Study on the use of water and feed resources on beef cattle and dairy farms in Bandung Regency, West Java

Abstract

Optimal utilization of limited resources, such as water and feed in beef and dairy cattle farms, is considered important. Considering that Indonesia aim to boost production to meet increasing demands, the lack of information of resource usage in this industry impedes the formulation of effective strategies for increasing production responsibly. Therefore, this study aims to bridge the information gap to enable sustainable development in the form of water and feed productivity analysis in beef and dairy farms. We interviewed farm owners and measured water use and feed consumption from various cattle farms in Bandung Regency. We found that beef cattle are more efficient in converting feed into produce (0.59 kg beef/kg feed) than dairy cattle (0.335 kg milk/ kg feed). However, beef cattle have lower water productivity (0.0297 kg beef/L) than dairy cattle (0.08 kg milk/L) excluding the water requirement for growing feed. In the case of adding water usage for growing grass feed with, the water productivity significantly reduced to 0.0023 kg beef/L and 0.0031 kg milk/L. Based on calculations, additional water intake is needed for beef and milk production, especially for growing cattle feed that cannot be met solely through rainwater and reuse of greywater.