UGM Faculty of Animal Science collaborated with Indonesia-Australia Red Meat Cattle Partnership in organizing an online Cow Feed Management Training on March 15-25, 2021. This program aimed to educate employees of companies, cooperatives, and breeders from all over Indonesia regarding the beef cattle industry, especially for fattening and breeding.
The dean of the UGM Faculty of Animal Science, Prof. Ali Agus considered this effort to increase cow productivity in Indonesia. “Cow feed management training is very relevant and appropriate for practitioners or those who are responsible in the field of feed and fattening. The goal of this training is to find practical solutions to improve production and reproduction performance through improved feed management,” Ali Agus said in a release on Sunday (28/3).
Furthermore, George Hughes, as Agriculture Counsellor from Australian Embassy in Jakarta, added that the goal of this training aims to provide participants with a complete understanding of feed management practices, animal feed, and the ability to develop a low feed cost ratio to increase productivity and profit. “I hope the participants learn, share knowledge and experiences not only from the presenters but also from each other,” he said.
On the other hand, Prof. Zaenal Bachruddin, as training coordinator, expected that this event could add to the knowledge and experience of the participants to increase competence to support the productivity of their respective farms or companies.
Adung Karyo, a participant from Samarinda, East Kalimantan, explained that he gained additional knowledge and experience in feed management. He hoped later he could improve productivity based on the material given. He hopes to increase livestock productivity through better feed management based on the material provided. Adung added that through this training, he could get a lot of networking from the participants and improve collaboration for the present or future.
The training topics include the supply chain of feed raw materials, feed warehouse management, efficient feed formulation, important role of minerals and vitamins, forage or fodder, pasture management, and management of diseases related to feeding. The training was held online via the UGM e-LOK platform and synchronous learning system via zoom meetings. Participants can access the material right before the training starts (asynchronous). In hands-on learning, presenters use case studies to increase participants’ activeness in discussions and relate it with materials that have been obtained in asynchronous learning. Participants also receive online practice consisting of materials to control the quality of feed raw materials and the manufacture of feed formulations with the Least Cost Ratio (LCR).
From the total of 108 registrants, 25 passed the selection to participate in the training, consisting of 8 women and 17 men. Ten of them came from Sumatra, three from Kalimantan, and the rest of the 12 from Java. This feed training management program invited 16 speakers. Nine of them were from the UGM Faculty of Animal Science, one speaker from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UGM, three speakers from PT Pasir Tengah and PT ALTECH Indonesia, and one speaker from Indonesia-Australian Cattle Commercial Breeding (IACCB).
