Released March 3, 2010
HICKORY CORNERS, Mich. — Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station dairy herd set itself apart last summer when it moved to a new pasture-based facility featuring robotic milking and an energy-efficient design.
The facility is again being recognized as a pioneer facility, this time for its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification. It is the only agricultural operation to earn such certification in the United States.
“This new facility allows us to demonstrate to all dairy farmers how to incorporate features in a new barn that save energy, features that are both good for the environment and save them money,” said KBS director Katherine Gross. “Having the LEED certification for the KBS dairy facility demonstrates another aspect of our ‘commitment to sustainability.’ Many features of this barn that earned the LEED certification can be adopted by dairy farmers with different management and herd sizes.”
--continued on Michigan State University news
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