a $13 million grant from the Department of Energy. Dr. Cul- ley hopes to enlarge the operation. Instead of returning all of the duck- weed manure to the pond, some would be allowed to ferment, then it would be converted into methane gas. Forty percent of the energy required for the total farming oper- ation could be supplied from fer- mented manure. If all the cattle manure produced annually in the United States (95 million metric tons) could be processed, it would produce four trillion cubic feet of methane or 18 percent of the nation ' s annual natural gas con- ] sumption. According to Culley, this method of methane production is a simple and inexpensive operation. One drawback in the whole proc- ess was that the tiny plants can be easily blown into a heap on the shore. This was solved in the pilot project by using barriers and atta- ching nylon reinforced plastic to fenceposts across the pond. Duckweed is already a valuable nutrient and protein source for ani- mals and may be a food source in the future for humans. It could become the cleansing agent for municipal and industrial waste dis- posal operations. In addition, it may produce enough fermented manure to supply the nation with methane gas. Researchers at LSU are hoping that duckweed will be the genesis of almost wholly self-contained, food producing, energy-generating, waste-cleaning system. Ginger Blanchjrd Karen BlancharJ William Blanchard Cidr Blanchette I-aureiu-e Bland Ronald Blankenship Vintenl Blanson Barr Bleaklt Lisa Bloom 18 Roux

Page 27 text:

ing stock. Another course. Fashion Promo- tion (HEc 3045) teaches various sales and advertising techniques. The students are responsible for producing a fashion show. The fall class worked with the Bon Marche merchants to present Festive Lights. a fashion show with a Christmas holiday lights theme. The department recently devel- oped the opportunity for merchan- dising students to earn their elective credits by spending a semester in New York, the fashion capital of the world. The program, in con- junction with the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York, con- sists of a three-month period cram- med with concentrated study in clothing-related fields: factory methods, clothing and textile fabri- cation and on-the-job training. Each spring a week-long tour of the New York fashion industry is offered. It ' s an opportunity to meet the real fashion world of Seventh Avenue. Dee Wellan. a member of the merchandising faculty, arranges exclusive visits with retailers, designers, artists, fashion publica- tion companies, textile houses, fur- riers and cosmetic and pattern com- panies. After graduation, merchandising majors may find jobs in the boom- ing fashion industry as buyers, sell- ers, dressmakers, coordinators and consultants. So you see. it ' s more than vou think. 1. Sue Leidenheimer. a December graduate in merchandising, worked as group sales manager in cosmetics at Goudchau s Department Store for onl four months before being named bu er for the gifts department. (Long) 2 and 3. Students in Home Ex 4036 learn principles of tailoring in the construction of dresses, suits and coals. Merchandising majors are required to lake either 4036 or 4037. pattern design. (BaroodM tor,-. . Wakun BUciwfl Terry Hade Divid BUncten) Agriculture 17

Page 29 text:

d Dairy Science Students Put Knowledge to Work Anyone who has sampled any Tiger-Bait ice cream, eggnog. or milk from the Dairy Science depart- ment knows that those dairy sci- ence majors learn to do some pretty useful things. Sure, they learn to milk cows. That, along with some other basics, such as showing and identifying different types of cows, is taueht in Dairv Science courses 1048 and 1049. Dairy science students also learn about milk processing and judging milk quality. If their homework is done well, they could be chosen to represent LSU on the university ' s Dairv Products Judging Team. LSD ' s Dairy Improvement Cen- ter works with various breeding techniques and artificial insemina- tion. Research of the dairy cow ' s feed requirements and digestive system is conducted in the Nutri- tion and Ruminology labs. LSU also produces its own milk, ice cream, cheese, and butter. The Dairy Science student can learn by doing since LSU owns its entire dairy plant, along with one of the best college dairy herds in the south: 350 Holsteins. Fresions. and Jerseys, which, by the way. need to be milked every day. The Dairy Science Club is responsible for selling the Tiger- Bait ice cream and the Christmas eggnog. Last year they sponsored their first annual LSU All-Ameri- can Dairy Showmanship Show. Sixty-five students trained calves from the LSU milking herd to be judged for standing, leading, and grooming. The dairy science major can earn his degree in Dairy Manufacturing, Dairy Production, or Environmen- tal Health. He is qualified to work in research labs, classrooms, dair- ies, dairy plants, and governmental agencies. Contrary to popular belief, the dairy science graduate is not limited to working down on the farm or out in the cow pas- ture. 1. Associate Professor Dndky Calley stowed Vet School faculty mimkrr Paul Ledford slides con- cerning his duckweed research project. (Zietz) 2. The LSI Dairy Farm used modem Brine cyap meat oo the 350 dairy cows. (Zietz) 3. LSU has its OWB processing equipment and sales outlet for dairy products. (Zietz) 4. Students participated in dairy processing for practical experience. ( Badeanx) Eikn Blum Rxhard Bobbin Don Bock Cvnlhu Bodin Belinda Boc MaitBoc Be ' s. Bocckman Agriculture 19