The Agricultural Extension Services to Stock Farmers through Utilizing The Probio_Fm in Improving The Productivity of Beef Cattle in Central Bangka, Indonesia

The income of stock farmers relies on the beef cattle farming. However, the practice is still far from the ideal. The extension is crucial to be implemented to tackle the issue. The aim of the extension for the farmer group in Bangka Tengah Regency is to introduce the product called as probio¬FM as well as to educate them on its benefit and how to use it properly. Three steps were implemented on the extension: transferring knowledge, assisting the application of probio¬FM in making animal feed and evaluating the result of application of animal feed. The method of the extension were delivering lecture, having discussion and showing how to use it. The result showed that most of stock farmers had a positive attitude towards the provided extension. Furthermore, the study found that the majority of the stock farmers received a well-explained direction of using the probio¬FM. The willingness to use the probio¬FM considered as high. The study also found that the feeding implementation positively impacted increasing appetite, gaining weight, reducing urine and feces odors, and extending the expiration of raw material of animal feed. It concludes that the introduction of the probio¬_FM to the stock farmers is able to raise the awareness and improve skills of stock farmers in utilizing local livestock feed and producing the fermented feed. Its use is able to improve the level of feed digestibility, livestock condition and cage environment, feeding management and reducing feed costs