Bulaksumur (KU) - At least 65 thousands of cattles in four districts, Magelang, Sleman, Klaten, and Boyolali have the risk of feed shortage and must be evacuated due to Merapi eruptions. To overcome the food shortage, a team of researchers from Faculty of Animal Sciences UGM has developed a ready-to-eat 'burger' for cows that survive the eruptions. UGM researchers make some kind of burger for cattles with the main raw materials from rice straw (70%), wheat bran or pollard (20%), molasses and microbial solution (10%) to help fermentation process. "Burger feed is a mixture of various ingredients with sufficient nutrient which does not need additional feed contents, including forages," Prof. Dr. Ali Agus, DE, A., a member of the research team, said to reporters on Wednesday (10/11).
This lecturer of Department of Nutrition and Food of Cattle, Faculty of Animal Sciences UGM, described that the selection of main feed ingredients from straw is because it is cheap and easy to get. Fermentation only lasts for 24 hours so it is relatively fast when compared with silage forage feed production technology that takes three weeks.
The complete feed fermentation is considered successful when it has a fragrant aroma and texture which does not change from the original and does not produce fungi. The making technique is fairly easy. After the rice straw and wheat pollard material are mixed evenly, molasses (drops of sugar cane) are mixed with microbial solution that is splashed on it evenly. Then, the mixture is placed in a plastic bag sized 25-30 kg and tightly tied. "This feed can be stored up to six months," he added.
About two tons of cow feed burger has now been distributed to dairy cows shelters in Tlogo Adi field in Mlati, Sleman. Cattles seem to like it. "We are optimistic that if this technology is adopted, it will reduce the problem of food insecurity during the Merapi crisis. Every day two tons of burger feed is produced," he said.
Fast food production can be enhanced significantly. Step that needs to be taken is to do a transfer of technology to breeders. The manufacturing process can be done at the location close to livestock shelters. "We give this activity to the breeders who are also IDPs to relieve boredom," he said.
The finding of research from team of Faculty of Animal Sciences UGM is a solution to overcome the shortage of cattle feed due to the eruption. To meet the current needs of feed is not easy. If each cow requires an average of 20 kg a day, to meet the needs of 65 thousands of cattle needs forage a minimum of 1300 tons a day. It is similar to the needs of feed concentrate. If every cattle needs 5 kg a day, we need as much as 325 tons of feed concentrate a day.