Langkat, August 25, 2025 – A lecturer of the Undergraduate Program in Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FP USU), conducted a community service activity in Batu Malenggang Village, Hinai District, Langkat Regency. The activity carried the theme “Utilization of Rice Straw as Animal Feed to Reduce Environmental Pollution and Improve Its Quality Value.”
The community service activity was led by Ir. Achmad Sadeli, S.Pt., M.Sc., IPM., ASEAN.Eng., together with a team consisting of Dr. Ir. Nevy Diana Hanafi, S.Pt., M.Si., IPM., Dr. Ir. Ma’ruf Tafsin, M.Si., IPM., Dr. Usman Budi, S.Pt., M.Si., and Delima Lailan Sari Nasution, S.TP., M.Sc.
The activity was attended by the Chairperson, Secretary, and members of the Berkat Tani Farmers' Group, as well as the community of Batu Malenggang Village. During the activity, the community service team provided education and assistance on the utilization of rice straw as an alternative source of animal feed, particularly for cattle.
In his presentation, Ir. Achmad Sadeli explained that rice straw is one of the agricultural wastes that still has the potential to be utilized. So far, poorly managed rice straw is often burned after the harvest season, which can cause environmental pollution. In fact, with proper processing, rice straw can be utilized as a source of animal feed.
However, rice straw has limitations in the form of relatively high crude fiber content and low nutritional content. Therefore, the community service team introduced fermentation technology to improve the quality of rice straw so that it becomes more suitable and valuable as animal feed.
As part of the implementation of this technology, the community service team provided assistance to the farmers' group in the form of a mixer and fermenter machine, storage drums, as well as materials for producing fermented rice straw, including EM4, rice bran, corn flour, molasses, urea, and premix. The assistance is expected to support the community in processing rice straw independently and sustainably.
The utilization of rice straw as animal feed not only benefits farmers by providing an alternative source of feed but also serves as an effort to reduce agricultural waste and pollution caused by the burning of rice straw. The integration of agricultural and livestock activities is expected to encourage more efficient resource utilization while increasing the added value of agricultural waste.
This activity also supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2: Zero Hunger, through strengthening food security and developing sustainable agricultural practices, as well as SDG 15: Life on Land, through efforts to reduce pollution and promote more environmentally friendly utilization of agricultural resources.
Through this community service activity, FP USU seeks to promote the implementation of sustainable agriculture and the zero-waste concept at the community level. The utilization of rice straw as animal feed is expected to provide a solution for reducing agricultural waste while supporting feed availability and increasing livestock productivity among the community of Batu Malenggang Village.