Facilities and Equipment
Reedley College strives to maintain a full service animal science program, fully equipped with the classroom and laboratory facilities and equipment. This provides our students with modern, state-of-the-art instruction relevant to careers available in the field. The central feature of our school farm instructional laboratory is a large, covered, livestock pavilion. This structure facilitates various "hands-on" laboratory activities for our animal science courses and serves as a host site for a wide range of campus activities and industry events.
Other animal science facilities include:
- 300 acre school farm and riparian areas adjacent to the Kings River
- Beef cattle pastures and working facilities
- Swine farrowing, nursery, grower and breeding herd facilities
- Sheep pastures and working facilities
- Outdoor horse riding arena and boarding facilities
- Multi-purpose livestock barn
- Classrooms equipped with digital projectors and internet access
- Meats laboratory and storage cooler
A variety of modern equipment and technology has been acquired in recent years.
Some examples include:
- Two real-time ultrasound units
- Electronic livestock identification systems
- Artificial Insemination collection and analysis units
- Electronic scales
- Silencer squeeze chute
- Automated feed delivery system
- Two stock trailers
- Equine hot-walker and round pen
- Fitting and showing equipment for all species
- Cattle and sheep split chutes
Livestock Herds
At the Reedley College school farm, we maintain three breeding livestock to support laboratory activities for our courses as well as for exhibition at various shows and sales throughout the state. We continually strive for top quality genetics through the use of artificial insemination and periodic purchases of quality replacement breeding livestock. We are proud of the success that our show teams have experienced at collegiate and open division livestock shows and of the fact that the majority of our herds consist of animals that have been "bred and fed" by our students.
Our registered Angus beef herd consists of 15+ cows and 1 bull. The primary emphasis is to produce high quality breeding animals with top rated performance EPDs which are marketed at purebred cattle sales throughout the state. In addition, the college works closely with partners that provide cattle for hands on lab activities and the livestock showteam.
Our swine herd is composed of 10+ sows and 2 boars consisting of registered Yorkshire and Duroc genetics. The focus of the breeding program is to produce high quality breeding stock to be marketed through statewide sales conducted by the California Pork Producers Association. Additionally, many pigs are sold as club pigs to 4-H and FFA youth.
We maintain 30+ ewes and 2 rams for our club lamb flock which contains mostly Suffolk and Hampshire influences as well as some purebred Dorsets. THe primary emphasis of our sheep flock is to produce high quality show lambs for 4-H and FFA youth projects.
