Ronny Rachman Noor and the Fight for Pure Bali Cattle

Who is Ronny Rachman Noor?

Ronny Rachman Noor is a professor of animal genetics at the Faculty of Animal Science at IPB University in Bogor, West Java. IPB, formerly the Bogor Agricultural Institute, is one of Indonesia's leading agricultural universities. He is best known for work on Bali cattle, the native breed that supports many of the country's small farmers.

An April 2018 report on the IPB University news page covered his press conference before the scientific oration he delivered on April 19, 2018, at the Baranangsiang campus. This profile relies on that report and on public reference material, and it keeps to his professional record.

Why genetic purity matters for local cattle

His stated aim is to raise the population and productivity of local livestock. The IPB report says he works on verifying the purity of local breeds, because crossbreeding in the field can threaten native animals and reduce their adaptability and reproduction.

The methods he developed or applied, according to that report, include karyotype analysis, scanning electron microscopy of fur and chromosomal structure, isoelectric focusing, and microsatellite DNA analysis. Together they let a researcher check whether an animal carries the expected genetic markers or has been mixed with other cattle.

What are Bali cattle?

A general overview of Bali cattle says they descend from the banteng, Bos javanicus, and were domesticated around 3500 BC, probably on Bali. They have a hump, a white rump patch and white stockings. Adult males average about 335 to 363 kilograms and females about 211 to 242 kilograms. They grow on low-quality fodder, are highly fertile, and resist most diseases, though they are susceptible to malignant catarrhal fever and Jembrana disease.

The same overview says Bali cattle make up about a quarter of Indonesia's cattle, and up to four-fifths on eastern islands. Noor's own figure in the IPB report is about 27 percent of the national cattle population. Sources differ slightly, which is normal for a figure that depends on the census year.

His claims about the breed

The IPB report presents several claims as Noor's own statements. He classifies Bali cattle as Bos javanicus, separate from Bos taurus and Bos indicus, and says they descend from wild banteng. He cites distinguishing traits: white markings on the legs and buttocks, similar male and female coat colors at birth, and the HEL9 and INRA 35 microsatellite markers.

He also describes what he calls seven miracles of Bali cattle, including tolerance of marginal environments and a high carcass percentage, and notes an 1827 image of a Bali cow held at a German livestock museum as evidence of early European interest. These are his statements as reported, not independently verified here.

• More than 75 percent of Indonesia's endangered livestock lack a conservation program, according to figures cited in the report.
• About 70 percent of the rural poor depend on the livestock sector, per the same report.
• World population was cited at 6.7 billion with a projection of 9 billion by 2050.

Limits and open questions

The overview of the breed notes small birth and weaning weights, high calf mortality, slow growth and low milk production as common problems, and says Bali cattle numbers have been declining in most places because consumption exceeds local supply. Protecting purity does not remove those limits, which is why the debate about improving local cattle through crossing continues.

Artificial insemination was introduced in southern Sulawesi and Timor in 1975 and 1976 and has been used in Bali since the 1980s, according to the same overview, which shows how long breeding programs have been in play.

Learn more

Readers interested in native breeds elsewhere can browse the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about Bali cattle. For Noor's own words, start with the IPB news report on his oration.