SDSU Dairy Processing Plant

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The spray dryer and evaporator at the plant were installed in October 2010. Construction of the dairy processing plant is in the final stages of completion. The $9m project will strengthen the education and research programmes in the area of dairy processing. A new Dairy Sales Bar is built as part of the upgrade on the SDSU campus. The Dairy Science Department of South Dakota State University (SDSU) in Brookings, US, has completed a $9.3m overhaul of its dairy processing plant on the campus. The facility was built in 1961 in the Dairy-Microbiology Building in the university campus. The infrastructure and technology equipment were outdated, necessitating modernisation. The project included renovation of the facility and building of a new dairy-processing plant at the site. The development was undertaken to strengthen the education and research programmes in the area of dairy processing. It was completed in August 2011. The new dairy plant is named Davis Dairy Plant and the microbiology building is renamed to Alfred Dairy Science Hall. Raw milk for processing at the dairy plant is sourced from the SDSU Dairy Research and Training Facility (DRTF), which is part of the Dairy Science Department. The DRTF is located about 4km north of the university campus. The dairy farm has about 150 Brown Swiss and Holstein dairy cows, milking centre/free-stall barn, a maternity/hospital and feeding facilities. It is used by the Dairy Science faculty and students as a teaching laboratory and for research. The new state-of-the-art facility measures 10,850ft² in area and is located on the east of the existing 7,050ft² plant. Both the plants were connected to create a total area of 17,900ft². The 50-year-old facility was modernised by remodelling and adding new equipment and machinery. A new Dairy Sales Bar and an outdoor dining patio were also added as part of the upgrade. The design and planning of the project took five years. The people involved included university faculty and engineers, several US food-processing companies and regulatory officials. Only $1m of the total is funded privately. The existing facility has been upgraded with modern evaporation, filtration and drying equipment. It will aid in the conducting of applied research on dairy ingredients. The new plant will allow practical training. The Dairy-Microbiology Building can also be used by companies for developing new products and manufacturing techniques. The Dairy Micro Building was emptied for the renovation project in 2009. The ground-breaking ceremony for the new plant was held in May 2010. The project was completed in August 2011. During September-October 2010, the evaporator and spray dryer was installed along with roof pre-cast. The new plant was installed with steam tunnels for providing steam and electrical connections. The exterior masonry and sealant application, interior building framing, aluminium window and entrance, interior insulated freezer wall panels and fibreglass wall installations, membrane roofing, tunnel plumbing work and exterior brick work were completed by December 2010. This allowed the continuation of interior work in the cold weather. The project was carried out with minimal interruption to the existing dairy plant operations and the Dairy Store. The installation of the fire sprinkler system, and electrical, plumbing and HVAC system was completed in 2011. The coolers and freezer were also installed. The milk unloading area has a steel decking canopy. The SDSU dairy plant processes about 10,000lb (4.5t) of milk into high-quality dairy products every week. The finished products include butter, pasteurised milk, 24 varieties of cheese, 90 ice cream flavours, ice cream cookie sandwiches and sherbet. They are sold through the SDSU Dairy Sales Bar and all food venues on the campus. University students are engaged in dairy-processing activities. About 20 part-time students market the products. The plant was designed by TSP Architecture. Clark Drew Construction was the general contractor. The evaporator and spray dryer was supplied by Dahmes Stainless. Funding for the project was received from The Jackrabbit Dairy Council, a partnership between dairy processors, producers and allied industry. The council members include Davisco Foods, Ecolab, Hilmar Cheese, Agropur, the American Dairy Association of SD, Glanbia Foods, S.A. Education Foundation, Tetra Pak CPS, Valley Queen Cheese Factory, plus other industry organisations, alumni and private donors.

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