Status of Dairy Farming in Karur District of Tamil Nadu

A study has been conducted in Karur District of Tamil Nadu state, to find out the status of dairy farming in rural villages. A sample size of 400 farmers was selected randomly. An interview schedule was prepared and pre tested to collect the data from the farmers regarding the general management practices on feeding, breeding health care and, production performance of the dairy animals and the constraints involved in dairy farming. The findings of the study indicated that the farmers adopted the technologies like artificial insemination (60 per cent), concentrate feeding (75 per cent), deworming and vaccination to the dairy animals (88 per cent). The animals were in the lactation length for 240-300 days and the average yield for cows was from 1400 - 1600 lts and buffaloes 1200-1400lts. Lack of veterinary services and absence of veterinary dispensary, high cost of feed, lack of organized milk marketing channels, lack of knowledge in scientific practices and the high cost of treatment were the constraints felt by majority of the respondents in keeping livestock.