Kansas State University has broken ground in Manhattan on the new Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation.
The Manhattan Mercury reports that the center will be be completed sometime in 2026 and will replace Shellenberger Hall, now home to the Department of Grain Science and Industry.
The new facility will allocate 30% of its space for on-site collaboration between public resources and private enterprises. Additionally, it will provide an modernized facility for the K-State Department of Grain Science and Industry, which specializes in milling, baking, feed and pet food.
The center is the final and largest piece of the $210 million K-State Agriculture Innovation Initiative, which includes dollars raised from state, private and university funds.
Kansas State president Richard Linton said the new center should be another tool aimed at helping with the university’s overall mission to grow enrollment.
“I’m anticipating this year, we’ll be up about 500 students,” Linton said. "It’s projects like this that make a huge difference in creating a land-grant university that’s a next-generation land-grant that attracts more students."
The Agriculture Innovation Initiative also includes an under-construction Agronomy Research and Innovation Center and a new animal sciences arena near the Stanley Stout Center on the north end of the campus.
