The Peckham Farm home base is roughly 20 acres, with 18 of it being pasture. This facility is home to a variety of livestock including beef/dairy cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and poultry. The farm and animals housed there are used for undergraduate education and faculty/graduate student research.
Animal Handling and Handling Areas
All animal handling for use in research and teaching will be coordinated with the Farm Manager. Animal-handling areas are available for use in research experiments, teaching and extension programs. Consultation with the farm manager is required prior to using these facilities to ensure that equipment is functioning correctly and safely. Users are required to clean up after each use and dispose of supplies, manure, hair, etc. in the proper manner.
IACUC
Research, teaching, and other activities must be included under an approved University of Rhode Island Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol. Approved protocols should be submitted to the farm manager for filing and display at the animal handling area.
Bio-Security
Proper biosecurity practices are essential for keeping Peckham Farm’s animal populations healthy and safe from on and off-farm contamination. The farm manager will oversee the introduction of all new animals to the farm. All new animals must have the relevant permits and health certificates and be associated with an approved IACUC protocol prior to their arrival on the farm. Users traveling to or working on other farms should wear separate clothing and footwear or properly sanitize their clothing and footwear before returning to the farm.
All veterinary pharmaceuticals brought onto a farm must be approved by the farm manager, academic veterinarian, or practicing veterinarian. Pharmaceuticals are subject to inspection by the University of Rhode Island Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Labels must be present, and materials must not exceed the expiration date. It is the user’s responsibility to remove and properly process unused or expired pharmaceuticals at the end of each project or when the expiration date has passed.
Peckham Farm is open to the public for visits during regular university business hours (7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday). It is also open at other times for approved programs and activities. All users, including members of the public, must follow instructions for interacting with the animals as posted on signs at the farm.