Creamery project receives additional funding from charitable trusts

Bill Brooks, an instructor of agricultural sciences, is playing a lead role in developing the creamery at Northwest. (Photo by Lilly Cook/Northwest Missouri State University)

U.S. Bank Wealth Management, representing two charitable trusts, has awarded an additional $25,000 to Northwest Missouri State University and the Northwest Foundation this fall in support of the University's creamery expansion.

The Foundation recently received $20,000 from the Gary G. Taylor Trust and $5,000 from the Harry and Helena Messick Charitable Trust. Both trusts are managed by U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

Once complete, the creamery will operate in the Agricultural Learning Center at Northwest's R.T. Wright Farm, giving the School of Agricultural Sciences an opportunity to enhance profession-based learning for its students.

"U.S. Bank, on behalf of the Taylor and Messick charitable trusts, is proud to award these funds for the creamery expansion," Courtney Jimenez, assistant vice president and trust officer for U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, said. "The grantors of these trusts both came from agricultural backgrounds. Gary G. Taylor spent his lifetime farming in Holt and Nodaway counties. Harry and Helena Messick were lifetime farmers in Andrew County and were once awarded the Centennial Farm Award by the Missouri Committee for Agriculture. The creamery expansion at the Agricultural Learning Center will greatly benefit the region and fulfill a need these grantors were passionate about."

Northwest maintains a dairy herd of approximately 70 cattle at the R.T. Wright Farm, which is located north of the Maryville campus and used to teach agriculture students about dairy health, management and collection.

The creamery will allow students and regional producers to experience the entire lifecycle of dairy production, from herd management and collection through processing, food production, safety testing and potentially even the marketing and retail of fluid milk, ice cream, butter, cheeses or other dairy products.

To make a gift to support the University, including the creamery, contact the Northwest Foundation at 660.562.1248 or visit https://www.nwmissouri.edu/GiveOnline.