Department of Livestock Farm Practices

Profile
The Department of Livestock Farm Complex was carved out of the pre-existing Department of Livestock Production and Management  as per MSVE 2008 earlier named as Instructional Livestock Farm Complex and was renamed as Livestock Farm Complex as per MSVE 2016. The Department started functioning since 2010. The department is actively engaged in farm management,  teaching, research and extension activities as per the mandate Rural Development, of the KVAFSU and also associated with the organization of seminars, workshops and training programmes from time to time for farmers and professionals. The department has Farmer’s Training Centre  for training of farmers.

The department has  dairy farm with about 70 cattle, 2 buffaloes, 10 goat, 70 sheep and 40 Pigs. Every day about 250 litres of milk is produced per day. There is provision for storing  large quantity of ragi straw or hay for feeding animals.  The department has set up a model piggery farm under RKVY during 2007-2012.

In the  fodder section various varieties of fodder is grown such as Napier grass varieties (BNH10, CO4,Super Napier etc),  COFS29, Lucerne, Ragi etc.  About 300 tonnes of Silage is prepared in 6 silo pits every year form South African Tall maize grown in around 40 acres of land during the rainy season. About one acre land is used for growing fodder tree crops such as Malabar Neem (Hebbevu) and Agase (Sesbania grandiflora).

The department has adopted latest technologies like

• Well furnished feed unit with grinder and mixer,
• Chaff cutter machine for chopping of fodder,
•  Rubber mats for cows,
•  Milking parlour with automatic milking machines,
• Common water tank yard troughs for drinking for animals,
•  Raised slatted flooring for sheep and goats,
•  Drip irrigation system for cultivating year round green fodder production.

Services offered and facilities available

1. Milking parlour with automatic milking machines
2. Providing training to the needy farmers, Continuing Veterinary Education among veterinarians for professional updating of knowledge.
3. Providing facilities for research activities in all disciplines of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Departments within and outside the campus.
4. Providing information regarding  scientific rearing and set up of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, piggery farms
5. Supply of rootslips/stem cuttings of high yielding fodder varieties to the needy farmers.
6. Providing information on Scientific rearing of livestock  to farmer, Self Help Groups prospective entrepreneurs
7. Training programmes to Field Veterinarians/farmers/Self Help Groups
8. Consultancy Service to the farmers.
9. The LFC department have providing research facilities for both PG and Ph.D. students on various livestock like, dairy cattle, sheep, goat and swine.