Holeta Polytechnic College, through its Centre of Excellence in Agro-processing, organises technology skill competitions among trainers, to provide a platform for students and teachers to exhibit their technical skills, knowledge, and creativity in a competitive setting. Such competitions serve various key objectives, including promoting innovation, fostering skill development, enhancing networking and collaboration, preparing students for their careers, acknowledging and rewarding talent, advocating for technology education, and cultivating a spirit of healthy competition.
One of the instructors at Holeta Polytechnic College, Firomsa Tesfaye, introduced a technology that modified the design and manufacture of an animal feed chopper, blending electric and manual operations. An electric chaff cutter is a machine utilized for cutting straw or hay into smaller pieces to feed livestock. Powered by electricity, typically with a motor, it comprises rotating blade or blades that cut the material as it’s fed into the machine. Electric chaff cutters are commonly found in farms and agricultural settings, efficiently processing large quantities of fodder for animals.
The animal feed chopper is a simple yet ingenious device for cutting straw, chaff, hay, and oats into small pieces before being mixed with other forages and fed to horses and cattle. Apart from being more economical than previous feeding methods, this aids in the animal’s digestion and prevents them from rejecting any part of their food. Currently, with the increase in cattle population, there is a need to enhance productivity and reduce physical effort required to operate the machinery. This led to the introduction of motorized machinery, particularly beneficial for dairy farmers and those involved in fattening practices.
The technology includes a motor with a revolution of 2800 rpm, a power of 3hp (2.2kw), and an approximate cutting capacity of 200-300 kg/hr. Four blades are utilized to chop the fodder efficiently. The production cost for this technology is 28600 Ethiopian Birr with an electric motor.
By Dawit Tadese, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Holeta Polytechnic College
