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Michigan State University completes state-of-the-art dairy research center

Michigan State University’s Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center is officially complete and fully operational.

Barry Bradford is chair of dairy management in the Department of Animal Science.

“The growth in what we can do here is amazing, and I’m not bashful about telling people for now, this is the best dairy research facility in the world,” he says.

Bradford says the larger, modern facilities allow for more precise research at every point across a dairy farm.

“We’ve tried to set up for here to be a resource center for understanding the dairy as a whole system,” he says. “We’ve tried to put in technology to allow us to measure as much as possible everything coming into the dairy and leaving the dairy.”

He says the university is already seeing an uptick in students enrolled in dairy programs.

“Especially this fall, we’ve seen a big jump in out-of-state students and many of those students are coming from very viable commercial dairies,” he says.

The facility tripled the previous milking herd on campus to nearly 700 cows and now includes a visiting center, meeting spaces, and additional hands-on learning opportunities. The farm also hosts an anaerobic digester, a water reclamation system, sand bedding recycling, and electric vehicle charging capabilities.

Leaders met last week for a dedication ceremony to mark the completed $75 million project.