The J-TAC

Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Bobbi Haire The 80-acre Dairy Center, worth $11.1 million, is set to be completed by the summer of 2010.

Media Credit: Bobbi Haire

Tarleton State University's Southwest Regional Dairy Center is set to be completed by summer 2010. The dairy center is a highly anticipated 80-acre center worth $11.1 million and located at the college farm. The facility will be for learning and researching dairies with a commercial license for selling and distribution that serve Texas and the surrounding states. The dairy center was on a standstill in its planning stage, but will pick up speed now.

The Texas dairy producers and the Tarleton administration played an important role in the success of the center in regards to cooperation and funding.
"We plan to open the dairy center up to other universities in the region so that they may also be able to use it for research and learning opportunities. It is exciting to see the center take shape now," said Dr. Barry Lambert, department head of animal sciences and dairy science specialist. "It would provide a lot of unique learning opportunities to the students."

The center, with the dual role of teaching and facilitating research, would be an epitome of modern dairy facilities, better milk quality, better living conditions for the cows, confined animal feeding and environmental sustainability. They will strive to solve problems such as pollution, odor, air quality, reproduction of cows, and heat stress, among others. The research application would include business, finance, engineering, medical, animal behavior, labor management, energy recovery from agricultural wastes and environmental sciences. It would also encourage agricultural undergraduate research.
The technology that will be installed in the building will include a rotary parlor, auto animal ID, multiple energy-recovery system and the plant that converts manure into ethanol, which has already been designed by EQMA - a start-up company in Waco.

"Eventually we would love for energy recovery systems at the dairy to help offset a portion or all of the facility's electrical costs," Lambert said. He explained that the future research and development would enhance the technology to lessen the center's environmental impact.

Hanfeld Hoffer Stanford, the agricultural engineering firm for the project, is based in Fort Worth, and the Center's designing is being assisted by Five G Consulting, which is a dairy design company.

"It's been a long time now, and it is important from the agricultural point of view to help students learn the basics of improving and selling milk," Lambert said.

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