The Dairy and Food Science Department has a long history of strong research programs in dairy production, dairy manufacturing, and more recently, food science. Research in the department is supported by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and external competitive funds such as from the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center, National Dairy Council., USDA, industry, the endowed Alfred Chair and other sources. Department faculty are recognized leaders in dairy processing research, dairy cattle nutrition research, food science research. Faculty members are particularly well known for their work on the utilization of agricultural by-products in cattle diets and dairy ingredient research in the products area. A top quality herd of Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle, a state-of-the-art dairy processing plant and newly renovated labs support dairy and food science research activities. In addition, numerous high-end research equipment is also available through other departments on campus.