Feed has a very important role for livestock, because it is to meet basic needs, growth, reproduction, production to health. If livestock receive feed with poor nutritional content, it can cause production and reproduction disturbances and have an impact on farmers economically. In addition, the limited availability of feed also affects the reduction in the capacity of the reserve feed.
One example is the dairy cattle group in Pandesari Village, Pujon District, which has constraints on limited land for planting forage. As a result, to provide enough feed in the dry season, breeders have to buy outside the area. This means that the cost of buying feed is increasingly burdening breeders.
Responding to this, Lecturers of the Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya (Fapet UB) held community service activities in the form of socialization and counseling on improving strategies for providing and managing feed. The activity which took place in July-August 2023 was carried out by Prof. Hartutik, Prof. Siti Chuzaemi, Dr. Marjuki, and Asri Nurul Huda, M.Sc. The target is 33 heads of dairy cattle groups in Pujon District, who will convey the results of the training to their respective members.
The delivery of the material is focused on farmer strategies in the supply and management of feed, especially forage for dairy cows. Marjuki said that the next series of activities would be carried out, namely the practice of processing forage preservation through a fermentation process (silage) which could be used as a reserve material for the dry season.
The group leaders welcomed this activity enthusiastically because of the importance of gaining insight and skills for the sustainability of the dairy farming business. They hope to be able to conduct a comparative study on large-scale dairy farms to increase motivation, of course with the support of the UB Faculty of Animal Husbandry team. (tim/dta)