Oregon State University (OSU) is planning to erect a new $20 million dairy processing plant in Corvallis, OR to improve quality, innovation, and sustainability in the state’s dairy industry, the institution announced in a release Monday. The project is funded by the university, OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences, and private industry.

The plant will be located in OSU’s Withycombe Hall, where the university established a dairy in 1952.

“This facility will provide us the tools necessary to work toward a sustainable future for the dairy industry,” Alan Sams, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station and Reub Long Professor, said in a statement. “OSU is perfectly positioned to lead that effort with its scientific expertise, eager students, and innovative artisan and large-scale dairy industry partners.”

Private industry partners include Northwest Farm Credit Services, the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council, and Tillamook County Creamery Association, the maker of the Tillamook cheese brand.

“We are one of the largest dairy processing research programs in the nation,” said Lisbeth Goddik, department head for Food Science and Technology at OSU, in the release. “This new facility will significantly enlarge the area of our dairy plant and set us up to do an even better job training students for careers in the industry while also expanding our ability to provide critical research in sustainability, dairy innovation, and product quality.”

OSU currently produces Beaver Classic cheeses on campus. The new dairy processing plant will be capable of producing a variety of new dairy products like ice cream.