diff --git a/.github/release-drafter.yml b/.github/release-drafter.yml
index 45b762c5..148d8f1b 100644
--- a/.github/release-drafter.yml
+++ b/.github/release-drafter.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 name-template: "v$RESOLVED_VERSION"
 tag-template: "v$RESOLVED_VERSION"
-change-template: "- $TITLE #$NUMBER [@$AUTHOR]"
 change-template: '- $TITLE @$AUTHOR (#$NUMBER)'
 change-title-escapes: '\<*_&' # You can add # and @ to disable mentions, and add ` to disable code blocks.
 
@@ -12,7 +11,7 @@ categories:
       - "enhancement"
       - "✨"
       - "⚡️"
-  - title: "📦 Dependencies Changes":
+  - title: "📦 Dependencies Changes"
     labels:
       - "dependency"
       - "deps"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs.yml b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
index e48bc8bf..200f625c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name: docs
-on: [push, pull_request, workflow_dispatch]
+on: [workflow_dispatch]
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - run: uv sync --only-group docs
 
-      - run: uv run mkdocs build --config-file config/mkdocs.yml
+      - run: uv run properdocs build --config-file config/mkdocs.yml
 
     #   - run: uv run mkdocs gh-deploy --force --config-file config/mkdocs.yml
 
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index cfd536f1..4db4f780 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -171,4 +171,7 @@ image*.png
 
 # under development
 agml/data/augmentations/
-agml/data/exporters/pascal_voc.py
\ No newline at end of file
+agml/data/exporters/pascal_voc.py
+
+# vs code settings
+.vscode/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/agml/data/__init__.py b/agml/data/__init__.py
index a1c729c3..4c239a85 100644
--- a/agml/data/__init__.py
+++ b/agml/data/__init__.py
@@ -18,3 +18,4 @@
 from .point_cloud import PointCloud
 from .public import download_public_dataset, public_data_sources, source
 from .tools import coco_to_bboxes, convert_bbox_format
+from .hf_loader import HuggingFaceDataLoader
diff --git a/agml/data/hf_loader.py b/agml/data/hf_loader.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7c7dc21b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/agml/data/hf_loader.py
@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@
+from collections import Counter
+import math
+from typing import List, Union
+
+try:
+    from datasets import load_dataset, DatasetDict, Image, Sequence, Value, ClassLabel
+except ImportError:
+    raise ImportError(
+        "The `datasets` library is required to use the HuggingFaceDataLoader. "
+        "Please install it using `pip install datasets`."
+    )
+
+from agml.framework import AgMLSerializable
+
+class HuggingFaceDataLoader(AgMLSerializable):
+    """A data loader designed for loading datasets directly into Hugging Face formats.
+
+    This loader retrieves datasets from the Hugging Face Hub and structures them
+    into Hugging Face `DatasetDict` objects natively compatible with `transformers`
+    or `diffusers` pipelines. It supports custom multi-column stratification.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    dataset_name : str
+        The name of a dataset on the Hugging Face Hub.
+    config : str, optional
+        The dataset configuration (subset) name for datasets that expose multiple
+        configs (e.g. an augmented variant).
+    cache_dir : str, optional
+        The local directory to cache the dataset in.
+
+    Examples
+    --------
+    Single-config dataset::
+
+        loader = HuggingFaceDataLoader("org/dataset")
+
+    Multi-config dataset with an augmented variant::
+
+        loader = HuggingFaceDataLoader("org/dataset", "augmented")
+    """
+
+    serializable = frozenset(("dataset_name", "config", "cache_dir"))
+
+    def __init__(self, dataset_name: str, config: str = None, cache_dir: str = None, **kwargs):
+        self.dataset_name = dataset_name
+        self.config = config
+        self.cache_dir = cache_dir
+
+        self._hf_dataset = None
+        self._setup_loader()
+
+    def _setup_loader(self):
+        """Loads the dataset from the Hugging Face Hub."""
+        try:
+            self._hf_dataset = load_dataset(
+                self.dataset_name,
+                self.config,
+                cache_dir=self.cache_dir,
+            )
+        except Exception as e:
+            name = self.dataset_name if self.config is None else f"{self.dataset_name}/{self.config}"
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to load Hugging Face dataset '{name}': {e}")
+
+        self._cast_features()
+
+    def _cast_features(self):
+        """Infers and casts image-like columns to the HF Image type for automated decoding."""
+        for split_name in self._hf_dataset.keys():
+            ds = self._hf_dataset[split_name]
+            features = ds.features
+
+            if "image" in features and not isinstance(features["image"], Image):
+                ds = ds.cast_column("image", Image())
+
+            # A "mask" column is always a pixel map — cast unconditionally.
+            if "mask" in features and not isinstance(features["mask"], Image):
+                ds = ds.cast_column("mask", Image())
+            # Cast "label" only when it looks like image data (string path or binary bytes),
+            # not when it is a ClassLabel or a numeric scalar.
+            elif "label" in features and not isinstance(features["label"], Image):
+                label_feat = features["label"]
+                if isinstance(label_feat, Value) and label_feat.dtype in ("string", "binary", "large_binary"):
+                    ds = ds.cast_column("label", Image())
+
+            self._hf_dataset[split_name] = ds
+
+    def split(self, 
+              val_size: float = None, 
+              test_size: float = None, 
+              stratify_cols: Union[str, List[str]] = None, 
+              seed: int = 42) -> DatasetDict:
+        """
+        Splits the dataset into train, val, and test splits.
+        Supports stratified splitting across any number of columns.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        val_size : float
+            Proportion of the dataset to include in the validation split.
+        test_size : float
+            Proportion of the dataset to include in the test split.
+        stratify_cols : str or list of str
+            Column(s) to stratify the split on.
+        seed : int
+            Random seed for reproducibility.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        DatasetDict
+            A Hugging Face DatasetDict containing 'train', 'val', and 'test' splits.
+        """
+        # If the dataset is already split (e.g., contains train/test/val),
+        # and we operate on 'train' as the base:
+        base_ds = self._hf_dataset['train'] if 'train' in self._hf_dataset else self._hf_dataset
+
+        # If both sizes are None, the caller is requesting no split —
+        # return the dataset as-is (or wrapped as a DatasetDict with 'train').
+        if val_size is None and test_size is None:
+            if isinstance(self._hf_dataset, DatasetDict):
+                return self._hf_dataset
+            # Wrap a single Dataset into a DatasetDict under 'train'
+            dataset_dict = DatasetDict({"train": base_ds})
+            self._hf_dataset = dataset_dict
+            return dataset_dict
+
+        # Treat None for an individual split as 0.0 (i.e., not requested)
+        if val_size is None:
+            val_size = 0.0
+        if test_size is None:
+            test_size = 0.0
+
+        if stratify_cols is None:
+            stratify_by_column = None
+            ds_to_split = base_ds
+        else:
+            if isinstance(stratify_cols, str):
+                stratify_cols = [stratify_cols]
+            
+            # Create composite key for stratification
+            def add_stratify_key(example):
+                key = "_".join(str(example[col]) for col in stratify_cols)
+                example["_stratify_key"] = key
+                return example
+                
+            ds_to_split = base_ds.map(add_stratify_key)
+            stratify_by_column = "_stratify_key"
+
+            # Inspect counts per composite key to ensure stratification is possible
+            try:
+                values = ds_to_split[stratify_by_column]
+                counts = Counter(values)
+                # Basic requirement: at least 2 samples per class for initial stratified split
+                too_small = {k: v for k, v in counts.items() if v < 2}
+                if too_small:
+                    raise ValueError(
+                        "Stratified splitting requires at least 2 samples per class. "
+                        f"The following stratify groups have fewer than 2 samples: {too_small}"
+                    )
+
+                # Additional requirement when doing a second split (val vs test):
+                # ensure the temporary partition (val+test) will likely contain
+                # at least 2 samples per class. Conservatively require
+                # `count >= ceil(2 / eval_size)` for each class when `test_size > 0`.
+                eval_size_check = val_size + test_size
+                if test_size > 0 and eval_size_check > 0:
+                    min_required_in_temp = math.ceil(2.0 / eval_size_check)
+                    too_small_temp = {k: v for k, v in counts.items() if v < min_required_in_temp}
+                    if too_small_temp:
+                        raise ValueError(
+                            "Stratified splitting into train/val/test is not possible with the current "
+                            f"class counts and requested `val_size+test_size={eval_size_check}`. "
+                            f"Each class must have >= {min_required_in_temp} samples to guarantee at least 2 "
+                            f"samples in the combined val+test partition. The problematic groups: {too_small_temp}"
+                        )
+            except Exception as e:
+                # If we can't compute counts or there's an issue, raise a clearer error
+                raise RuntimeError(
+                    f"Failed to validate stratification column '{stratify_by_column}': {e}"
+                )
+
+            # Convert the composite string key into a ClassLabel feature so
+            # Hugging Face's `train_test_split` can perform stratification.
+            try:
+                unique_labels = sorted(ds_to_split.unique(stratify_by_column))
+                ds_to_split = ds_to_split.cast_column(stratify_by_column, ClassLabel(names=unique_labels))
+            except Exception:
+                # If casting fails for any reason, leave the dataset as-is
+                # and allow the underlying split to raise a clear error.
+                pass
+
+        # Split 1: Train vs. Temp (Val + Test)
+        eval_size = val_size + test_size
+        if eval_size >= 1.0 or eval_size <= 0.0:
+            raise ValueError("val_size + test_size must be strictly between 0 and 1.")
+
+        split_1 = ds_to_split.train_test_split(
+            test_size=eval_size, 
+            stratify_by_column=stratify_by_column, 
+            seed=seed
+        )
+        
+        train_ds = split_1['train']
+        temp_ds = split_1['test']
+
+        # Split 2: Val vs. Test
+        if test_size > 0:
+            relative_test_size = test_size / eval_size
+            split_2 = temp_ds.train_test_split(
+                test_size=relative_test_size, 
+                stratify_by_column=stratify_by_column, 
+                seed=seed
+            )
+            val_ds = split_2['train']
+            test_ds = split_2['test']
+        else:
+            val_ds = temp_ds
+            test_ds = None
+
+        # Cleanup composite key
+        dataset_dict = DatasetDict({"train": train_ds, "val": val_ds})
+        if test_ds is not None:
+            dataset_dict["test"] = test_ds
+
+        if stratify_by_column:
+            for split in dataset_dict.keys():
+                dataset_dict[split] = dataset_dict[split].remove_columns("_stratify_key")
+
+        self._hf_dataset = dataset_dict
+        return dataset_dict
+
+    @property
+    def dataset(self) -> DatasetDict:
+        """Returns the underlying Hugging Face DatasetDict."""
+        return self._hf_dataset
diff --git a/agml/models/__init__.py b/agml/models/__init__.py
index 6db5f722..a4041cc9 100644
--- a/agml/models/__init__.py
+++ b/agml/models/__init__.py
@@ -17,6 +17,14 @@
 commonly used deep learning models on agricultural datasets within AgML.
 """
 
+import warnings
+
+warnings.warn(
+    "agml.models is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.",
+    DeprecationWarning,
+    stacklevel=2,
+)
+
 # Before anything can be imported, we need to run checks for PyTorch and
 # PyTorch Lightning, as these are not imported on their own.
 try:
diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
index a7eae300..80f65c1e 100644
--- a/environment.yml
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -41,3 +41,5 @@ dependencies:
       - pyyaml>=5.4.1
       - albumentations
       - dict2xml
+      - datasets
+      - transformers
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 128f0f25..6a42b2e1 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ license = {text = "Apache 2.0"}
 readme = "README.md"
 packages = [{include = "agml", from = "agml", exclude ='agml/_internal'}]
 version = "0.7.4"
-requires-python = ">=3.8"
+requires-python = ">=3.9"
 keywords = []
 classifiers = [
     "Development Status :: 4 - Beta",
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ classifiers = [
     "Programming Language :: Python",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: Only",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
@@ -51,6 +50,8 @@ dependencies = [
     "dict2xml>=1.7.6",
     "ipywidgets>=8.1.5",
     "rich>=14.0.0",
+    "datasets",
+    "transformers"
 ]
 [project.urls]
 
@@ -60,20 +61,6 @@ dependencies = [
 
 
 [tool.uv]
-dev-dependencies = [
-    "boto3>=1.35.66",
-    "scikit-image>=0.21.0",
-    "shapely>=2.0.6",
-    "botocore>=1.35.66",
-    "pandas>=2.0.3",
-    "pytest>=8.3.3",
-    "pytest-order>=1.3.0",
-    "pytest-cov>=5.0.0",
-    "ruff>=0.7.4",
-    "mypy>=1.13.0",
-    "coverage>=7.6.1",
-    "interrogate>=1.7.0",
-]
 
 [dependency-groups]
 docs = [
@@ -88,4 +75,22 @@ docs = [
     "mkdocstrings-python>=1.8.0",
     "mkdocs-git-revision-date-localized-plugin>=1.2.0",
     "mkdocs-minify-plugin>=0.8.0",
+    "properdocs"
 ]
+dev = [
+    "boto3>=1.35.66",
+    "scikit-image>=0.21.0",
+    "shapely>=2.0.6",
+    "botocore>=1.35.66",
+    "pandas>=2.0.3",
+    "pytest>=8.3.3",
+    "pytest-order>=1.3.0",
+    "pytest-cov>=5.0.0",
+    "ruff>=0.7.4",
+    "mypy>=1.13.0",
+    "coverage>=7.6.1",
+    "interrogate>=1.7.0",
+    "datasets",
+    "transformers"
+]
+
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 8286b8da..8187ffe5 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -8,3 +8,5 @@ opencv-python-headless; sys.platform == 'linux'
 pyyaml>=5.4.1
 albumentations
 dict2xml
+datasets
+transformers
\ No newline at end of file