Showing posts with label rotation grazing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rotation grazing. Show all posts

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Sheep Breeding with Rotation Grazing

Efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in meat, especially for Muslims to strengthen their aqidah (faith) by means of qurban and aqiqah, are still facing many obstacles. The main obstacle is the number of seed sheep which are difficult to obtain because of the large number of productive females that are slaughtered for both aqiqah and daily consumption. Muslims are important and obligated by law (fardhu kifayah) or as a collective obligation to raise sheep to achieve the above objectives. Do not let Muslims can not perform these prayers because there are no livestock, especially sheep. Of course, it is also not good if because they are reluctant to raise sheep, Muslims will have to buy sheep from non-Muslims, even though the number in Indonesia is the majority and is also the largest in the world.

There are at least two things to overcome the problem of the sustainability of the supply of sheep, namely, firstly with a set of regulations to provide strict sanctions and provide a deterrent effect for anyone who is proven to slaughter productive females, and secondly, by increasing the production of seed sheep or lamb breeds as much as possible so that they can keep pace with the rate of productive ewes that are slaughtered. In the first point, although there is  a regulation, in fact it is difficult to implement because the government is not firm and the light sanctions. While in the second point, anyone can do it, so it seems that the second point is easier to do.

The location of sheep farming can be done anywhere, whether in villages, mountain slopes, forest edges and even in urban areas. These livestock models adapt to the characteristics of the location, especially regarding the source of feed. For example, in urban areas with limited land, the sheepfolds must even be leveled, with feed sources especially from food industry wastes. In the food industry, the main product are for human food and by-products or waste for animal feed, such as tempe and tofu factories, noodle factories, biscuit factories and so on. Meanwhile, in rural areas with large areas of land, grazing is also very possible. Grazing will save on feed costs and is very suitable for seed sheep production or breeding. While rotation grazing is a better grazing technique so that the efficiency and performance of the farm is better. Even on land that is close to an energy plantation, apart from grazing with abundant sources of feed, a feed factory can also be built in that location. And basically the more models with various variations, the more regions in Indonesia that can be worked on for self-sufficiency in meat especially halal meat.

In rotation grazing, the grazing area will be divided into paddocks. And basically the more paddocks, the better because pasture can be utilized as a source of animal feed to the fullest. In general to start with 5 to 10 paddock with each paddock for grazing 3 to 7 days then rested 25-30 days. Of almost all rotation grazing practices, 4 paddock is the minimum number to start with. The square shape is the best shape for the paddock, so try to get as close to it as possible. The shape of the small elongated and circular paddock is not good because it is more difficult to achieve an even utilization of grass by livestock.



By increasing its production centers, the problems of seed sheep will be overcome. Of course this takes time and continuous effort. The unused, marginal and critical lands which amount to millions of hectares can be converted into the livestock area. Divine motivation to strengthen aqidah and part in enforcing Islamic law will continue to motivate Muslims to raise sheep farming, in addition to meeting their daily protein needs in the form of meat. The people's culinary shift from protein consumption of chicken meat to duck meat and currently more and more lamb is consumed. The halal industry should also be growing with Muslim business actors themselves. 

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Integration of Farm with Biomass Plantation or Energy Plantation


The long and expensive social costs for the production of hardwoods such as teak which require a minimum of 15 years make Perhutani company replace them with fast-rotating plants such as gliricidia. As for private companies, the main reason for growing fast-rotation species is mainly profit. Commodities that provide quick returns, with minimal risk. Short harvest time of wood which is only around 2-3 years and can be repetitive (coppice) repeatedly without the need to replanting is the advantage of these plants. Planting and caring for the tree is also very easy. The price of wood that is only worth the waste wood or firewood also mitigates the social cost of securing wood theft. The use of wood as a source of biomass or raw materials in the wood processing industry such as the manufacture of particle boards or as an energy source for example by processing it into wood pellets and wood briquettes. Hundreds of thousands of hectares have been planned for the planting and will take several years to come.
In addition to the main product namely wood, there are actually two products from the tree that can be utilized namely flowers and leaves (whole tree utilization). Flowers for beekeeping or production of honey and leaves for animal feed or meat production. Sheep, goat and cattle farms can be developed close to the plantation so that they are close to feed sources. Although the protein content in gliricidia leaves ranges from 18-24% or high enough for animal feed in general, so it is very good for animal feed, because concentrated feed usually only contains about 15% protein, but to get a balanced feed is still needed a number of other nutrients . Other complementary nutritional needs can be obtained from the surrounding community by collaborating through community empowerment. Nutrients needed for animal feed to become complete feed are complete sources of fiber, sources of protein, vitamins and minerals. Gliricidia leaves with 18-24% protein content as a source of protein, while grass or straw as a source of fiber and added vitamins and minerals.

Grazing
To produce superior livestock products, livestock grazing is the solution. With grazing, livestock will be healthier and feed costs can be cheaper because grass can be directly obtained. With an area of biomass or energy plantations that reaches tens to hundreds of thousands hectares, then allocating several tens or hundred hectares is certainly not difficult. The area can be used for pasture herds. Certain grasses can be planted as a source of food in the pasture. Sheep and cattle can even be farmed and herded in the same pasture field. Rotational grazing is a shepherding technique that can be applied because it is more effective and efficient than conventional grazing.
Single grazing
Mixed grazing
Feed Factory
With the composition of gliricidia leaves produced from each tree reaching around 30% and an average of 10,000 trees per hectare planted, the number of leaves produced from biomass or energy plantations is huge and excessive for consumption on farms. Then it also has the potential to create animal feed factory. The livestock feed produced can then supply feed to a number of farms in various regions so that the livestock business is growing and self-sufficiency in meat is easily achieved. Meat imports that reach tens or even hundreds of thousands tons should be avoided and sufficient from domestic livestock businesses.
The main problems of livestock are feed and markets. When the feed problem has been resolved it means 50% of the problem has been solved. As for starting a business, the first thing to note is the market or the buyer. If the products produced from the business that we do have no market or buyer, then the business will lose money and go out of business. The potential lack of meat in the country can become a large market potential and export market. Regarding sheep and goats, In Indonesia indeed a number of regions prefer goats such as Jakarta, Central Java and East Java while other regions prefer sheep like Yogyakarta. This should also be a concern regarding the target market.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Soon Sri Lanka Will Produce Massive Wood Pellets From Its Energy Plantations, Indonesia?

A Sri Lankan company, Trinco Pellets will produce wood pellets from fast-rotating plant, namely gliricidae and is planned to produce in 2020-2021. Its production capacity reaches 150,000 tons / year with the main market to Japan. The company aims to plant 1 billion gliricidae trees with the target of producing 15 million tons of gliricidae wood. In addition to the production of wood pellets, the wood is also used for electricity generation. Of course this is a breakthrough and acceleration for the development of the wood pellet industry. Indonesia clearly has far greater potential, and it can also be a reference for even a model to spur the spirit to play a greater role in the world wood pellet sector in particular and bioeconomy in general.
Gliricidae with calliandra are a group of legume plants that have roots that can bind nitrogen to fertilize the soil. Both can also be coppice so that they can be harvested every year and replanting is done after approximately 20 years. For additional references about calliandra and gamal can be read here. Optimization of energy plantations both calliandra or gliricidae is by raising both sheep and also can be sheep farms with cattle. This is because calliandra and gliricidae leaves are very good for animal feed because of the high protein content and the amount produced from the energy plantation is very much. For example if each hectare produces 20 tons of leaves, then for a 1,000 hectare plantation it will produce 20,000 tons of leaf waste. For more details, please read here. With this pattern, we are not only produce wood pellets, but also meat production, which is currently Indonedia still in a deficit. Integration of large plantations with large farms will provide optimal results, as can be read here. Insha Allah.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Integration of Cattle Farms and PKO Mills

 
PKO mills or palm kernel oil mills have a greater opportunity to integrate livestock especially cattle in their business fields. This is because in the production of palm kernel oil (PKO) a by-product product in the form of palm kernel cake or palm kernel expeller (PKE) or palm kernel cake (PKC) which can be used to feed the cow. The palm kernel oil mills does not need to sell the PKE but uses it for internal purposes, namely for the cattle farm. The cows will also be better if grazed with additional food in the form of palm kernel cake. For palm oil companies it is certainly not a problem to provide grazing land for several tens or several hundred hectares, because many oil palm plantations reach thousands to tens of thousands of hectares. In addition to cattle farming, sheep farming can also be developed together, because a number of studies have shown that grazing cattle and sheep shows positive results.
PKO mills are far less in number than CPO mills. Many oil palm companies own CPO mills but do not have PKO mills. This is due to, among other things, the low yield of palm kernel oil compared to palm oil (CPO) and the handling of palm kernel oil products is also more difficult than CPO. The PKO mill produces side products in the form of palm oil cake while CPO products do not. The availability of palm oil cake for integration with cattle farming will be an advantage in itself, because feed factors are a vital factor for livestock business. Feed is the highest cost component which reaches around 70% in the livestock business. With the availability of more adequate feed and combined with grazing, cow production by fattening on these farms can be accelerated and optimized. The Indonesian government's plan to import buffalo meat from India as many as 100,000 tons / year must be canceled by provide its own livestock. Circulation of haram meat, namely wild boar meat, which causes public unrest can also be eradicated if sufficient halal meat is available.
Portion of Protein Consumption According to the Qur'an
The meat self-sufficiency program which is the vision of the Indonesian government in the food sector can only be achieved if the government encourages it to be achieved seriously. Promoting livestock and simplifying its marketing distribution channels with various supporting policies will make the program run smoothly. Of course, all people with sound sense will support this positive program if done in a good way, not just rhetoric and imagery. Protein is an essential food source for the human body so that if the needs are not met, it will cause problems. The Qur'an also indicates that the source of protein from large livestock (ruminansia) occupies the largest portion compared to poultry and fish. The source of animal protein from large livestock is revealed in at least 7 verses or 64%, from fish revealed in 3 verses or 27% and from poultry revealed in 1 verse or 9%. So to fulfill the needs of protein, the priority is from large livestock such as cattle.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Finding The Best Treasure From Energy Plantation Implementation Part 10

"It is He Who has brought down the rain from the sky for you, some of it has become a drink and some of it has grown up, the plants which are in your place of grazing your cattle. "(Qur'an 16:10)

"Eat and graze your animals. Verily in this, there are signs of the power of Allah for those who understand. "(Qur'an, 20:54)

"Muslims are syirkah (sharia business cooperation) to three things, in terms of pasture (land), water and fire (energy)". (HR. Sunan Abu Daud).

Sheep farming with the integration of energy plantation for the production of charcoal briquette is an attractive and ideal combination. This is because the sheep farm will produce dung that can fertilize the energy plantation, while the leaves waste from the energy plantation can be an additional feed for the sheep farm. In addition charcoal briquette produced also to cook or roast the lamb meat. This happens if the sheep are exported to the markets of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Middle East, as well as the charcoal briquette. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Middle East really like lamb and become their favorite food and charcoal briquette as fuel for processing it by burning or baking like satay, more details can be read here.
Calliandra energy plantations and sheep farms can be made in one location, namely sheep farms in the energy plantation, for example 500 hectares of available land, 450 hectares of energy plantation and 50 hectares of sheep farm. The sheep farm is in the form of pasture, which is managed by grasslands for sheep farming. Rotational grazing is an effective grazing technique that can be applied to the sheep farm. With rotational grazing techniques, one of the rooms (paddock) is used for grazing and the other rooms are rested so the grass can recover. With this technique the condition of the grass is always maintained and the sheep can maximize eating the grass in the room (paddock).
Calliandra is a type of fast-rotating plant, so it only takes 1 year and can be harvested from wood and can be harvested every year without having to replant it every year. This is because the calliandra is a coppice plant that can grow again from the rest of the stem. The wood from the calliandra plantation is for the production of charcoal briquette. Honey bee farms can also be made in the energy plantation. Calliandra flowers are a source of high quality honey, so the price is also expensive. This honey bee farm is an additional attractive business unit for sheep farming and the production of charcoal briquette.
Technically there are two routes for the production of charcoal briquette, namely route 1 by making briquettes first and then making them (carbonization). With route 1 briquetting does not use adhesive and higher density, for more detail read here. Whereas route 2, namely by the way the wood is made into charcoal and then briquetted. In route 2, adhesive is needed, namely starch to glue the charcoal into briquettes. The density of charcoal briquette with route 2 is also still less than the route 1. The quality of charcoal briquette route 1 is better than that of route 2. It is this product of charcoal briquette route 1 that is in high demand from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Middle East.

Friday, November 30, 2018

Finding The Best Treasure From Energy Plantation Implementation Part 9

"And who grows grass. "(QS al-A'laa: 4)

"It is He Who has brought down the rain from the sky for you, some of it has become a drink and some of it has grown up, the plants which are in your place of grazing your cattle. "(Qur'an 16:10)

"Eat and graze your animals. Verily in this, there are signs of the power of Allah for those who understand. "(Qur'an, 20:54)

"Muslims are syirkah (sharia business cooperation) to three things, in terms of pasture (land), water and fire (energy)". (HR. Sunan Abu Daud).

Allah SWT grows grass (QS Al A'laa: 4) even though humans can just plant the grass but in essence Allah is the One who grows the grasses. That's because all related things to make grass grows has been created and prepared by Him. The grass is also very easy to grow and can be found in almost all places in Indonesia. In many ways this grass is even considered as a problem so a number of efforts are mobilized to overcome the problem of the grass. Even though the grasses are animal feed, especially sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo. This means that the grass is an important link for the meat production we need. In the UK even grass has contributed around 90% to their meat production, so grass cultivation for cattle grazing is professionally important in their food sector. Rotational grazing is the best technique for grazing livestock, especially sheep or sheep and cattle.
Grass Growth Cycle
The quality and quantity of grass is ultimately an important factor for the farm business with the grazing technique. Professional shepherds must be able to identify and strive for the best grasses for their livestock. Grasses that are anatomically mostly leaves are the same as the leaves of various plants that have a cycle of growing, mature, old, dead and dry. When should the sheep eat the grass? This needs to be considered for professional grazing. Farm animals do not like old grass but also those who are too young. The condition of the medium or adult age of the grass is the best condition for animal feed because the nutritional content is also maximal. What is the consequence if livestock are lacking in consuming grass or eating enough grass but low quality? Of course the results will not be optimal, especially for the growth of the weight of the livestock.
Grass for the farm with the grazing pattern is the main feed for the livestock, while the leaves that are considered as waste from the energy plantation are the additional feed. The more feed available, the more livestock can be cultivated. Calliandra leaves have a high protein content because the roots of the leguminoceae group have the ability to bind nitrogen to the root nodules. The ability to bind nitrogen to the root nodules in addition to the roots fertilize the soil will also increase the protein content of the calliandra leaves. The high levels of protein in the leaves become a highly nutritious supplement for the sheep. By using the leaves to feed sheep and sheep dung for energy plantation fertilizers, the integration of energy plantations and sheep farms is optimal.
Mixed grazing of sheep with cattle is also very possible because both of them can optimize feed in the pasture. The habit of grazing cows with sheep is different, so are the types of grass that are their favorite feed. The anatomical factors of the mouth of the two animals are different so that it affects the grazing habits and types of grass eaten, for more clarity to read in the table below. Another advantageous factor of sheep grazing with cattle is that cows tend to protect sheep when grazing from disturbances such as wild animals, so that they have more grazing effects and are so long that the increase in body weight increases rapidly. Although grazing mixed with sheep and cattle can give positive results, but grazing mixed sheep with horses does not match and gives a negative result.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Finding The Best Treasure From Energy Plantation Implementation Part 8

"It is He Who has brought down the rain from the sky for you, some of it has become a drink and some of it has grown up, the plants which are in your place of grazing your livestock. "(Qur'an 16:10)

"Eat and graze your animals. Verily in this, there are signs of the power of Allah for those who understand. "(Qur'an, 20:54)

"Muslims are syirkah (sharia business cooperation) to three things, in terms of pasture (land), water and fire (energy)". (HR. Sunan Abu Daud).
After the energy plantation is made for the production of wood pellets, then make sheep (or sheep with cattle) farms to use the leaves from the energy plantation tree or both can be made in parallel. Making sheep farms (or sheep with cattle) can also be an entry point before integration with an energy plantation in time or even a wider bioeconomy model. Farming sheep (or sheep with cattle) by rotating grazing is the best way, because maximizing land use, managing pasture is easier and more planned, and the productivity and quality of meat from livestock are also higher. In rotation grazing, the livestock is rotated in the barren pasture area that has been partitioned. The pasture area used should have a height of about 25-30 cm of grass and left behind when the grass has a height of about 8-10 cm. If the grass is spent (overgrazed) then further growth becomes less optimal and can even die, because it is unable to grow again.
There are at least 4 physical things that need to be considered for making rotating grazing work well, namely: feed supply, fence systems, water supply and shade. Feed supply or grass availability are important factors for the sustainability of the grazing. In the rainy season the grass or certain months will be abundant while the dry season decreases. To adjust to the amount of feed, the livestock population can also be adjusted. When abundant feed the livestock population is more than when feed is reduced. To keep feed more available, pasture can be equipped with a good irrigation system so that the grass can continue to grow even in the dry season.

Fencing systems are also a factor in the success of rotation grazing. The fence system allows planned management of pasture fields. Setting the use of areas for grazing and areas that must be rested so that the grass grows back is the function of the fence system. Furthermore, with the supply of water, obviously this is an important factor because Allah SWT creates something that lives from water (Qur'an 21:30) and every one who lives must need water, especially livestock. Each grazing area (paddock) must be equipped with the water supply. The more food or grass consumed the more water is needed. The lack of water supply will also reduce feed consumption. Cool and non-hot water is preferred by livestock compared to hot water. When a hot day, a place of water in a pond or a certain container will become hot, resulting in reduced water consumption and reduced feed consumption, which in turn will decrease body weight growth. A number of studies have shown that the maximum distance of pasture livestock to a maximum water source is around 250 meters for optimal results.
Shady places are also important for grazing. Farm animals tend to look for shade so they can graze longer. When the weather is hot, farm animals do not last long. The best shade is trees so trees need to be planted in the pasture area. Fruit trees are one of the interesting choices for that. Each paddock area can be planted with one type of fruit tree, for example one paddock for durian trees, the other paddock for rambutan, the other for date palm trees, mango, guava, olive and so on. Temperatures in Indonesia with a tropical climate are also higher than in subtropical regions, namely daytime on average reaching 25 C while in subtropical regions only 10 C. This shows that the best location is grazing is grassland with shady trees among them. The amount of rainfall like in Indonesia makes large fast and fruiting trees so that they can be quickly used for shade.
One of the most frequently asked questions for farmers who want to start rotation grazing is how many paddocks must be made? Basically, the more paddocks, the better because the pasture can be utilized to source livestock feed maximally. In general, you can start with 5 to 10 paddock with each paddock for grazing 3 to 7 days later rest for 25-30 days. Of almost all rotational grazing practices, the number of 4 paddocks is the minimum amount when starting. The square shape is the best form for the paddock, so that it is as close as possible to the shape. The shape of the small paddock extends or circles is not good because it is more difficult to achieve the results of the utilization of grass that is evenly distributed by livestock. For determining the pasture area as well as the distribution it will be better at the initial stage to do it with aerial photography.

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Finding The Best Treasure From Energy Plantation Implementation Part 7

"It is He Who has brought down the rain from the sky for you, some of it has become a drink and some of it has grown up, the plants which are in your place of grazing your cattle. "(Qur'an 16:10)

"Eat and graze your animals. Verily in this, there are signs of the power of Allah for those who understand "(Qur'an, 20:54)

"Muslims are syirkah (sharia business cooperation) to three things, in terms of pasture (land), water and fire (energy)". (HR. Sunan Abu Daud).

Farmers outside Java island generally have 5-10 hectares of land, but not a few that have tens of hectares to hundreds of hectares. Many of these lands have not been planted or optimized so as to provide benefits for their owners. These lands are very potential to be made efficient pasture by rotating grazing. Sheep grazing and mixed sheep and cattle can be cultivated in these areas. Rotation grazing is to divide the pasture into several units such as the horse training arena (paddock), and then the cattle take turns grazing in the boundary grazing area. In rotation grazing there is always a pasture field that is rested to restore the growth of the grass. The landowners can also be syirkah (sharia business cooperation) to reach a certain area of ​​land to be used as an energy plantation. Energy plantation will produce wood for energy, namely wood pellets or wood briquettes or derivatives of other products. The leaves are used for animal feed namely sheep and sheep with cow. Farm animals can even be grazed in an energy plantation area with certain techniques or sacrifice some land for grazing areas.
Rotation grazing will provide efficient results in both meat productivity and the sustainability of the pasture. Grass growth can be maintained in such a way by rotating grazing, which is maintained at height of 8-10 cm. If the grass is eaten out (overgrazed) to the base of the stem it will be difficult to grow properly again. The technique regulates that the grass continues to grow well by regulating the duration of grazing on the grazing block, this will also be affected by the season factor. Grass will grow faster in the rainy season and oppositely in the dry season. With good irrigation, the growth of grass in the dry season can be maintained. Pasture is essentially farming of grass itself. In addition, by rotation grazing of sheep or livestock, they will graze more evenly because the grazing area is limited by the barriers. As a comparison, continuous grazing is used, where animals tend to only eat grass that is preferred and even overgrazed so that the sustainability of grass pasture is less optimal.

Then how can the sustainability of pasture be optimal? Fertilization is an important thing to achieve this, in addition to the things above. Distribution of livestock manure must be made as well as possible in the pasture field. With a ratio of land area compared to the number of animals small or the number of livestock made more so that the larger population makes the distribution of fertilizer evenly distributed. The distance of livestock mobility in this way is short and limited. Of course the availability of feed in the form of grass is an important consideration for the technique. Dense grass, although not so broad, may provide more food than large land with rare grass populations. If the area of ​​1 m2 with the condition of dense grass produced 1 kg of grass, then for every hectare there is 10 tons of grass for feed.
The Qur'an shows that pasture animals like the shade under the trees and also near the source of water (QS 16:10). This has also been proven from professional grazing in various countries over the globe. For this reason the pasture should also be overgrown with trees like the Qur'an's instructions. Among these trees can also grow a lot of grass. Farm animals will spend a lot of time in the shade under the trees. Water sources also need to be provided at that location for the place to drink the grazing animals. As a result, livestock manure will also accumulate in these locations so that it also fertilizes the soil. Fruit trees and woody trees can be used in the pasture. Leaves from the energy plantation can be used as additional feed for the sheep. Sheep farming can also include supporting the Shari'a qurban ie Islamic Shari'a slaughtering sacrificial animals on every 10 Dzulhijah or Idhu Adha feasts. In addition to these lands being used for energy plantations, plantation lands in Indonesia is very broad, for example palm oil which reaches 12 million hectares, coconut 3.7 million hectares, rubber 3.5 million hectares, various fruit plantations also very broad can be modified by sheep grazing to optimize land and increase soil fertility.

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Finding The Best Treasure From Energy Plantation Implementation Part 6

"It is He Who has brought down the rain from the sky for you, some of it has become a drink and some of it has grown up, the plants which are in your place of grazing your cattle. "(Qur'an 16:10)

"Eat and graze your animals. Verily in this, there are signs of the power of Allah for those who understand. "(Qur'an, 20:54)

"Muslims are syirkah (sharia business cooperation) to three things, in terms of pasture (land), water and fire (energy)". (HR. Sunan Abu Daud).

When Muslims practice the instructions above, the problem of food, energy and water will be overcome. Why is the problem of food, energy and water so chaotic now? It can even threaten a country's sovereignty. The answer is because muslims don't practice the instructions above. In the current era when the world is competing to lower the earth's temperature, the energy sector can be a strategic entry point. Energy from trees or wood which is also in line with the current Qur'anic guidance has become a world program because it is a carbon neutral fuel that does not increase CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Europe, for example with the proclaimed bioeconomy program, energy from biomass reaches 70%. Japan and Korea with renewable energy programs also need tens of millions of tons of biomass fuel. The United States through its Energy Department has announced the production of dry biomass of at least 1 billion tons in 2040 without damaging the environment. Canada with its climate plan has also targeted to eliminate or free coal and gas power plants in 2030. When Muslims practice these instructions, they will get a reward for their faith in Allah SWT and His Messenger, not just benefits worldly like environmental benefits and economic benefits.
Wood pellets are biomass processing products that are very popular today. Multipurpose energy plantations can be used for the production of woody biomass as raw material for the production of wood pellets. The export wood pellet market is mainly Japan and Korea, but both have their own characteristics. Designing a multipurpose energy plantation for production also requires its own techniques, for more details can be read here. With Syirkah (sharia business cooperation) it is very likely that this potential can be realized. Then what if the Muslims do not want to be syirkah (sharia business cooperation)? First, obviously it will be very difficult to capture these opportunities. Second, the problem of food, energy and water will be controlled by non-Muslims, and Muslims will only be spectators and consumers, similar to today's conditions. Third, when the important matters of food, water and energy are not in the hands of the Muslims, the people are not self-sufficient and easily broken down and so on. Migration from fossil economics to bioeconomy is the right momentum for the economic awakening of the muslims people. The domestic wood pellet market also needs to be created and developed continuously. It is not impossible when the production of biomass fuels, especially wood pellets is massive, the role of renewable energy from biomass becomes dominant. Especially at this time Indonesia has also become the nett importer of petroleum. Petroleum produced domestically is not enough to meet the consumption of its population.
Sheep farming and honey bees integrated with energy plantations will provide optimal added value. The undeveloped and organized sheep producers in Indonesia makes the contribution in the economic sector still minimal. For example, in a country with a majority of non-Muslims such as the United States, there is a sheep association namely the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), which has about 83,000 sheep producers. In addition to a number of pastures both in the area of ??fruit trees or food crops, such as coconut plantations, mango plantations, guava and so on are ideal locations for sheep farming, the grasslands are in forest areas whose main products are wood such as mahogany, sengon and so on are also very good. In reference to Alberta, Canada's local Ministry of Environmental Protection has used tens of thousands of sheep to control hairy grasses that block the growth of weed grass in the area. Sheep include livestock that are resistant to a number of plants that are considered toxic, like furry plants which are a kind of weed and poisonous to cattle. So because of its ability in Texas and Southwest sheep is also used to control a number of species of weeds that attack grass habitat.
Maintaining a minimum of 3 inch (7.5 cm) grass is an important factor in pasture
Grazing techniques in Indonesia may have its own characteristics, this is because Indonesia has a tropical climate, while most big sheep producers are currently in subtropical climates. But it is precisely in this tropical region that sheep farming should have an ideal place for grazing, because it refers to the above Qur'anic instructions (Qur'an 16:10). Rotation grazing is the best way to get the best quality and quantity of meat. Milk, wool and leather are also other products produced from sheep farms which are also very much needed by Indonesia at this time. The speed of grass to recover in the rainy season is much faster than the dry season. But because excessive rain can cause the sheep to get sick and die, the pasture duration during the rainy season can be accelerated, but with shorter rotations and more sheep in the cage. Whereas in the dry season the way of grazing is the opposite. A good irrigation will keep the green-green grass in the dry season. In the current era to get water for irrigation a number of ways can be taken. In addition to flowing water from mountain water sources or blocking the flow of rivers, other methods such as making wells and water are raised and used on these plantations and farms. A number of technologies can be used to generate electricity for pump energy that raises water from the well, for example solar energy with solar PV, wind energy, biomass energy with gasification, stirling engine and ORC (organic rankine cycle).
Sheep grazing with cattle has also been shown to give positive results. This is because the two types of livestock have different grazing habits, for example sheep like broadleaf grass, while cows like narrow leafy grass. Sheep and cattle grazing can be done simultaneously or at different times. Pastures is also better, because all grasses are eaten by sheep and cattle, evenly. If the grassland is not grazed evenly, the quality of the grass will also decrease. Certain types of grass become favorites for sheep so that this type will be eaten more, even run out. Grass with such conditions becomes difficult to grow well again. Pastoral care as well as agricultural fields must be maintained to continue to produce these livestock feeds. Another important indication that this joint grazing gives more positive results, it's from a number of studies carried out in various locations in the world that with sheep grazing with cattle (mixed grazing), sheep weight gain is around 10% than just sheep grazing and an increase in cow weight around 25% compared only cow grazing.
Honey bee farming is another additional effort to improve the optimization of land use and help pollinate a variety of plants. There are many types of honey bees, the consideration of choosing the type of honey bee is also based on the cultivation technique and the honey production. Local honey bees are generally more easily cultivated such as the genus Trigona (stingless bee). Wood pellets, sheep, (plus cows) and honey are products that integrate energy plantations with farms of sheep and honey bees. This is the current opportunity, especially for Muslims to boost and accelerate their economic growth by means of the syirkah like the Prophet's hadith above. When the bioeconomy in Europe is targeted to drive the economic sector by € 2 trillion (34,000 trillion or 17 times the Indonesian state budget) and the absorption of 20 million workers, then Indonesia with biggest country in South Ast Asia, the bioeconomy in the tropics are based on integration these energy plantations and farms should also be very large. The Netherlands, which has an area about the size of East Java, targets 2.6-3 billion Euros (around 50 trillion rupiah) from its bioeconomy sector. Of course more important than all of this is our faith and devotion to Allah SWT so that the blessings from heaven and earth will be bestowed:

"If the inhabitants of these countries have faith and piety, surely We will bestow upon them blessings from heaven and earth, but they deny (Our verses), We will punish them for their actions." (Surat al-A ' raf: 96)

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Finding The Best Treasure From Energy Plantation Implementation Part 4

Although grazing specificallymentioned in the Qur'an as the Sunnah of the Prophets, but unfortunately thatgrazing is not studied in detail in this country on the faculty of farms, agricultural faculties, and the faculties of the Qur'an and Hadith, consequently the grazing techniques become undeveloped and our meat production is low, so it must be imported although the best potential land with huge area we can find in this country. In general there are 2 garzing methods today: grazing precision and rotational grazing. Precision grazing is done on pastures that which has been precisely measured feeding requirements for the sheep based on the extent and condition of feed or grass at the site. The location can be  also planted with various other crops, for example grazing in vineyards, in apple plantations, coconut plantation, rubber plantation, in mango plantations, oil palm plantations, energy plantations and so on. In precision grazing like mentioned above there is an effort to keep the other plants from being damaged by the sheep. While on rotation grazing the sheep are rotated based on the condition of the grass or the avaibility of feed. When a lot of grass is used for grazing and when it is exhausted then grazing moves to another location with lots of grass while waiting for the previous place to grow back the grass so it can be used for grazing again. Here are some videos of rotation grazing and precision grazing :



Hopefully, these videos will be more motivating for the development of sheep grazing in Indonesia, especially in palm oil plantations which reaches 12 million hectares, coconut plantations  around 3.7 million hectares  and rubber plantation reaches 3.4 million hectares. In addition to the meat production of the sheep, it will also fertilize the soil from the droppings dung of the sheep distributed during the grazing. Low meat consumption of population of Indonesia needs to be increased with the production of meat from within the country, not even boost imports. When the soil becomes fertile then the productivity of the palm oil will also increase as the palm trees get enough fertilizer. In addition, the resulting sheep's wool will become the wool yarn as one of the best textile materials. Wool can be used to make carpets, blankets, sweaters and so on with superior quality compared with imitations ie acrylic yarn. Indonesia still imports the wool yarn because it does not have sufficient sources of raw materials from within the country. With the encouragement of sheep farms, the import of yarn and wool cloth can be reduced even eliminated and fulfilled from within the country. 
In addition, sheep skins can also be used as raw materials for leather industry. After tanning the sheep skin can be used to load a variety of human needs goods, such as jacket, purse, wallet and so forth. Certain types of sheep also produce milk for the best nutritious beverage for humans. It is very much beneficial by optimizing the plantation lands with sheep grazing.

Biomass Boiler Testing and Selection of Suitable Biomass Fuel

In line with the trends toward decarbonization and sustainability across various sectors of life, particularly in the processing industries ...