On the edge of Pullman’s rolling Palouse hills, a quiet agricultural transformation has been taking place, and it smells like fresh-cut hay, dairy cows, and Cougar Gold cheese.

After more than a year of construction, the Knott Dairy Center at Washington State University has emerged revitalized and ready for the next generation of students, researchers, and dairy innovations. Originally built more than 60 years ago, the facility has been modernized with upgraded infrastructure, sustainability features, and cow-friendly enhancements, all while allowing the daily milking of its 160-plus cows to continue uninterrupted to support WSU’s Creamery, which creates Cougar Gold cheese and Ferdinand’s Ice Cream.

Skanska, a global construction firm with deep ties to WSU and research projects across the Pacific Northwest, led the project. Over the past year, its team built a new barn, addressed long-standing infrastructure challenges, and renovated several legacy buildings to extend their life by decades.

A smart barn

A key piece of the Knott Dairy Center renovation is the new compost-bedded pack barn, an innovation in livestock design that’s as comfortable for cows as it is efficient for farm staff. Instead of fixed stalls and daily mucking, the barn uses a deep layer of wood shavings and sawdust that naturally compost beneath the animals. This not only reduces labor and material costs, but also creates a drier, healthier environment for the herd.

As part of the comprehensive upgrade led by Skanska, the new structure consolidates housing for dry (non-producing) cows, bred heifers, and research animals into one central, climate-responsive space. Open walls with curtain controls, along with strategically placed fans, help maintain healthy airflow across the barn.

“This is a major step forward for how we manage animals and teach students,” says Gordon Murdoch, professor and chair of WSU’s Department of Animal Sciences. “It gives us a controlled, adaptable environment where we can improve daily care and also run meaningful research without disrupting core operations.”

With flexible pen layouts and shared access points, the barn can shift to meet evolving herd sizes, teaching needs, or experimental protocols.

“The way this barn is built reflects the direction of the dairy industry,” Murdoch adds. “It prepares our students to work in progressive systems while giving our research teams a practical space to generate findings that have immediate on-farm application.”

Skanska’s work extended beyond the barn. Previously, seasonal rains turned unpaved roads into muddy traps, limiting access and complicating daily operations. In response, new concrete drive paths and stormwater drainage systems were installed to improve year-round accessibility.

Critical utilities also were modernized — from upgraded electrical systems to improved sewer lines — all while the dairy remained operational. Renovations to four additional buildings extended their use by 40 years or more, positioning the facility for long-term growth and innovation.

-Skanska USA Building
Cows have moved into a new compost-bedded pack barn at Washington State University's Knott's Dairy Center.

Cooling and digesting 

Among the most impactful changes to the dairy center was the modernization of its cooling systems. The team replaced failing condensers that support the milk storage tank; upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to reduce heat load in the parlor; and has begun installing a new chiller and plate cooler.

“These improvements support higher production and better milk quality,” Murdoch says. “They also position us to adopt robotic milking and other future-forward technologies. It’s infrastructure with vision.”

The updates not only improve current operations, but also enable the university to expand the herd and move toward 24-hour automated milking systems.

Knott Dairy Center also is advancing its commitment to a more sustainable future with the construction of a new anaerobic digester. The system will convert manure and cheese whey into methane gas, which will then be used to generate electricity onsite. 

Once operational in 2026, the digester is expected to offset nearly all the facility’s electricity needs, repurposing waste materials into renewable on-site energy that supports daily operations and reinforces the dairy’s role as a model for circular agriculture.

Boosting education, research

While the upgrades clearly benefit the cows and campus sustainability goals, they also provide a major boost for WSU’s academic and economic engines. A modern, functional facility is expected to help recruit top faculty, attract more research grants, and inspire a new generation of students interested in animal science, agricultural engineering, and dairy production.  

“These improvements allow us to offer students a learning environment that closely mirrors what they’ll encounter in the field,” says Murdoch. “It’s an immersive space for applied learning, where students can engage directly with advanced systems and technologies.”  

And for cheese lovers? The upgrade couldn’t have come at a better time. All the milk used for WSU’s Cougar Gold cheese and Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe comes from the university’s dairy herd. With improved cow comfort, consistent milking conditions, and the ability to conduct milk-quality research onsite, the newly modernized Knott Dairy Center ensures a continued supply of the milk needed to keep those iconic WSU products both flavorful and firmly Pullman-made.

Ryan Kirkpatrick is a Pullman-based project manager at Skanska USA Building and a proud graduate of Washington State University.