LAMTORO FERMENTASI (LaFer): PAKAN PENYANGGA MUSIM KEMARAU

The availability of feed throughout the season is a problem in livestock development in West Nusa Tenggara Province. The abundance of feed sources in the rainy season is inversely proportional to the shortage of forage and other feed sources in the dry season. As a result, the condition of livestock in the dry season is very thin and malnourished, leading to miscarriage and death. To overcome these problems, processing technology and storage of abundant feed sources in the rainy season so that they can be used in the dry season are very necessary. Lamtoro Fermentation (LaFer) is a feed from lamtoro (Leuchaena sp.) that is fermented with other ingredients so that it can be stored for a long time for use in the dry season. The LaFer was made at the Agropreneur Center of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, University of Mataram in Sambik Elen Village, Bayan District, North Lombok Regency, which is a research center for lamtoro as animal feed. The results of the activity showed that fresh lamtoro that was wilted for 24 hours, chopped and mixed with chopped corn straw, then sprayed with lactic acid bacteria mixture and fermented for at least 1 month in silo with the addition of rice bran can produce silage with good quality characterized by the absence of mold, tape-like smell, greenish color, and has high palatability for goats. The lamtoro silage is a bit dark in color because it loses Mg in chlorophyll when it reacts with organic acids to become brown phaeophytin and as an indicator that lamtoro silage contains a high pigment. Fermentation technology can be used to extend the shelf life of lamtoro so that it becomes a source of feed source protein throughout the season for livestock.