The federal government gave Iowa State the keys to the National Swine Research Center last week, after months of the building sitting vacant.

Under a new agreement with government, Iowa State’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering will be housed in the building. Preliminary work in order to move has already begun, said Stewart Melvin, head of agricultural and biosystems engineering.

“We should be in there in the beginning of September,” Melvin said.

Gary Steinke, director of governmental relations, said an agreement was reached in April that gives ISU ownership of the building, which was constructed entirely with federal money.

The agreement calls for development of nutritional and micro-biological approaches to reducing swine odor, while increasing feed efficiency and optimizing reproduction, growth and development.

Steinke said agricultural and biosystems engineering will use most of the building, while the National Swine Research Center will lease out the rest.

He said the building was designed to help farmers by researching better ways for pork producers to produce hogs.

“This will be the premiere place for that type of research to take place around the country,” Steinke said.

Melvin said the agricultural and biosystems engineering department will focus on waste management, water quality, animal environments, watershed management studies and odor control.

He said his department is excited to have the extra lab space available for faculty members in the new building.

“This gives us some lab space for some of our younger faculty members to use,” Melvin said.

The building is located next to the National Soil Tilth Laboratory and should allow for cooperative research between labs, Steinke said.

“There are lots of possibilities down the road,” he said.

Melvin said they will have a very close proximity and relationship with the soil tilth laboratories and will share a lot of information and lab projects with each other.

“The laboratories in the building are absolutely state of the art,” Steinke said.