By Blake Jackson
For over 100 years, the University of Kentucky Research and Extension Center at Princeton (UKREC) has built a meaningful and impactful relationship with farmers, extension agents, and the wider community.
“We can’t serve Kentucky without hearing from our agriculture agents and our farmers,” said UKREC director Carrie Knott. “That special relationship that Princeton faculty have always had with farmers and with ag agents has made this a very special place.”
Extension associate Colette Laurent echoed the sentiment, noting that “farmers and Cooperative Extension Service agents invest in us as much as we invest in them.”
The center houses 10 specialized units from beef cattle to tobacco making collaboration across disciplines seamless. “We’re able to walk down the hall and build a multidisciplinary team to look at a problem,” Knott explained. “I think that's what makes us so special and so effective in the state.”
UKREC has long felt like home for many, including Firmon Milton Cook IV, who followed in his father’s farming footsteps. “Their research is indicative of what our row crop farmers are going to experience here,” Milton said. “That’s got a tremendous value.”
Grain farmer Sam Halcomb shared similar ties. “There’s a wonderful relationship between the UK researchers and the farmers within Kentucky,” he said.
Sam late father, Don Halcomb, was instrumental in developing the Grain and Forage Center for Excellence. Sam and his brothers are honoring Don’s legacy with a handcrafted white oak conference table, promised by Don before his passing.
In the aftermath of the devastating 2021 tornado, nearby farmers like Trevor Gilkey and Joseph Sisk helped UKREC recover. “They would have done the same thing for me if the shoe was on the other foot,” Gilkey said. Sisk added that the damage “was so extreme” that helping was a natural response.
“It’s just humbling to realize how important we are,” Knott said of the outpouring of support. “That people, some from great distances, are coming to help us in our time of need.”
Mayor Brock Thomas summed it up: “It is a driving force for Princeton, and the work they do impacts the world.”
Photo Credit: gettyimages-nes
Categories: Kentucky, Crops