What is the first word that comes to mind when you say UTM? Definitely, ENGINEERING. Although UTM’s main duty is the preparation of highly qualified engineers, veterinary medicine has been included in the list of study programs, after the absorption of the former State Agrarian University of Moldova. Thus, our institution has broadened its spectrum of fields, managing to beautifully and beneficially combine Information Technologies with Life Sciences.
By becoming a comprehensive university, more opportunities arose for a multidisciplinary approach. Recently, UTM has acquired its own farm, intended for teaching. The farm will assist in:
- the development of new technologies for the maintenance of cattle health;
- the preparation of specialists in the field of Veterinary Medicine, Zootechnics and Food Safety;
- maintaining the genetic material of the breed;
- obtaining the status of a breeding farm;
- digitalization of the farm management process, in order to facilitate record keeping and animal health.
The educational farm requires care, investment and a lot of work. With the support of the rector of UTM, Prof. Viorel BOSTAN, Dr. Habil., it is made sure that these needs are met, and that the animals receive careful care and good quality food. A competent manager, together with an extraordinary team, are able to accomplish things with a major impact in society, as any change starts from education.
The calculated arrangement of things at the farm indicates professionalism: numerous practical lessons are developed within the courses at the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, the Zootechnics and Agricultural Biotechnologies study programs. Here, animals are used both for teaching, as well as for milk production. Sick animals, dry cows and young cows are used for practical lessons. In order not to affect the amount of milk they provide, cows that produce are used for educational purposes only in the case of issues present in the cow’s health. The calves are raised to replace the herd’s old cows that will be slaughtered. The bulls are fattened to be slaughtered, their meat being used for didactic purposes, for the production of sausages.
The educational farm keeps Simmental cattle (Fleckvieh). At the moment, there are 36 head of cattle, 16 of which are cows in production, 8 pregnant heifers, 7 calves and 5 bulls. Cattle genetics are maintained by artificial insemination with same-breed semen from the Republican Center for Animal Improvement and Reproduction. The production of this breed is mainly directed towards milk and meat, a cow being able to produce an average daily amount of 22-24 liters of milk with a fat percentage of 3.8-4%, or 7000-9000 liters during the lactation period. The obtained milk is delivered daily to the LAPMOL company for production and marketing of dairy products. During the last 6 months (January-June, 2023), the educational farm provided 53819 liters of milk, 3574 of which were given to calves for consumption, and 50245 liters of milk were further used for production.
Other activities carried out at the farm are:
- maintenance, breeding and reproduction of cattle;
- organization of practical lessons for the preparation of UTM students specializing in Zootechnics, Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine;
- scientific research conducted by UTM teaching staff, Doctoral and Master’s students, with the aim of perfecting cow’s milk production technologies according to EU regulations;
- improving the available knowledge in Zootechnics and Veterinary Medicine, in the field of raising cattle for the production of cow’s milk;
- development of the model project for the construction of milk production farms in private households within the Republic of Moldova – pilot farm for cattle milk production, with quantitative and qualitative factors.
Technologies are used within the educational farm with the purpose of facilitating the daily activity of the employees. The farm is equipped with a milking parlor (2×2), where 4 cows are milked simultaneously. The milking system is automatically washed twice a day after milking. The milk is sent through the milk pipe to the cooling tank, where it is kept at a temperature of 0-40°C. After milking, the cows go to the farm, where they have individual stalls equipped with rubber mats for rest, the maintenance system offering permanent access to food and water. For more comfort, the cows are brushed daily by two automatic brushes, which ensure the sanitization of the cow’s fur and the improvement of their blood circulation. The litter in the stable is automatically evacuated in the manure pit, with the help of galvanized steel cable reactors, intended for cleaning the feed aisles and the drains between the stalls at every hour. The manure is loaded with the help of the TCH-160 manure removal conveyor directly into the trailer and transported to the manure accumulation warehouse, located 1 km from the farm, where fermentation takes place, and the product is then used as fertilizer for the didactic-experimental station of the Faculty of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences. The feed of the cows is distributed with the help of a technological trailer, in quantities according to body constitution, age category and production. Animal feed consists of corn silage, alfalfa and meadow hay, barley straw, concentrates (corn, barley, soybean meal, sunflower meal, bran, DDgS), premix and a highly effective ruminal buffer made from calcareous seaweed.
The general veterinarian conducts regular health checks and takes prompt action both in the treatment of the animals and in the delivery of calves. For the control of mastitis, which could reduce the quality and quantity of milk, diagnoses are made every 10 days. For hoof care, hoof cleaning procedures are performed every 3-6 months and necessary treatments are applied in case of detected problems. Artificial inseminations are carried out on time, using semen with high quality genetics, with the goal of increasing milk production, but also daily weight gain. Every month, the young are weighed and the records are registered, so the average daily weight gain varies from 0.8 kg to 1.1 kg. All the daily or monthly data is registered, and the feed, milk production, medication use, average daily growth, artificial insemination and the number of born calves are reported monthly.
Within the educational farm, two operators for mechanized milking are in charge of milking the cows and feeding the dairy calves, two farm technicians are responsible for the preparation/administration of fodder and the evacuation of manure, and an animal caretaker performs mechanical cleaning and maintenance cleaning in the stable. A general veterinarian keeps records of treatments and disease prevention among the animals, and, for didactic purposes, notifies the teaching staff about them for practical lessons on the farm.
These actions are only the beginning of greater successes. The rector, Viorel BOSTAN, together with his team at UTM, aims to innovate the veterinary medical system in the country.
The educational farm was built using the financial sources of the European Union, provided for the former State Agrarian University of Moldova, within the cross-border collaboration project “Promoting sustainable production and implementation of good practices in the bovine farms from the Romania, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine cross-border region”.
