WSU dairy is getting a makeover

Washington State University’s Knott Dairy Center is receiving the largest round of upgrades since it was first constructed more than 60 years ago.

Thanks to the Washington Legislature, the dairy farm was granted $10 million for deferred maintenance and safety projects. Work has already begun — the university expects to move cattle into a new barn by February 2025 and all other projects will be fully complete by the fall.

“(This) was invaluable for us to have a dairy on site for the decades to come,” said Gordon Murdoch, chairperson of the WSU Department of Animal Sciences. “The service of life was kind of reaching its limits and dairies have changed. If we wanted to truly offer an educational experience for our students … it was critical that we made some of these upgrades.”

The grant will fund four key improvements on the dairy located 7 miles west of WSU’s campus.

A hard surface with proper drainage was installed this fall, replacing the dirt around the site. Murdoch said rain and snow made the dairy muddy for most of the year, which was unsafe for both people and animals.

Enhancements to manure handling facilities are planned to increase capacity and durability. The new system will make a cleaner area, Murdoch said, and will provide a huge benefit to animals and staff.

The dairy will also receive a new handling facility for larger animals to have quicker checkups and safer interactions for staff.

The biggest improvement, Murdoch said, is construction of a new barn to house adolescent and dry cows that aren’t producing milk. The facility will have pens for different age groups, which is a huge upgrade compared to having them spread out across the farm.

The barn will have a compost bedded pack, designed to create one big composter fueled by animal waste that doubles as a drier, healthier environment.

Murdoch said the enhancements will also improve learning opportunities for students. The dairy is run by both employees and animal sciences, veterinary medicine and agriculture students.

“A lot of students don’t necessarily walk in with very much hands-on experience,” he said. “It’s a luxury for us to have (the dairy) near campus. … They can get out there and become less intimidated handling and caring for animals, while being able to add the experience to their resumes.”

He said the upgrades modernize the dairy that emulates most of the industry in the Northwest region.

The new facilities also provide more research opportunities, allowing the university to apply for funding and grants.

Murdoch said the dairy hosts many research projects, especially with producers interested in breeding stronger cows that produce more milk, along with other traits.

Upgrades will also benefit the WSU Creamery that makes Ferdinand’s Ice Cream and Cougar Gold Cheese. Murdoch said the creamery mainly gets its milk from the dairy’s 160 lactating cows, along with some of the University of Idaho’s dairy cows.

The creamery’s products are quite popular, he said. Cougar Gold Cheese usually sells out, and Ferdinand’s huckleberry ice cream has won the American Society of Animal Sciences Big Scoop competition nine out of 10 years.

The creamery is predominantly run by food sciences students, he said. Some of the profits support the dairy, as the creamery buys milk at premium prices. Most of the sales are directed back into the creamery and support student wages.

While the enhancements could increase milk production a little, Murdoch said it will primarily allow the dairy to function for years to come.

Without the upgrades, the program would be left behind as the industry continues to advance.

“The dairy has functioned at WSU for 60 years,” he said “And what these improvements really do is ensure it will be around for another 60 more. … Keeping learning opportunities available for students is critical.”

The enhancements are just the beginning for the dairy. Murdoch said the department has a vision to one day include robotic milkers, automated manure removal and bioreactors, as well as a new barn for milking cows.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.