USING OF CYBER EXTENSION MEDIA TO INCREASE FARMERS^ KNOWLEDGE IN UTILIZING RICE STRAW WASTE AS FEED FOR BEEF CATTLE Agustina Abdullah, Syahdar Baba, Sitti Nurani, Amidah Amrawati,Tanrigiling Rasyid, Kasmiyati Kasim dan Ilham Syarif
Laboratory of Animal Husbandry Extension and Sociology, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Hasanuddin University
Abstract
The research aims to determine the use of cyber extension media in increasing farmers^ knowledge of utilizing rice straw waste as beef cattle feed. The research was conducted in Barru District, South Sulawesi Province. Determination of farmer groups as respondents were carried out purposively on the middle livestock group. The research data was collected by conducting a survey using collection techniques, namely questionnaires, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews (in-depth study) with several key informants. The results showed that 80% of respondent farmers needed to learn about cyber extension media to obtain information on using rice straw waste as beef cattle feed. In general, the respondent farmers only get sources of information related to using rice straw waste as beef cattle feed through extension workers whose intensity is limited because it has a large working area. Sometimes the material provided does not meet the needs of farmers, so the respondent^s farmer knowledge of the use of rice straw waste as animal feed for beef cattle still needs to be higher (45%). However, it has changed after being given information related to cyber extension counseling media to obtain information related to the use of rice straw waste as beef cattle feed. Knowledge of farmers who previously did not know about using rice straw waste as beef cattle feed finally became tofu. This is because farmers are enthusiastic about learning what they do not know about and want to continue studying and implementing the utilization of rice straw waste as beef cattle feed. For this reason, increasing and optimizing the utilization of rice straw waste as beef cattle through cyber extensions at the smallholder farm level is necessary.
