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Kansas dairy industry and K‑State press lawmakers to fund new dairy research and teaching facility
Summary
Industry groups and Kansas State University urged the Committee on Higher Education Budget to restore funding for a rebuilt K‑State dairy teaching and research facility, citing cramped, deteriorating infrastructure, workforce training needs for a growing state dairy sector, and a renewed request similar to a previously approved $40 million bond (potentially ~$48M with inflation).
Kansas State University officials and dairy industry representatives asked the Legislature’s budget committee to support rebuilding the university’s aging dairy teaching and research facility, arguing that deferred maintenance and outdated equipment threaten teaching, research and food‑safety inspections while the state’s dairy industry rapidly expands.
“This facility cannot go on as is,” said David Lane, president of the Kansas Dairy Association, saying the unit has outlived its useful life and that “even if it was green‑lighted today, it would be a good three years before it would be operational.” Industry and university witnesses said the unit is central to workforce development and applied research for the High Plains region.
Why it matters: Kansas producers and K‑State faculty testified the facility supports hands‑on training for nearly 600 animal science students and provides a pipeline of trained workers for a growing dairy sector. Dan Mosier, interim dean of the College of Agriculture at Kansas State…
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