Management characteristics of small-scale beef cattle production in Konawe district of Southeast Sulawesi

This study aimed to describe the management characteristics of small-scale beef cattle production. The study was conducted in Konawe District of Southeast Sulawesi. Respondents consisted of 30 cattle farmers selected from three sub-districts. Data and information were collected using observation and questionnaire-based interview methods. Data were analyzed qualitatively using descriptive statistics. Research results showed that the objectives of cattle rearing were to have cash income, savings, and social security assurance. The types of cattle breed being raised were mostly Bali cattle. Each farmer kept eight heads of cattle on average. The primary source of cattle was breeding through natural mating and Artificial Insemination. Each farmer employed two family labors in average to take care of beef cattle production. Cattle management system applied consisted of tethering, intensive, and mini-ranch system. The intensive system involved the giving of supplemental feed to the animals so that the cost was higher than that of tethering and mini-ranch system. Small-sale cattle production system does not disrupt the crop farming system and provides supplementary income to the farmers, but has some characteristics that should be addressed in the efforts to have more specialized, medium-scale production or fattening system.