High-tech barns and hands-on learning to take center stage at Ohio State

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High-tech barns and hands-on learning to take center stage at Ohio State

Multispecies Animal Learning Complex to open later this month

In the heart of America's 15th-largest city, cows will soon be milked by robots, pigs will rest behind biosecure viewing walls and students will learn about animal agriculture just steps away from chemistry labs and residence halls.

This is what agriculture looks like in 2026 - and it will happen at the soon-to-open Multispecies Animal Learning Complex (MALC) at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

With its grand opening in late January, the MALC is poised to transform how Ohioans experience and understand modern animal agriculture.

Designed as a hands-on learning and outreach hub, the more than 100,000-square-foot facility at CFAES' Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory will bring swine, equine, poultry, goats and sheep together in one complex.

For CFAES, it's more than a new building; it's a flagship for the future.

"Animal agriculture is important in Ohio and our country, and it's a major part of what we teach," said Graham Cochran, CFAES associate dean for operations. "The MALC will bring all the animals we teach about into one complex to offer hands-on learning, enhancing our programs in a truly world-class facility."

The MALC's scope and setting make it unlike any other animal science complex in the country. Designed to reflect current industry standards, the MALC will combine modern animal housing with high-tech classrooms, teaching labs, an arena and guided public viewing corridors - all located just steps away from Ohio State's Columbus campus and Innovation District.

"I'm not aware of another complex quite like this that will bring together this many species in one integrated location, especially not inside one of the nation's largest cities," Cochran said. "Its location will improve student access and will make it far easier to engage the public."

The facility's proximity to campus will not only save students time but will also reflect their growing expectations.

"Today's students expect first-class animal facilities the same way they expect modern residence halls or a good recreation center. That's what the MALC will deliver," Cochran said.

That transformation is visible in every detail, said Dewey Mann, director of Waterman.

"Five buildings were demolished to construct the MALC, with a combined age of 320 years," Mann said. "This is a major shift; not subtle progress. These modern systems will help us motivate and inspire the next generation."

Beyond student learning, the MALC will support public engagement through scheduled, guided tours for K-12 groups and community visitors. Viewing corridors into swine and poultry units will allow for transparency while maintaining high biosecurity standards - a key focus of the facility's design.

"We spent over a year in the design process," Cochran said. "We knew biosecurity had to be a priority - not only to protect animals but to teach students and the public about its importance."

That education extends beyond K-12 and college students to lifelong learners. Programs being planned include youth activities through Ohio 4-H and FFA, STEM-focused field trips and adult workforce development trainings. Ohio 4-H is the youth development arm of Ohio State University Extension, CFAES' outreach arm.

"There's huge excitement," said John Lemmermen, assistant director for the MALC animal complex. "K-12 groups used to come for dairy tours. Soon, they will see multiple species and will spend the day exploring Waterman. Students working here will get a broader education and exposure to modern systems."

One highlight is the new autonomous dairy. It will feature robotic milking, automated feeding and robotic manure-handling systems - modeling the technology increasingly used on farms.

That innovation is central to the MALC.

"We're not just building buildings," he said. "We're building the future of education and workforce development in agriculture."

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