Agriculture is the most important area of economic activity for the production of products and services in order to provide the population with quality food, industry with raw materials and promote sustainable development of rural areas. In recent years, there has been a downward trend in the rate of agricultural development, which is lagging behind the growth rate of the Russian economy as a whole. Structural changes in the agro-industrial complex have not produced significant positive results, which is caused by a number of reasons. One of the directions of agricultural policy in Russia is the accelerated development of animal husbandry and increasing the competitiveness of domestic livestock products in the domestic market. The state program for the development of agriculture and regulation of markets for agricultural products, raw materials and food provides for a set of measures for the priority development of animal husbandry. Implementation of these measures requires improved management in order to increase the efficiency of livestock production. The article considers aspects of the formation of accounting and analytical support for management of the livestock industry, economic and statistical analysis of trends and structural changes in the livestock industry. The best practices of Russian scientists in the field of accounting and agricultural Economics are summarized.