Project: Thailand & University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science Academic Cooperation Project
(โครงการความร่วมมือทางวิชาการด้านโคนม ประเทศไทย–University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Royal Patron: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Partner Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS)
Thai Partners: Chitralada Technology Institute (CDTI), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Wisconsin Alumni Association of Thailand (WAAT)
Category: News / Royal Initiative, Academic Cooperation & Agricultural Development
Overview
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited and reviewed the progress of the Thailand & University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science Academic Cooperation Project — a royal initiative that traces its origins to her late father, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), who first promoted dairy farming in Thailand decades ago as a means of improving public health and providing new livelihoods for Thai farmers.
The visit, during which Her Royal Highness examined the project exhibition and engaged with the research and implementation teams, reflects the deep personal investment HRH Princess Sirindhorn has placed in ensuring that Thailand’s dairy sector is reviewed, modernised, and strengthened through world-class academic partnership.
Origins: A Royal Legacy of Dairy Development
Thailand’s dairy industry has its roots in a royal initiative. His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej introduced dairy farming to Thailand in the 1960s, promoting milk production both as a nutritional initiative for the Thai people and as a new career pathway for farming communities. The initiative was well-received and grew into a significant agricultural sector.
Decades later, HRH Princess Sirindhorn recognised that the time had come to review and potentially transform the sector. Thailand’s dairy farms — numbering approximately 15,800, averaging around 36 cows per farm — face significant challenges, including heat stress management, feed quality and nutrition, disease prevention (particularly mastitis), and productivity gaps compared to global benchmarks.
With this in mind, HRH Princess Sirindhorn personally reached out to the University of Wisconsin-Madison — home to one of the world’s most respected dairy science programmes — and met with UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to explore a long-term collaboration. Wisconsin is not only a global leader in dairy science; it also has a deep alumni network in Thailand, with over 2,000 UW graduates who are highly placed in government and industry — many of whom are proud “Badgers” eager to contribute to their country’s development.
The Cooperation: UW-Madison Experts Engage with Thai Partners
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) responded to HRH Princess Sirindhorn’s invitation by deploying experts from the Departments of Animal and Dairy Sciences and Biological Systems Engineering to Thailand, with financial support provided by the Thai side.
The Wisconsin team conducted farm visits in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, met with dairy cooperatives, engaged with Thai and US Embassy officials, and collaborated with counterpart institutions — primarily the Chitralada Technology Institute (CDTI) and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), working under the guidance of The Royal Institute. The Wisconsin Alumni Association of Thailand (WAAT) played a vital facilitative role, coordinating meetings and leveraging the dense network of UW alumni in Thailand.
Key areas of collaboration identified include:
- Feed production and nutrition — improving the quality and management of feed, including storage strategies and the use of agro-industrial byproducts (cassava, citrus, soybeans, and others common in Thailand)
- Disease prevention — particularly milking protocols to reduce mastitis, a leading cause of production loss
- Air quality and environmental management — addressing post-harvest agricultural practices affecting farm environments
- Heat-stress abatement — critical for tropical dairy farming and increasingly relevant globally as extreme weather intensifies
- Extension work — structured knowledge dissemination through dairy cooperatives to improve practices efficiently across the sector
UW-Madison Professor Victor Cabrera noted of the Thai partners: “They have a lot of challenges, but my impression from being there is the people are heavily committed. What we saw gave us the impression that there is a lot of potential improvement that could be made. They are learning at a fast pace.”
A Partnership That Benefits Both Nations
While the primary motivation is to strengthen Thailand’s dairy sector, UW-Madison experts emphasise that the collaboration is genuinely two-directional. Thailand’s experience with tropical dairy farming — particularly heat management strategies — offers insights that increasingly matter for Wisconsin farmers as climate patterns shift.
As Jennifer Kushner, Director of CALS Global, noted: “We always get better at what we do by learning how things are practiced in another country.”
The partnership has already expanded: a Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection trade mission to Thailand, led by Secretary Randy Romanski and accompanied by UW-Madison professor Guilherme Rosa, further strengthened bilateral ties — with both sides affirming commitment to the relationship as a long-term, mutually beneficial endeavour.
The Exhibition: Progress on Display
The event captured in the photographs — featuring an exhibition of research posters, dairy-related displays (including scale models of dairy cows), and project outcomes — represents a formal progress review under royal patronage. HRH Princess Sirindhorn’s direct engagement with the exhibition teams, reviewing documents and speaking with project personnel, reflects the personal and sustained attention that she brings to initiatives under her patronage.
This is characteristic of Her Royal Highness’s approach: she is not a distant benefactor but an active participant who makes consistent visits to project sites to monitor progress and ensure that initiatives translate into real-world outcomes for Thai farmers and communities.
Key Takeaways
- The Thailand–UW-Madison Dairy Science Cooperation Project is a royal initiative with deep historical roots, carrying forward the legacy of dairy development begun by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej under the active leadership of HRH Princess Sirindhorn
- The partnership brings world-class Wisconsin dairy expertise into direct contact with Thailand’s farming communities, cooperatives, and research institutions — with Thai financial support reflecting national ownership of the collaboration
- Key focus areas — feed quality, disease prevention, heat-stress management, and extension — address the specific, practical challenges Thai dairy farmers face in improving productivity and sustainability
- The Wisconsin Alumni Association of Thailand’s facilitative role demonstrates how alumni networks can translate international education into lasting national development impact
- For Thailand, this project exemplifies the best of international academic cooperation: initiated at the highest level, implemented through credible institutions, sustained through long-term partnership, and reviewed personally by HRH Princess Sirindhorn to ensure it delivers for the Thai people
Thailand & University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science Academic Cooperation Project, conducted under the royal initiative of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), Chitralada Technology Institute, KMUTT, and the Wisconsin Alumni Association of Thailand.