Students of the "School of the Farmer" in the Urals study genetics and animal breeding

Lectures and practical classes for farmers are conducted by leading scientists of the Ural State Agrarian University.

Students of the "School of the farmer" of the Russian Agricultural Bank in the Sverdlovsk region took an in-depth course in breeding and genetics of farm animals. We learned about new methods of accelerated selection, got acquainted with modern equipment and technology of artificial insemination.

In particular, Oksana Evgenievna Likhodeevskaya, Associate Professor of the Department of Animal Engineering, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biological Research at USAU, spoke about modern scientific research that allows obtaining animals with desired characteristics in terms of productivity, product quality, health and longevity, as well as diagnosing various diseases at the genetic level.

“For the population of the breeding stock of cattle, we began to carry out an integrated approach to genotyping and phenotyping due to the fact that productivity indicators: milk yield, milk protein, milk fat and others are largely determined by the genotype, and therefore the use of genetic assessment is an integral part of modern breeding and a key aspect of increasing the potential of the livestock industry. We are convinced that obtaining animals with desired properties is real, and the region has the necessary potential to achieve this goal,” said O.E. Likhodeevskaya, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biological Research, Ural State Agrarian University, Associate Professor of the Department of Animal Engineering, Candidate of Biological Sciences.

Project participants added that obtaining animals with desired properties is very important for modern farming.

The farmers consolidated the acquired knowledge within the framework of a practical trip to the leading breeding enterprise in Russia - Uralplemcenter JSC. Its experts spoke about the latest breeding products, the most popular dairy breeds of cattle and demonstrated the animals kept at the station for artificial insemination.

Training in the second stream of the Farmer's School will last until December 24, 2021. During this time, course participants will also learn all the necessary information on crop production, dairy and beef cattle breeding, including the organization of successful breeding work, the features of keeping and feeding animals, assessing the quality of meat and milk, epidemiological survey of peasant farms and others.
Recall that the second stream of the Farmer's School, a project that allows Ural residents to create a profitable business in agriculture, started on October 22, 2021. Its participants were 26 farmers from Sysert, Tugulym, Bogdanovichevsky, Irbitsky, Talitsky, Kamensky and other districts.

And in total, at the initiative of the Russian Agricultural Bank, the School of the Farmer is being successfully implemented in 50 regions of the Russian Federation. In the Sverdlovsk Region, the project is supported by the Ural State Agrarian University, the Ministry of Agro-Industrial Complex and the Consumer Market, and the Sverdlovsk Regional Fund for Entrepreneurship Support.

Text - Yulia Filimonova
Photo - RSHB, USAU archive
11/29/2021