UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

09/05/2026

It's football time in the Bluegrass, and that means Roundup is just around the corner!

We hope to see you at our annual celebration on Oct. 10 🏈 💙

Register here: https://bit.ly/4cZL5kH

09/04/2026

White coveralls and tall boots are standard field gear for University of Kentucky research students as they drag white cloths and collect metal boxes at the Oran C. Little Research Center in Versailles, Kentucky. These tools and tactics will provide better baseline data for tick species, their host animals and the impact on various land use types in Kentucky through a research project primarily funded by the University of Kentucky Student Sustainability Council.

According to Hannah Tiffin, the students' research advisor and assistant Extension professor of veterinary entomology, the study will fill an information gap in the Commonwealth by focusing on the role of wild mice in tick life cycles.

"It's a really great way to train students, especially the animal science or wildlife majors, on animal handling in a low-risk environment where we could do it as a team," Tiffin said. "It really builds that team atmosphere, too, which I think is super critical for our students. They're able to learn about vector-borne diseases and protecting themselves from ticks and take that home to their families or their friends. It's been really cool to expose students to vector-borne diseases, but from different lenses."

Read more: https://bit.ly/4xCpHKL

09/03/2026

A mule has helped researchers build the most complete reference genomes to date for horses and donkeys, giving scientists access to complex regions of DNA that earlier versions could not fully capture.

Led by University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton CAFE researchers and published in Cell Genomics, the international study introduces new genomes that provide a clearer view of centromeres, telomeres and other highly repetitive parts of chromosomes. These historically impossible-to-assemble regions are important for understanding how chromosomes work, how species evolve and genetic differences that may affect animal health and physical traits.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4i7LMfc

09/03/2026

For students who dream of continuing their equestrian careers while earning a degree, the UK Eventing Team offers more than just a place to ride. It provides community, leadership and a nationally recognized program that continues to attract students from across the country.

"I don’t think there’s a better place to event on a team than Kentucky," said Kaya MacLeod, Eventing Team president.

Learn more about the largest intercollegiate eventing team in the United States: https://bit.ly/4yiUk7W

09/02/2026

We gathered today at The Bill Gatton Foundation Annual Symposium to celebrate the innovative work and meaningful impact made possible by The Bill Gatton Foundation’s historic gift.

"What we hope for is to actually get people more involved so that they can see the different opportunities that they have with Gatton funding," said Leslie Burk, Martin-Gatton CAFE Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Thanks to all who joined us today as we see what comes next!

08/31/2026

Our very own Sybil Gotsch and her research were recently featured on PBS. Check it out here!

A mini-forest lives 100 feet above the forest floor. Mosses, orchids and hundreds of other species in the treetops of Costa Rica pull water out of the clouds and feed the streams below. New from PBS: 20 minutes in the canopy with UK's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Dr. Sybil Gotsch.

Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9HlSWmDtLw

08/31/2026

Two University of Kentucky students spent the summer completing the Undergraduate Development and Internship Research Experience (U-DAIRE), a paid internship and training program for students to learn about the dairy industry.

Ashton Croudep, a senior in the University of Kentucky Animal & Food Sciences Department, and Daniel Carneiro, a sophomore in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky, spent two weeks at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for leadership development and team building with the 2026 U-DAIRE cohort. Then they spent seven weeks interning at Chaney's Dairy Barn in Bowling Green.

"I’ve been working full time with new experiences, new learning opportunities,” Ashton said. “It really pushed me, in a good way, to manage my time, and it’s taught me resilience and how to keep going.”

Learn more about Ashton's and Daniel's U-DAIRE experience: https://bit.ly/4hZQxHJ

08/31/2026

We’re excited to celebrate UK BAE's Omega Chapter of Alpha Epsilon, named the Most Outstanding Chapter at the 2026 ASABE Annual Meeting!

Last year, the chapter launched its first FE Exam Study Series, engaged more than 100 high school students through Engineering Day and BE A STAR Night, continued its long-standing international book donation project, and welcomed 12 new initiates.

Huge congratulations to our members — well deserved 🎉