Greetings,
Welcome to the 2021 issue of AgKnowledge magazine!
The Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program works to develop educational programs that address relevant needs affecting underserved people in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In the challenging year of 2020, the needs of those we serve changed— and our Extension faculty and staff adapted to meet those needs.
When in-person events were no longer possible, our Extension staff created virtual programming, from Third Thursday Thing workshops to nutrition classes for individuals in rehabilitation to activities for kids. Through our virtual events, we reached more people and made more connections— even though we couldn’t physically be together— than ever before.
In 2017, we worked with Extension faculty, staff, and the Extension Research Advisory Council (ERAC) to develop a five-year strategic plan, “Transforming Kentuckyians: Racing Toward Excellence.” We continue to follow the roadmap this document provides, setting a foundation for Kentucky State Extension to become a premier provider of educational dissemination in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Over the next year— uncertain as it may be— we will continue to listen to our stakeholders, assessing their needs in the communities and providing evidence-based educational programs that solve real-life issues in Kentucky. We will also maintain a strong partnership with our Land Grant partner, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, and leverage our unique strengths to help the underserved clientele reach their full potential in a rapidly changing society. Through state-of-the-art delivery methods, we will work to strengthen and develop new partnerships and seek external funding to attain our goals and objectives. We will continue to make underserved populations and hard-to-reach audiences a priority.
We hope you find evidence of our fulfilled promises in the stories in this magazine, and please let us know how we can help you, too. We encourage Kentuckyians to join us on our journey as we develop Cooperative Extension programs that will help transform the residents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Courtney Owens, Ph.D. Associate Extension Administrator of the Cooperative Extension Program Kentucky State University
As you read the stories in this year’s annual AgKnowledge magazine, I hope you enjoy learning about the research we perform here at Kentucky State University.
Kentucky State University's Land Grant Program has nationally and internationally recognized research programs in aquaculture, organic agriculture, sustainable biofuel feedstock production, alternative fruit and nut crops, ecological entomology, alternative pesticides, water quality, global information systems, agroforestry, goat production, biotechnology, obesity and human health, and apiculture.
In spite of the dangerous and intrusive pandemic over the past 12 months, we professionals in the College of Agriculture, Community, and the Sciences have made some good progress. A major thing that stands out to me are the five Capacity Building Grants and an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Grant that were awarded to our hard-working faculty and their staff, listed below:
Those in our college also had significant publications in 2020. I want to extend my congratulations to everyone who has secured grant funding and generated publications last year and in recent years. These accomplishments contribute to helping our clients in Kentucky and surrounding states, as well as the scientific community. They also enhance the reputation of our college and the university. To my colleagues, keep up the good work.
And to our clients and stakeholders, if we can help serve you with our research, please let us know. We want our research to be meaningful to you. Thank you for reading and for your support.
Robert Durborow, Ph.D. Interim Associate Research Director College of Agriculture, Community, and the Sciences