Kansas State Will Reopen Renovated Dairy Plant
The upgraded Call Hall facility will double production capacity and offer new research capabilities by spring 2027.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Agriculture
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Kansas State University is currently renovating the Call Hall dairy plant to modernize its operations. The project, which forced a temporary closure in spring 2025, is scheduled to reopen in spring 2027 with enhanced industrial technology.
Why it matters
These upgrades align the plant with modern industry standards and provide students with essential hands-on experience using current machinery. The expansion ensures that the facility can support advanced research and expanded agricultural production.
The renovation doubles the plant's total production capacity for fluid milk and increases available freezer space. The updated system incorporates programmable logic controller controls and a five-minute pasteurization hold.
The players
Kansas State University
Kansas State University is a public research institution located in Manhattan, Kansas, focused on land-grant missions.
Call Hall
Call Hall houses the dairy plant and production facilities used by the university for academic and commercial purposes.
The details
The facility features new membrane filtration technology that allows for the precise separation of milk into individual proteins and minerals. Upgrades also include a dedicated research and development room and fixed piping for clean-in-place operations, replacing manual assemblies.
Timeline
Dairy plant operations and services were paused in spring 2025.
The renovated facility is scheduled to reopen in spring 2027.
Market Landscape
The investment underscores a broader industry shift toward integrating automated programmable logic controller controls into university-run production environments. This ensures that academic training remains competitive against commercial manufacturing standards.
The reopening will restore access to the popular Call Hall Dairy Bar services for students and the Manhattan community. Shoppers will also gain access to a wider variety of university-produced goods via the new 1863 Marketplace.
The takeaway
The facility renovation transforms a legacy production site into a high-tech hub for food science innovation. Students and regional producers will benefit from improved capacity and advanced separation technologies starting in 2027.
What happens next
The university plans to debut the 1863 Marketplace alongside the dairy plant reopening in spring 2027 to showcase agricultural products.
Further reading
Learn more about local production developments in the Agriculture section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Little Apple Post.
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