On-Farm Evaluation of the Replacement Value of Sugarcane Tops in the Basal Diets of Fattening Local Cattle Bulls in Adama Area

A study was conducted in the Adama district of East Shawa Zone in the Oromia Region to evaluate the replacement value of sugarcane tops in the basal diets of fattening local cattle bulls. The primary objective was to assess the effects of feeding sugarcane tops, as opposed to teff straw, on the growth performance of local cattle bulls and to determine the economic benefits. Six farmers, capable of purchasing bulls, were purposefully selected for study. Twelve local cattle bulls, with similar body conditions and ages, were bought from the Adama cattle market. The participating farmers received training on feed preparation, cattle fattening management, and data recording. The bulls were randomly assigned to two groups: six bulls were fed sugarcane tops (T1), and the others six were fed teff straw (T2) as their basal diets. The results showed no significant differences in growth performances between the bulls fed teff straw and those fed sugarcane tops. The overall final body weight, daily body weight gain, and total body weight gain were 322.08 kg, 0.79 kg and 55.58 kg, respectively. However, partial budget analysis indicated that feeding sugarcane tops was more profitable than feeding teff straw. The study concluded that sugarcane tops could effectively replace teff straw as a basal diet for local cattle. Therefore, where available, sugarcane tops can be used solely as a basal diet for fattening local cattle bulls.