Tour guests rode the “people wagon” at the Lancaster Agricultural Research Station on Aug. 12, 2025. Photo by Nguyen Tran
LANCASTER, Wis. — Members of the Dairy Innovation Hub advisory council gathered Tuesday, Aug. 12, for a full day of collaboration, learning, and on-site tours highlighting the breadth of dairy-related research and innovation taking place in southwest Wisconsin.
The meeting, held at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Lancaster Agricultural Research Station (ARS), brought together university researchers, industry partners, and farmers to review current projects, explore future opportunities, and see firsthand how Hub investments are making a difference on both research stations and private farms.
Following the council meeting, the group transitioned for a robust series of afternoon farm tours highlighting equipment investments, research, and partnerships facilitated by the Hub.
Touring Lancaster Agricultural Research Station
The first tour stop was the Lancaster ARS, guided by station superintendent Arin Crooks. Crooks provided an overview of current research projects and highlighted current and future opportunities for collaboration with the dairy community.
The tour also featured insights from Matt Ruark, faculty director of the Dairy Innovation Hub and professor and soil science extension specialist in the UW–Madison Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences. Ruark discussed the station’s soils research, emphasizing how healthy soils are a foundation for both crop and dairy productivity.
“Our soils research is designed to provide practical, science-based solutions that farmers across Wisconsin can use,” said Ruark. “By connecting soil health with dairy nutrition and sustainability goals, we’re building a more resilient future for the industry.”
Stone-Front Farm: linking private farms and university research
Next, attendees traveled to Stone-Front Farm in Lancaster, owned and operated by Andy and Lyn Buttles. The tour showcased the strong partnership between the university and private dairy farms in conducting on-farm research.
Presentations from Buttles, UW–Platteville School of Agriculture director Tera Montgomery, and former UW–Platteville assistant professor Ryan Pralle illustrated how private farm participation in university research leads to innovations that are grounded in real-world dairy production.
“We participate in university research because the results mean more to us when the work includes real-world farming scenarios, like ours,” said Buttles. “The faculty and students are great to work with.”
The discussion also highlighted the value of student training opportunities. By working on commercial dairy farms, students gain hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing today’s farmers. Buttles has hired more than 60 student interns from local high schools, technical collages, and universities.
UW–Platteville Pioneer Farm: innovation in action
The next stop took the group to UW–Platteville’s Pioneer Farm, where faculty and staff showcased recent Dairy Innovation Hub investments.
Inside the dairy center, Montgomery and Pioneer Farm director Chuck Steiner highlighted the automated milking system, Ric2Discover feeding gates used in nutrition research, and a Greenfeed machine that measures GHG emissions. Each piece of equipment is designed to improve efficiency, monitor individual cow intake, and reduce waste—all with the goal of enhancing productivity and sustainability.
In a separate presentation, assistant professor Joseph Sanford and Steiner discussed manure processing, biochar, and anaerobic digestion research underway at the farm. These projects focus on turning manure into value-added products while reducing environmental impacts.
“Investments like these are a direct result of the Dairy Innovation Hub’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge research into daily farm operations,” said Steiner. “They allow us to test technology in real farm conditions, so farmers can see how it works before making investments themselves.”
Closing the day with ice cream and conversation
The day concluded back at the Ag Tech building at Pioneer Farm, where participants enjoyed ice cream from Pioneer Sweets, a student-led venture. This informal debriefing session allowed attendees to ask final questions, share impressions, and view additional research posters from each campus engaged in the Dairy Innovation Hub.
From soil science to manure processing, from student training to cutting-edge feeding technology, the Aug. 12 meeting and tours underscored the Dairy Innovation Hub’s commitment to collaboration across the dairy supply chain. The day also demonstrated how Wisconsin’s research stations, private farms, and university facilities work together to solve industry challenges.
As Ruark reflected, “The Hub is about bringing people together—farmers, researchers, students—to create solutions that work in the field, in the barn, and in the marketplace. Days like today show that this collaboration is alive and thriving.”
The Dairy Innovation Hub, is supported by a $7.8M annual state investment to drive research and development across the UW–Madison, UW–Platteville, and UW–River Falls campuses, ensuring that Wisconsin’s $52.8 billion dairy community remains a global pacesetter in producing nutritious dairy products. This is all accomplished with a keen focus on economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
In just six years, the Hub has funded more than 260 research and outreach projects across three campuses and four priority areas; stewarding land and water resources; enriching human health and nutrition; ensuring animal health and welfare; and growing farm business and communities.
The next big opportunity to engage with the Hub is at the annual Dairy Summit, planned for Nov. 18 at UW–River Falls. This event is free and formatted for a public audience. Registration is open.
