Increasing the profitability of Indonesian smallholder cattle enterprises by purchasing high quality by-product feeds

Abstract

For Indonesian smallholders to improve their cattle productivity, profitable feeding systems for fattening cattle based on locally‐available, high‐quality feeds need to be developed. Intake, liveweight gain (LWG), daily feed cost and income over feed cost (IOFC) were measured for Ongole bulls in on‐station and village experiments. On‐station, control group bulls were fed Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) ad libitum (EG). This was compared to two concentratebased diets formulated with differing proportions of tapioca waste (onggok), palm kernel cake and copra (40:20:20 (SF); or 70:15:15 (HO)), fed at 20 g DM/ kg W.day, with elephant grass ad libitum. Similar intakes and LWG were recorded for EG and HO (5.1 kg DMI/day and 0.23 kg LWG/day). Bulls fed SF had higher intake and LWG (7.4 kg DMI/day and 1.0 kg LWG/day). Total daily feed cost was nil for EG, which was harvested free of charge, IDR 9720/bull.day for SF and IDR 5748/bull.day for HO. However, IOFC was greatest for SF, earning a profit of IDR 27512/bull.day, in comparison to IDR 8563/bull.day for EG and IDR 2816/bull.day for HO. Feeding SF to bulls in a village resulted in LWG of 0.82 kg LWG/day and IOFC of IDR 24182/day compared to 0.52 kg LWG/day and IDR 15774/day IOFC from traditionally fed control bulls. In both experiments, the substantially higher LWG for SF was the source of improved profitability. Feeding purchased high quality by-product feeds can be profitable for smallholders as long as LWG is improved to an extent where revenue exceeds the additional feed costs.