New Cornell Dairy Plant Will Run On W.M. Sprinkman System

Franksville, WI (April 2013) – Cornell University will open their newly renovated Dairy Plant and Facility in Ithaca, NY this July. Powering the plant will be stainless steel dairy processing equipment provided by W.M. Sprinkman Corporation. The new Dairy Plant and teaching Facility will create enhanced work and educational opportunities for students, faculty and staff, local businesses and the nationwide dairy industry.

The idea behind the new Dairy Plant project is tied to Cornell’s long history of working with the dairy industry and a desire to build new opportunities in dairy manufacturing. Known for its central role in developing local, state and national dairy industry projects, Cornell will now provide a training ground for cultivating new dairy products and ingredients, adding innovation to its already household name.

“We now have the opportunity to train students, industry professionals and inspectors in a state-of-the-art, real-time environment that is applicable to their work,” says Jason Huck, manager of operations at Cornell University.

Having maintained a close relationship with the agricultural market and processors, Cornell will leverage the new Dairy Facility to serve as a more robust dairy production site for the school and outside partners. Not only will the facility help to educate future industry leaders, it will also help by instructing New York’s public and private businesses and employees who are tied to the dairy industry. The core, strategic goals of the new plant include:

    • Teaching. Directly supporting the teaching of undergraduate classes within the Dairy major.

    • Research. Supplying hands-on research as a licensed food processor for the state of New York.

    • Public Engagement. Providing hands-on training for state agricultural inspectors, courses hosted by the FDA, and extension courses through the Dairy Certificate Program.

    • Pilot Dairy. Partnering with New York companies to conduct product development work.

For the plant’s stainless steel dairy processing equipment, a Midwestern company with deep roots in the dairy and food processing industry was selected. “Based in Wisconsin for more than 80 years, we have literally engineered, built and installed hundreds of dairy processing systems,” says Robert Sprinkman, President of W. M. Sprinkman Corporation. “The Cornell University Dairy is a great representation of our capabilities. From receiving to packaging, we have supplied equipment and applied our expertise to help make it one of the most efficient, advanced and versatile production facilities of its kind,” he adds.

As the launch date draws near, W.M. Sprinkman has been working closely with Cornell on a daily basis to manage the installment of their top quality, Wisconsin-manufactured dairy processing equipment. The new Dairy Plant and Facility will link together the existing on-campus dairy facility, which includes the original Department of Dairy Industry Building (1922) and another building constructed in 1989. Marrying in the new building and processing equipment with existing facilities has brought with it challenges that W.M. Sprinkman has tackled to ensure the existing and new process piping, valves, air lines and automation work seamlessly together. Using W.M. Sprinkman’s specialized equipment, the new Dairy Plant and Facility will produce fluid milk, pudding, yogurt, cheese and an exclusive white New York State Big Red Cheddar Cheese that will be provided to Cornell University’s dining facilities.

“Overall this has been a positive experience,” says Huck. “Cornell is pleased with the quality of work that was done and how the facility has come together. We are looking forward to the commissioning,” he adds.

The Dairy Facility project is funded by the New York State University Construction Fund and includes Food and Science classrooms in addition to the Dairy facility. The commissioning process for the new Cornell University Dairy Plant and Facility began on April 25, 2013, with the new plant scheduled to be fully up and running by July 1, 2013.

How big is Cornell’s commitment to Dairy?  Cornell President David Skorton was featured in a recent ‘Got Milk?’ ad!