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University of Kentucky, USDA break ground on new research facility

The University of Kentucky will be the home to a new forage research facility.  The USDA and UK broke ground for Forage-Animal Production Research Unit on Tuesday.  It was established to improve the productivity, profitability, competitiveness, and sustainability of forage-based enterprises within the region.  The facility will help the USDA research meet the needs of the diverse operations it serves across the U.S.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the groundbreaking builds on more than two decades of partnership with the University of Kentucky and demonstrates USDA’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible for agriculture and helps to create profitable and sustainable systems, rooted in science, that will advance farmers’ production for years to come.

USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young says the investment ensures today’s scientists and researchers are working in state-of-the-art facilities equipped with the tools they need to take on the world’s greatest agricultural challenges.

The FAPRU facility is expected to open in 2026 and will support a research laboratory space along with eight-bay greenhouses.  It will be staffed with six ARS scientists and seven university researchers. 

**Photo is courtesy of USDA’s Twitter**

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