BACHOK: A former football player with hardly any experience in animal husbandry, Mohd Zulkifli Ali, 38, ventured into cattle rearing three years ago with seven crossbred cows known as the Kedah-Kelantan (KK) breed on a plot of land owned by his parents in Kampung Panjang, here.
Sometime later, he took a bold step by switching to rearing hybrid or “sado” cows of the charolais, limousine and mega breeds.
Now, his experience and knowledge in the field are being sought by many quarters, not only among cattle breeders but also by the relevant agencies for his success.
“The cost of rearing KK cows is high, but the profit is small and that made me decide to switch to hybrid cows, which can fetch a price of more than RM5,000 even when it is only five or six months old,” he said when met by Bernama, recently.
Mohd Zulkifli, who is more affectionately known as ‘Abe Zack’, said that even with no basic knowledge in the field, he was still able to make his venture a success and now had more than 100 hybrid cows.
“My success gained the attention of the Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP), which then provided grants to five hybrid cattle breeders last year, and the number has increased to 13 this year, to expand the industry.
“LPP wants to have a good hybrid cattle breeding ecosystem so that large-scale sado cattle and beef cattle projects can be implemented in the future,” he added.
Mohd Zulkifli said as the mentor to participants in the LPP hybrid cattle project, he is responsible for providing training on animal husbandry.
The former Kelantan football player and athlete said that he had succeeded in reducing the cost of food for his hybrid cattle.
“The mistake which many people wanting to venture into this field made is buying the animal first, and only after getting the cow do they think about its food, which is wrong.
“My approach is different. I studied the feeding routine of the cows first. I plant napier grass and wild grass also grows in abundance at my farm,” he added.
He said many farmers also grew corn and the waste from the plants, such as the stalks, leaves and kernels are suitable for use as corn silage.
“I feed my cattle with the grass, as well as the corn silage and animal feed. In this way, I can reduce the cost, without depending on the animal feed alone,” he added.
Apart from becoming a mentor to other cattle breeders, Mohd Zulkifli also makes live entertainment for friends on TikTok, where he shares his experience and techniques in animal husbandry. – BERNAMA
