Training farm of VMU Agriculture Academy

ABOUT US

Brief history

The farm was established in 1992, after the reorganization of the former Production Training Farm of the Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture into the Training Centre of the Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture. On 7 June 2011, the legal status of the farm was changed as a result of establishment of a public body, the Training Farm of the Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture, which became the successor of all the rights and obligations of the former unit. In 2012, in view of the change in the name of the founder (LFA was renamed ASU (Aleksandras Stulginskis University), the institution was renamed on 11 July 2012 as the Public Enterprise ‘ASU Training Farm’. Following the merger of Aleksandras Stulginskis University with Vytautas Magnus University to become VMU Agriculture Academy, the farm was renamed the Training Farm of VMU Agriculture Academy on 28 June 2022.

Activity aims

Provide research, educational, and knowledge dissemination services for students, teachers, researchers, agricultural specialists, and farmers.
Facilitate practical training, work placements, and educational field trips for students through the development of advanced farming, modern and safe technologies;
Enable the researchers and students to make use of the farm’s productive resources and facilities to carry out scientific experiments and monitor production and service delivery processes.

Activity directions

Crop production. Cereal and perennial grass seed production (on average, the farm produces almost 15 thousand tonnes of reproductive seed material for cereals and leguminous crops and over 17.1 tonnes of seeds for perennial grasses each year). Production of high-yielding cereals. An organic farm. Production of high quality feed.
Animal husbandry. Milk production and marketing (trade in fresh raw milk). Cattle breeding, rearing of beef cattle.
Experimental, educational, and testing economical activities. Implementation and development of agricultural science, innovation, and advanced production technologies.

Farm in the learning process

The Training Farm enables the students to carry out production and training practices in soil science, agriculture, weed assessment and control, ploughing quality assessment, ploughing training, crop rotations and evaluation, primary accounting, and practice placement. Doctoral students and lecturers carry out experiments at the Karkiškiai cow farm and throughout the Karkiškiai production complex, in the cereal and perennial grass seed warehouses.

Students of all programmes at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering carry out practical work in the following areas: cow milking technology, manure removal and storage facilities, feed preparation and animal feeding facilities, and computerized process control. In addition, the warehouses at the Training Farm are used as a research base for the scientific programme “Mycotoxin”, where technical and technological preventive measures are tested to inhibit the development of micromycetes and mycotoxins in warehouses. MSc students at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering carry out studies on microclimate and gas emissions from manure at different times of the year.

Students also make up a significant proportion of farm workers – around 20% of the workforce, and as much as 25 to 30% during seasonal work.

Significant works

In 2021, together with our partners, we will continue the no-till field trial that has already stretched across the years. The dynamics of yield, soil parameters, and economic indicators were monitored in comparison to a control (arable farming technique) field.
Upgrading of crop maintenance and forage preparation equipment: a new tractor and a trailed rake.
The investment into the cow farm continues: a direct milk transport system from the milking parlour to the milk heater for calves; the cows have accepted the new feeding robot, which ensures they always have fresh, remixed fodder. These investments make it easier for people to do their job and partly solve the issue of lack of human resources.
The changing climate is having a major impact on agriculture. New challenges are emerging, existing agro-technologies are being adapted and new ones are being developed. In 2020, together with our partners UAB Dojus agro, we carried out a continuous field trial of soilless agriculture, during which we monitored the change in yields, soil structure and economic indicators in comparison to a control field.
Climate change is urging to practice agriculture as quickly and accurately as possible. For this reason, in 2020 we invested in tillage machinery and equipment: new 6-hull semi-suspended tipping ploughs were purchased. With the new Precision Parallel Steering system, we are sowing even more accurately and quickly, and are more environmentally friendly (reducing seed, fertilizer, fuel, time costs, and emissions). Warehouses are farmers’ “insurance” against low purchase prices at harvest time and a place for seed preparation. This year, the silo warehouse has been upgraded considerably: part of the wall coverings have been replaced and one of the grain conveyor belts has been replaced as well. The purchased passenger car replaced a completely worn-out and unusable vehicle.
In 2019, the dairy unit was upgraded significantly: the milking parlor was renovated with the most efficient Evanza milkers currently available on the market; the concentrated feed distribution process was upgraded with a new cow locking device, a feed conveying system, and a storage silo.
Thanks to the automatic steering systems (with sprinkler section control) already installed on two tractors, the development of precision farming from sowing to crop maturity continues. Sowing, spraying and fertilization are carried out with extreme precision. This optimizes the need for seed, fertilizer, agrochemicals, reduces other costs, emissions, need for human resources and makes the operator’s job easier. All this leads to sustainable farming, which contributes to improved environmental protection.
In 2017-2019, the farm was a partner in four EIP projects. These projects invested in the development, deployment, testing, and improvement of innovations in agriculture. The results are shared with the EIP cluster partners and disseminated among other agricultural companies and farmers, thus contributing to higher-quality production and more cost-effective and sustainable farming across the industry. Under these projects, soil moisture adjustment and monitoring systems were installed for partial mitigation of the negative effects of droughts on the quantity and quality of production. Investments were implemented to increase the breeding value and productivity of the Lithuanian dairy cattle population; and development of precision agriculture was introduced through the introduction of innovative technologies.
The second storage facility for packaged cereals was renovated.
In 2017, a new 250 HP tractor was purchased as part of the systematic modernization of the machinery fleet, which started back in 2009.
The lighting system in the milking parlor of the cow farm, which had been renovated in 2007, was upgraded with innovative LED lighting technology, which not only improved the illumination of the room but also helped save on electricity costs.
In 2016, one cereal warehouse was reconstructed and the roofs of other buildings were repaired. As part of the continued improvement of the infrastructure, all farms and some warehouses in the Karkiskiai complex become interconnected by an asphalted road surface. The purchase of a new powerful self-propelled telescopic loader, a forage chopper, and a belt roller press has significantly contributed to the upgrading of the forage preparation equipment.
In 2014, as part of the project implemented by ASU, a shop for grain sprouting was constructed and grain sprouting technology was deployed. A control group of cows is fed with these sprouted grains and the production dynamics is monitored. Modern tillage implements were purchased to achieve higher yields. One of the barns and its service infrastructure were partially renovated to ensure good animal housing conditions. The renewal of the foundations of the most worn-out feed trenches will allow maintaining the high quality of the feed and livestock productivity.
In 2012, a new self-propelled telescopic loader and a new, modern mower were purchased, and the vehicle fleet was partially upgraded. These investments have increased productivity and improved the forage quality.
In 2011, an investment project was implemented to upgrade the farm seed production process by acquiring a new innovative combine harvester and a large-capacity semi-trailer.

Plans for the future

To cooperate with the VMU Agriculture Academy for effective use of the intellectual potential of the Training Farm and to anually upgrade the technical facilities available for student and postgraduate training in various fields and at different levels.
To increase the number of students on apprenticeship.
As part of the continued development of precision farming, to upgrade the sprayer section control system by introducing additional section units for further reduction of the overlaps caused by different field geometries. This is expected to lead to better results in terms of environmental sustainability.
Installation of the Livestock Research-Demonstration Facility (a smart farm with CO₂ emission control) of the European Climate Change Centre.
In order to remain a strong player in the seed production sector, it is intended to upgrade the seed preparation equipment.

CONTACTS

Training farm of VMU Agriculture Academy
Rapsų str. 1, LT-53367, Noreikiškės, Kauno district.

Director
Vilius Venskutonis
Phone (8-37) 752 280
Phone (8 612) 87828

Chief accountant
Žydra Čekanauskienė
Phone (8-37) 752 310
Phone (8 641) 78342

Accounant
Adomas Matusevičius
Phone (8-37) 752 310
El. paštas: mokomasis.ukis@vdu.lt