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Dairy Science Complex - Kentland Farm

5250 Whitethorne Road
Dairy Science Center - Kentland Farm
Dairy Science Center - Kentland Farm

The state-of-the art Dairy Science Complex includes an 11,900-square-foot milking parlor with a computerized milk-monitoring system, a 46,000-square-foot freestall barn for the 232 milking cows, a modern waste management system, a special needs heifer barn, and a pre-weaned calf facility.

The facility bolsters the long-term success of Virginia Tech’s award-winning dairy science program and contributes to the university’s land-grant mission. Students examine modern issues in dairy science alongside researchers who are working on solving challenges and sharing those solutions with Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Scientists collaborate with partners in the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, the Agricultural Technology Program, and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

The dairy is one of many other agricultural endeavors at the nearly 1,800-acre Kentland Farm. People from around the university use it for research, education, and Extension activities, doing everything from conducting tests on row crops to advancing the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, also called drones.

The Dining Services Garden at Homefield Farm

Approximately six acres of the facility is Dining Services Garden at Homefield Farm, which harvests sustainable herbs and vegetables, provides fresh vegetables and herbs in dining centers across campus. The farm is a partnership between Dining Services and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Learn more about Homefield Farm.

Building History

A grand opening ceremony was July 17, 2015.

The move from the former dairy science complex on Southgate Drive was prompted by the expansion of the Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive Airport, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, and a new U.S. 460 interchange.

Phase I of construction was a $14 million project that was funded by Virginia Tech with nongeneral funds. The Virginia General Assembly has approved $7.6 million in funding for Phase II, which will include a demonstration facility near Plantation Road, an applied reproductive physiology facility adjacent to the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and an intensive metabolism research facility at the Kentland Farm complex.

Construction on the Phase II of the dairy relocation occurred in 2016.

Originally Built:
2016
Map Grid:
J-12
Abbreviation / Number:
/ 475
Coordinates:
37.212973, -80.426147