COLUMBUS, Ohio - Dairy cows will decide when they want to be milked. Robots will handle the rest: mixing and delivering feed, milking the cows and vacuuming manure. Students will assist staff in tracking the data and managing the systems.

At The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), that future will soon unfold inside the new Multispecies Animal Learning Complex (MALC), where advanced technology will reshape how students prepare for careers in modern animal agriculture.

As Ohio's dairy industry faces growing pressure from labor shortages, sustainability demands and rising production costs, CFAES students will learn firsthand how modern tools and technology can help meet those challenges - all inside a highly autonomous dairy barn on Ohio State's Columbus campus.

Located at CFAES' Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory, the MALCmirrors the kind of innovation increasingly being used across Ohio's $7 billion dairy sector.

"Animal agriculture is important in Ohio and in our country, and it's an important part of what we teach as a college," said Graham Cochran, CFAES associate dean for operations. "This facility will bring all the animals we teach about into one complex, enhancing both access and learning."

The MALC is also designed to cultivate interest and develop a pipeline of future leaders, said Pasha Lyvers, chair of the CFAES Department of Animal Sciences.

"Early exposure is critical in shaping career paths," Lyvers said. "The MALC and dairy will not only spark interest, but will nurture early foundations in STEM education and will build awareness of agriculture's impact on food security, the economy and society overall."

From public K-12 visitors to graduate students, the facility will bridge critical workforce gaps through immersive, real-world learning environments.

"The MALC was designed not just to teach and train students in animal production practices, but to show students the full impact of agriculture on daily life and globally," Lyvers said. "Helping students see the relevance of their education and understand its broader significance."

At the heart of the MALC dairy barn will be two Lely Astronaut robotic milkers.

"The robotic milker will allow cows to be milked on their own schedule, on average three times per day, depending on their milk production and stage of lactation," said John Lemmermen, assistant director for the MALC's animal complex and longtime dairy herd manager.

Unlike traditional dairies that require manual labor to milk cows on a set schedule or mix and deliver feed, the MALC's autonomous systems will free up staff and students to focus on higher-level animal care and herd management.

"Instead of spending most of their time milking cows and doing those types of things, they'll get to actually spend more time out with the cows, treating the cows, looking at the cows," Lemmermen said.

Students will operate the robotic systems directly, gaining experience in automation, animal health monitoring, feed management and embedded biosecurity practices - skills that are urgently needed across Ohio's animal agriculture sector.

The robotic feeding system will ensure the cows have access to feed 24 hours a day, guaranteeing that each time a cow comes to eat, she receives a balanced diet.

"Students will develop job-ready expertise through hands-on animal care, training in automated systems and learning biosecurity practices," Lyvers said. "This experiential learning will ensure they meet the current and future needs of our animal industries."

Another standout feature of the MALC will be its sustainable manure management system.

Two compact, Lely Discovery robots will roam the barn, spraying a small amount of water to loosen waste, vacuum it and dump it into a separation tank. Solids will be removed from the wastewater and will be composted with other solids while liquids will be discarded, reducing environmental impact.

"The old system was a flush system. It would require large volumes of water and flush the manure into a pit," said Dewey Mann, director of Waterman. "This new robotic system will autonomously vacuum the manure from the barn using only a small amount of water to keep the floor clean."

Looking ahead, Lyvers sees a generational shift.

"Our graduates will enter the workforce with education shaped by the latest technologies and an in-depth understanding of agriculture's role in society," she said.

The state's dairy and livestock producers face increasing pressure to reduce environmental impact, utilize feed more efficiently, decrease labor cost and stay competitive. Without embracing automation and sustainability, they risk falling behind.

"The new facility will allow students to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, allowing them to be ready for a career in the dairy industry, from farm ownership and management to sales and service," said Jason Hartschuh, Ohio State University Extension field specialist in dairy management. OSU Extension is CFAES' outreach arm.

For CFAES, the MALC is more than just a building; it's a critical investment in the future of agriculture.

"We're designing for impact," Cochran said. "These technologies will prepare our students, will support Ohio's producers, and will ensure that our work continues to benefit the state and beyond."