Dairy Education Center
College of Veterinary Medicine and Davis Family Dairies announce opening of New Sweden DairyThe University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and Davis Family Dairies, LLC, announced the opening of New Sweden Dairy, LLC, in Nicollet County, Minnesota, on September 16. College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Trevor Ames said that the facility that may change the landscape of how veterinary medicine is taught.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our students the opportunity to learn and conduct research at a state-of-the-art dairy facility,” Ames says. “Our goal is for the center to serve as a national center for veterinary education and research.” The new dairy facility houses more than 4,000 cows in addition to 3,000 milking cows at Northern Plains Dairy, LLP, another dairy owned by Davis Family Dairies. Together, the two dairies employ 75 people. The New Sweden site serves as a birthing center for more than 6,000 calves per year and milks 3,000 cows daily. It also includes dormitory facilities, classrooms, and teaching laboratories. The affiliation between Davis Family Dairies and the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine began in September 2007, when they announced their intention to design, construct, and operate the new facility. The facility offers a unique opportunity to integrate various academic and educational functions into a large-scale commercial operation. “Davis Family Dairies is proud and humbled to have our New Sweden Dairy be the impetus of such a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and the founding donors in establishing the Dairy Education Center at New Sweden Dairy,” says Mitch Davis, general manager of Davis Family Dairies. “We believe these efforts will enhance the knowledge of current and future veterinarians as well as industry stakeholders from the United States and around the world. These efforts will also contribute to the body of the research that currently exists within the industry.” Davis Family Dairies owns and operates the facility while the College of Veterinary Medicine contributes toward the aspects of the facility specific to academic functions. The New Sweden Dairy Education Center is the first facility of its kind and scope in the world.
A public grand opening will take place in June 2010 in conjunction with National Dairy Month.
About Davis Family Dairies, LLC
Davis Family Dairies is owned and operated by the Davis family, whose other businesses include Davisco Foods International, Inc., and Cambria Natural Quartz Surfaces, both headquartered in Le Sueur, Minnesota. Davis Family Dairies, founded in 2000, includes Northern Plains Dairy and New Sweden Dairy. Stanley Davis founded Davisco Foods in 1943 in St. Peter, Minnesota and the Davis family founded Cambria in 2002.
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