Dean Clint Krehbiel said the project has been in the works for a little more than a year. The grant will pay for a food science, safety and workforce development complex that will replace the current Davis College Annex and the former Fisheries and Wildlife Research buildings.
The plans are packed. The complex will have a pilot processing plant for dairy foods and enology, a test kitchen, and a food innovation lab for people who work in the foods industry. Upstairs, researchers get a microbiology lab and a food pathogen lab to study food safety.
Demolition of the old buildings starts at the end of the month. Groundbreaking should follow in the spring of 2027.
For students, it means a place to learn food science with real equipment, and Krehbiel said that includes students from every department in Davis College. For businesses in dairy and wine, it means a spot on campus to work alongside the university. Krehbiel said the goal is for every part of the building to celebrate and teach the importance of agriculture.
"Those dollars are very difficult to come by," Krehbiel said.