Cayuga Milk Opens $270M Dairy Expansion in New York

By Blake Jackson

Governor Kathy Hochul joined Cayuga Milk Ingredients (CMI) to celebrate the grand opening of a $270 million, two-phase expansion at the company's facility in the Town of Aurelius, Cayuga County.

The investment will allow the farmer-owned processor to better serve its clients, support local dairy farms, and significantly grow its workforce by adding up to 150 new jobs to its current 100 employees.

New York State supported this initiative through a $4 million capital grant and up to $4 million from the Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program, tied to job creation. The announcement comes as the state celebrates Dairy Month this June.

“Cayuga Milk Ingredients’ continued expansion in Cayuga County marks another exciting chapter in New York’s agricultural success story,” Governor Hochul said.

“New York’s dairy industry serves as a crucial economic engine for our state, and our support for this project reinforces our commitment to those efforts and to our hard-working dairy farmers, further cementing our position as one of the nation’s top dairy producers.”

Phase one of the expansion included a new ultra-high temperature (UHT)/aseptic low-acid packaging line and a reverse osmosis filtration system. Phase two involved additional equipment and upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility.

CMI’s vertically integrated model ensures high-quality, traceable, and sustainable dairy production. The company processes over 1.5 billion pounds of milk annually from 22 local, family-owned farms, producing value-added items like high-protein milk and ultrafiltered dairy ingredients.

“Cayuga Milk Ingredients is proud to be a key player in New York's dairy industry, with the investment in our new aseptic and extended shelf-life fluid dairy production facility driving long term growth in our community with more than 150 new permanent jobs, as well as another 350+ jobs during facility construction,” said CMI CEO Brian Linney.

“We are grateful for the support of Governor Hochul in this project expansion as we work to ensure the continued success and longevity of the agricultural industry in New York State.”

New York ranks fifth in national milk production and is home to nearly 3,000 dairy farms, producing over 16 billion pounds annually.

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