A one-week training course on Goat Farming was organized by the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana.
Many farmers including a woman farmer from Punjab and adjoining states participated in this training session that was coordinated by Dr. Rajesh Kasrija and Dr. Arunbeer Singh.
The mixed group of rural youth, goat farmers, and educated persons in the training indicated that people are getting attracted to goat farming business. The trainees were given theoretical as well as practical knowledge about starting a venture in goat farming. The important topics included practical, social and economic importance of goat farming, breeds of goats, housing plan, breeding techniques, feed management, weather management, shed designs, vaccination protocols, diseases & their prevention, the economics of goat farming etc.
Special practical exposure visits were organized to acquaint the trainees with the value addition of meat as well as milk products and daily farm routines.
A special visit to the Punjab Agricultural University was organized and farmers were shown the Integrated Farming System designed by the institute. Farmers were made aware of this intervention of combining more than one venture and using waste material from one venture into another, thus, reducing the expenditure. In the model, agriculture was combined with horticulture, goat farming, fish farming and dairy farming.
The concluding session of the training was chaired by Dr. P. S. Brar, Director of Extension Education, GADVASU, Ludhiana. He informed that there is a great scope of goat farming in the state as the demand for goat milk and meat products is ever increasing. He stressed that the farmer should go for value addition of goat products. They should rear goats of high genetic merit and that too on scientific lines.
Head of Department, Dr. R.K. Sharma advised farmers to remain in close contact with the university experts through mobile numbers of Tele-Advisory Centre 62832-58834 and 62832-97919.
