COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new animal facility at Ohio State University’s Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory will allow for more opportunities for education, research and public outreach, according to school officials.

The ribbon cutting for the $60 million Multispecies Animal Learning Complex (MALC) was Jan. 29. The Waterman complex is not far from the heart of the university’s main campus.

The facility will give students hands-on experience with swine, equine, poultry and ruminants, according to the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). The MALC is described by CFAES as an innovative, state-of-the-art complex that advances education in essential STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields. A new dairy facility has also been constructed. The MALC and dairy can hold about 2,200 animals.

CFAES officials have been dreaming about this facility for decades, Cathann A. Kress, OSU vice president for agricultural administration and CFAES dean, said at the ribbon cutting. Construction of the complex began in January 2024.

Being here “is beyond exciting, particularly because of what we know it means for Ohio agriculture, for our students, for our faculty and for all of those we reach through OSU Extension,” she noted. “At CFAES, our purpose is simple. We sustain life. That purpose begins with education, not just for Ohio State students, but also for kindergarten through 12th grade students and learners across the lifespan.”

More than 250 people attended the ribbon cutting, which included tours of the complex. The MALC has separate, biosecure barns, and the dairy includes robotic milkers for cows and automated manure systems. The complex also has an arena, wet labs, classrooms and public viewing areas.

The complex has more than 150,000 square feet of space that will host student learning, public engagement and community events, CFAES said.

“This world-class facility will bring people and animals together,” Kress explained. “We hope it’s a place to answer questions consumers have about how does my food end up in my plate or at my grocery store.”

Animals will move into the complex in stages, said Maurice Eastridge, professor and senior associate chair of Ohio State’s Department of Animal Sciences. The new dairy and the ruminant and equine wings have been released to the university by the contractor, he said. Those animals will be moved in during February and/or March. The expected move-in date for pigs and birds is April to May.

The dairy will have room for about 60 lactating cows, 15 dry cows, and 15-20 calves, Eastridge said.

“This new facility will be a tremendous asset to our teaching, outreach and research program in dairy cattle,” he told Farm World. “We will be able to effectively teach undergraduate students using a modern food animal production system, train graduate students, (in) a working laboratory within view of the main campus, conduct transformative research to advance the dairy industry, and educate people across the lifespan about modern food production systems.”

The complex will tremendously increase the visibility of animal agriculture to everyone at the university, whether they are faculty, staff, students or a visitor attending an athletic event or on campus for another reason, Eastridge explained. It is a facility that the industry can be proud of to communicate to the public the importance of our food production system, he said.

Ohio State will continue to use its research facilities on the Wooster campus and at all outlying branches to meet the needs of the university’s comprehensive research program, Eastridge noted.

“I am looking forward to many things in what this facility offers, however, I am probably most excited to take students to the facility and watch their eyes marvel at its capability for advancing their learning and fostering their passion for working in animal science and its associated industries,” he said. “It already brings smiles to students’ faces when they learn that they will be the first group to use this modern facility and the facility is already an asset in our recruiting efforts for students arriving in autumn 2026 and beyond.”

Kress said education will be the center of the facility, and will be an opportunity for those who know very little about the food system to learn more. More than 25,000 people visit the Waterman facility annually, she said, adding officials hope to see that number reach 100,000.