The strategy of producing Hydroponic Green Forage (HGF) is an alternative to
farming areas with water shortages problems and seasonality crop, as in the case of
Chihuahua. In this Mexican state, 72% of the total surface is used for livestock. An
animal unit requires 1 to 15 ha for annual maintenance under the Chihuahuan
environment, and though Chihuahua has been ranked in the first place in exports of calves
for years, its imports exceeds the amount of meat for domestic consumption (Rodríguez,
2001). With an area of 17,751,221 ha, Chihuahua’s territory has low rainfall according to
data reported by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA, 2009). Much of the
region receives on average only 135 ml of rain annually, making the completion of beef
cattle impossible for farmers. This situation makes them to export one-year-old calves
weighting between 120 and 180 kg mainly to the United States. The objective of this
experience was to compare HGF against the traditional method in terms of water
consumption to feed cattle.