Wisconsin dignitaries, representatives of the UW College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a host of representatives of Wisconsin's dairy industry gathered to break ground for the newest addition to the UW-Madison's Integrated Dairy Research facilities system last week.
The new $5.1 million dollar modern facility will replace the Arlington Blaine Unit which was built in 1972. The new facility will be equipped with cutting edge technology allowing it to provide investigations and applied research studies on a diverse number of issues, including environmental impact studies, animal well being, genetic improvement and a host of other issues that will help define what Wisconsin's dairy industry will look like in the decades to come.
"Many thanks go to Governor Doyle and the Wisconsin Legislature for their foresight by providing $4.8 million for the project as part of the 2001-03 biennial budget," said Laurie Fischer, Executive Director of the Dairy Business Association. “This addition to UW-Madison's integrated dairy modernization project will ensure that the College of Ag and Life Sciences has the tools it needs to meet the future expectations of Wisconsin’s dairy industry. This groundbreaking is the first step to ensure that CALS and Wisconsin's dairy industry will remain competitive in the growing international market for dairy animals and products," Laurie went on to say. John Pagel, Consultant for Dairy Building Contractors and Laurie Fischer, Executive Director of DBA were in attendance representing Dairy Business Contractors, LLC, the general contractor chosen for the project.
Acting as emcee for the program, Molly Jahns, the Dean of UW-Madison' College of Ag and Life Sciences commented, "I can recall a meeting in my office last October where members of the Dairy Science Advisory Committee and I shared our frustrations with the complex processes involved in building a facility like this. We said there has to be a way that we can do a project that is more timely, cost effective, and that meets the needs of everyone involved. This barn is a symbol in how we can work together to build something…” said Jahns. Dairy Building Contractors, LLC was formed to help CALS expedite this building process in a partnership with the State while using the expertise of John Pagels, an individual who has built numerous dairy operations in Wisconsin.
Other distinguished guests at the groundbreaking included Wisconsin's Secretary of Agriculture, Rod Nilsestuen, State Representative Eugene Hahn, Alan Fish, Associate Vice-Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Management at UW-Madison, and Tab Tabrizi, Bureau Director of Architecture and Engineering at the Department of Administration, to name just a few.
