Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, organized a one-week Goat and Sheep Farming Training Programme, which witnessed the enthusiastic participation of 22 trainees, including 19 men and 3 women, from different districts of Punjab. .jpg)
Dr. J.P.S. Gill, Vice-Chancellor, appreciated the efforts of the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education for organizing a comprehensive and practical training programme. He recapitulated the commitment of Veterinary university to empowering livestock farmers through scientific knowledge and skill-based training initiatives. He described goat and sheep farming as a profitable enterprise with immense potential for self-employment, entrepreneurship, and income enhancement in rural areas. Dr. R.S. Grewal, Director of Extension Education, emphasized the importance of livestock enterprises in strengthening rural livelihoods and highlighted goat and sheep farming as a key driver of economic upliftment, particularly among rural youth. Dr. Jaswinder Singh, HoD and Course Director, stated that the training programme combined classroom teaching with practical exposure. The trainees were given theoretical as well as practical knowledge with exposure visits to University Goat farm, Department of Livestock Products and Technology, and College of Dairy and food Science technology to acquaint the trainees about value addition of meat as well as milk products and daily farm routines at goat farm. The vital topics included importance of goat farming, breeds of goats, housing, breeding techniques, feeding management, shed designs, weather management, vaccination protocols, diseases and their prevention, economics of goat farming etc. A special visit to the Punjab Agricultural University was organized and farmers were shown the Integrated Farming System designed by PAU in Punjab state. The training programme was coordinated by Dr. Rajesh Kasrija, with support from student coordinator Dr. Haryuvraj Singh Bedi. The participants appreciated the practical demonstrations, farm visits, and field-based learning experiences, along with the exposure to livestock product processing, which enhanced their confidence to establish successful goat and sheep farming enterprises.
