A modern dairy building with automated systems and a viewing corridor will soon replace the aging dairy facilities built in 1972 at Waterman Dairy at Ohio State University in Columbus. Initial conversations about renovating the facilities began in 2019 while working on the master strategic plan for the college.

Construction continues at the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Idaho CAFE), a University of Idaho-led facility in Rupert, Idaho, that will include the nation’s largest research dairy. Phase II is currently underway and includes construction of a commodity barn, a calving and research barn and a classroom building.

Starting an on-farm creamery and selling local products directly to consumers at their drive-through market has given Ryan and Haylee Mensonides optimism for the future of the dairy industry while helping to create a legacy for their four sons.

“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever been part of. The energy in Victory Circle was electric,” says Abbie Herr, veteran milk presenter. “Everyone was so excited. This was Álex’s first Indy 500 win, and it was so cool to be part of that. You never really think about an IndyCar driver and a dairy farmer being in the same circle. It’s so hard to describe it. It’s been a whirlwind.”

Cows are scheduled to start moving into new facilities at the Michigan State University (MSU) Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center on south campus in East Lansing, Michigan, by Aug. 1, with the entire project expected to be completed by the end of 2025. At capacity, the dairy herd will expand from the previous herd size of 220 up to 550.

Replacing labor-intensive tasks with technology was one of the goals when building a new three-row freestall barn with 50 stalls to replace the older tiestall barn at the University of Maine’s Witter Farm in Old Town. The new barn features one DeLaval VMS Series V300 robot for the 61-cow herd (30 lactating as of May 2025) as well as automatic ventilation.

The newest addition to Washington State University’s (WSU) Knott Dairy Center (KDC) is a flexible, compost-bedded pack barn that houses developmental and pregnant heifers, dry cows and has space for a pen of research animals. Construction began in July 2024 and was completed in June 2025.

President Donald Trump signed into law a budget reconciliation bill, known as the the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4. In addition to changes to tax policy, border security, immigration, defense, energy production, the debt limit, and adjustments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, the bill includes key agricultural provisions typically included in the farm bill. It also increases the estate tax exemption and makes those changes permanent.