Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia

This study aimed to evaluate the methods used to fatten beef cattle in the Tembaro area of southern Ethiopia. Woyena Dega (Sub-humid), Dega (Humid), and Kola (Arid) agro-ecological zones were included in this study. Accordingly, six kebeles (two from each agro-ecology) were purposively selected. Moreover, 155 respondents were chosen at random from fatteners who had at least two fattening cattle for interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics and rank indexing were used to analyze the data. The majority of household heads involved in activities related to cattle fattening were male (89 %), and the remaining (11 %) were female. The average livestock holding was 5.4, 4.5, and 9.5 tropical livestock units (TLU) for Woyena Dega, Dega, and Kola agro-ecologies, respectively. The purpose of cattle fattening was primarily for drought power and food security. The fattening experience of the households was between 5 and 20 years in all agro-ecologies. As most (49.7 %) respondents reported, old oxen were the most commonly used class of cattle being fattened. The cattle selection criteria were body conformation (34.2 %) and color (20 %). The duration of fattening was 3-6 months and the preferred season for fattening was summer (45.2 %), followed by religious festivals (34.8 %). Green grass was ranked first, followed by crop residue. The sale of some livestock can be used to purchase land and reinvest in other business ventures. High market demand, the existence of livestock, and the availability of high-quality meat have all been cited as outstanding potential that could be used to boost the effectiveness of the livestock fattening operation in the research region. It should be essential to provide farmers with proper training and extension services on improved cattle fattening technology, management techniques, and market information in order to increase their income and that of the agricultural communities that depend on cyclically accessible feed supplies.