Plans underway to revitalize Babcock Hall and CDR

For more than 100 years Wisconsin has had a dairy school in Madison.

Wisconsin's dairyland continues to be a leader in dairy education, helping dairy producers, processors and cheesemakers maintain the Wisconsin reputation for quality.

At the center of the dairy education program is Babcock Hall, which includes the Babcock dairy plant that processes milk to supply the school.

Also in that building is the Center for Dairy Research, funded in part by dairy farmers through the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

When the WMMB met in Madison recently they heard the update from CDR Director John Lucey on plans to remodel and revitalize Babcock Hall and the CDR.

A part of the $30 million project is to bring the Babcock Dairy processing plant up to today's standards including putting the silos that hold the milk outside and away from finished product.

The second part is to remodel, update and add to the space where the CDR does dairy research and training.

CDR was established in 1986 to provide applied research, training and support for the dairy industry.

Most of Wisconsin's cheese factories and dairy plants do not have research and development staff, so they turn to CDR, Lucey said.

When second- and third-generation cheese makers sign up for dairy courses, they learn what's changed.

"Our role is not to tell them, forget what you know, but to say, there are other possibilities - and we'll show you how to do it as well as explain why," Lucey said. "We need more training space for the many short courses we offer."

With CDR's help, Wisconsin cheese makers produce almost half of the specialty cheese made in the United States and continually win the majority of the awards at national and international cheese competitions.

As the dairy short course roster nears its 10,000 student since the CDR opened its doors, Lucey said the center is swamped with attendees.

The renovation will bring air-handling equipment into the dairy plant that makes more summer courses possible and add enough room for 55 industry staff or students to gather around cheese vats for hands-on learning.

The project also will create the special, environmentally controlled rooms needed to make many more varieties of cheeses as well as yogurts and other cultured products.

"The consumer wants more highly flavored artisan cheeses and cultured products like Greek yogurt," Lucey said. "That's what's happening now in industry."

The original building was constructed to make traditional varieties like Cheddar, Colby and Mozzarella, Lucey said. With no way to isolate it, cheeses that require molds present challenges because they would contaminate other products being made in the building.



Raising $15 million the goal

Lucey said they are seeking to raise $15 million from the state with the rest of the funding coming from industry. The Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association and other groups have already pledged support for the project.

The proposed project has been ranked among the top three projects for the UW-Madison and it will now be brought before the whole UW System for approval.

Funding for the university projects, however, comes through the state biennial budget. By summer they hope to bring it to the state for consideration in the 2013 budget.

If it is approved construction would start in 2015 and continue over a two-year period in order to keep the CDR and processing plant operating during construction.

"CDR cannot shut down so we need to build gradually," he said. The dairy plant supplies product for the school and research cannot stop while we build."

He points out, "All the CDR's in the U.S. are new and big and they are supported by industry because industry recognizes the economical development importance of the research centers. The dairy industry is the economic base of this state and without a modern facility we won't be able to continue to compete."



Providing support

James Robson, CEO of the WMMB, told the directors, "DMI (Dairy Management, Inc.) and WMMB cannot contribute to the building cost but we can provide support such as brochures and information about the benefits of a new updated facility.

He continued, "As board members you cannot lobby, but as individuals you can talk to legislators about the importance of this project to the state's economy."

Lucey says he would hope the legislators, when working on the next budget, would recognize the importance of this project.

He notes, "Agriculture in Wisconsin contributes more than 10 percent of total employment with most of this in rural communities and our focus is to maintain the long-term strength of the dairy processing sector."

He said Babcock Hall's CDR and the Food Science Department have done a lot to help cheese makers and other dairy processors maintain consistency in their product and make sure that quality standards are met and products are safe.

He adds the researchers are about quality. They understand microflora, biology and how to solve problems.

As world economies change and consumer tastes change, cheesemakers rely on researchers at CDR to help them meet new demands and create new cheeses to satisfy those demands. If Wisconsin doesn't do it, some other region will.