Growth of Bali Bulls Fattened with Forage Tree Legumes in Eastern Indonesia: Leucaena leucocephala in Sumbawa

The contribution of West Nusa Tenggara Province to domestic beef supply in Indonesia is relatively small, however, beef cattle are very important for the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region. Bali cattle (Boss javanicus) are the predominant breed as they are adapted to harsh nutritional conditions, are highly fertile and have low calf mortality (Toelihere 2003). While genetically capable of achieving a growth rate of 0.85 kg/d (Mastika 2003), Panjaitan (2012) identified poor nutrition as a severe limitation to animal growth in traditional village systems. Improving feed quality and supply is vital to increasing growth rates and product quality. Forage tree legumes such as leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) offer the best chance of providing high quality feed to fatten Bali bulls in village systems where leucaena is well-adapted. Indeed, the feeding of leucaena has been practiced for about two decades in Sumbawa district of West Nusa Tenggara although the practice is limited to specific villages, mostly Balinese, even though farmers nearby have similar biophysical conditions and nutritional problems. The objective of this work was to characterize the best practices employed by farmers in Sumbawa that maximize growth rates by feeding leucaena so that their detailed knowledge can be passed onto other villagers in a pilot roll-out program (Kana Hau 2013)