“I look at the UW and I hope they want to be known as a dairy university,” Vincent said. “But there’s this huge business school and all this other stuff there. And sometimes I wonder if dairy isn’t quite as sexy for them as they would hope it to be. I mean, there’s a lot of competing forces in terms of resources in the state.”

Mayer said UW System President Ray Cross has sent mixed signals about using state funding for the Dairy Innovation Hub since he was first made aware of the idea in 2017. While he has told dairy leaders and others that he understands the importance of the dairy industry to the state and the need to make a reinvestment, Cross has not put any of the System’s available state funds toward it, she said.

In a statement, UW System spokesman Mark Pitsch said, “President Cross worked closely with dairy leaders and lawmakers to help craft this legislation. He recognizes the importance of the dairy industry to the state of Wisconsin.

“In recent years, the UW System has faced challenges seeking funding for a wide array of worthy projects and programs,” Pitsch said. “President Cross will happily work with the Legislature and the governor to secure additional funding to support the dairy hub.”

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