EAST LANSING, Mich. – A major investment is being made to keep Michigan’s dairy industry the cream of the crop for its impact on the state’s economy compared to other sectors of agriculture.

The Michigan State University board of trustees has given the green light to building a $75 million Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center.

Ernie Birchmeier, senior industry relations specialist for Michigan Farm Bureau, said the new facility will greatly improve the ability to research and generate findings critical for keeping the state at the top for milk production from each cow.

“Our dairy farmers in Michigan on a per cow basis are more productive than everyone else in the country. We want to continue that trend,” he said.

He said dairy also ranks higher than any other sector in agriculture for its $15.7 billion economic contribution to the state.

Birchmeier said the current facility, built in the 1960s, simply lacks the technology the new facility will contain to produce more helpful information. “It’s just an old facility that’s run its course,” he said.

Michigan Farm Bureau is an extension of the strong support for the project from the state’s agricultural community and state lawmakers from both parties.

“I thank the legislature for investing in our state’s future leaders in plant and animal science,” said MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff.

Currently, the MSU Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center supports the research of faculty members in the colleges of agriculture and natural resources and veterinary medicine.

Another way the new facility will expand research capacity is from increasing the size of the dairy cow herd from about 250 to close to 700. There will also be modernized barns, feed centers, milking parlors and laboratories along with spaces for student instruction.

A digester with more technology to manage nutrients from the manure produced by the cows will also be placed into the new facility.

“The dairy industry has advanced well beyond the center’s current capacity, particularly in regard to research potential and teaching modern production practices,” said Doug Freeman, interim dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Freeman said the new facility is also about developing way to better protect local and global food systems against disease and illness in dairy cows.

“As we train the next generation of veterinarians, the center will allow them to develop significantly enhanced skills in dairy production medicine,” he said.

George Smith, director of MSU AgBioResearch, said the new facility will also help raise the bar on research to help keep producing at a high level despite challenges posed by things like climate change.

“We had a lot of work to do before that day, but we’re incredibly grateful to the board of trustees for this approval and to the state legislature, commodity groups, general farm organizations and our producers for their ongoing support,” he said.

Birchmeier said the legislature approved $53 million toward the cost of the project.

He doesn’t anticipate the university having trouble coming up with the remainder of the dollars from donors. “They’re still going to have to do additional fund raising and that is underway,” he said.

Groundbreaking will occur next year with completion slated for 2025.

Birchmeier said the current facility will be demolished to make way for construction of the new teaching and research center.

The legislature also approved funds to renovate and add on to MSU’s Plant Sciences Greenhouses in the colleges of agriculture and natural resources and natural science.

The project, estimated at $35 million, will include state-of-the-art environmental controls and energy-efficient LED lighting configured to external climate conditions.

Phillip Duxbury, dean of the College of Natural Science, said well-controlled greenhouse environments are essential to maintaining MSU’s leadership in various research impacting agriculture.

“MSU is a world-leading center for plant sciences research that drives innovation in the agriculture economy and addresses the impacts of a changing climate and emerging diseases, pets and contaminants,” he said.