University of Kentucky Breaks Ground on Agricultural Research Facility
The University of Kentucky recently celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new, $285-million Agricultural Research Building on its campus in Lexington, Ky., according to a university news release. The building will measure in at 263,000 square feet and has an estimated completion date of November 2026. The university partnered with BHDP Architecture and Flad Architects for the project’s design.
“This groundbreaking marks a transformative step in supporting the discovery that will help protect and grow the Commonwealth’s multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry, present in communities throughout Kentucky’s 120 counties,” said Eli Capilouto, University of Kentucky President. “We are deeply grateful to the Kentucky General Assembly for investing in the work we do to benefit Kentucky agriculture and ensuring a safe, resilient and abundant food supply.”
The building will play home to the university’s Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Department of Entomology, Department of Horticulture, and Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Amenities will include wet and dry teaching and research laboratories, as well as rooftop greenhouses for research in fields like animal science, entomology, horticulture, plant sciences, plant pathology, and soil science, the news release reports.
The labs will facilitate research and analysis into topics like protein expression studies and nutrient assessments of feeds and foods. In addition to the research greenhouses, a separate teaching greenhouse will play home to courses like Introduction to Floral Design and Introduction to Plant Identification, according to the news release.
“Having new facilities will greatly enhance our equine, companion and food animal research programs that strive to optimize animal production, health and management, reduce environmental impacts and enhance the quality of food products and their safety,” said Department of Animal and Food Sciences Chair Scott Radcliffe, Ph.D.
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Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].