Established in 1925 as the West Kentucky Sub-experiment Station at Princeton, the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center (UKREC) has functioned as a center of agricultural activities in western Kentucky. 

Notable agricultural progress has been made through the research and education initiatives at UKREC: 

• improving utilization and conservation of resources 
• increasing yields of crops and livestock 
• better management of capital and labor 
• expanding markets and finding solutions for problems facing rural people and communities 

Increased returns to Kentucky farmers total millions of dollars annually just from the use of new production technologies resulting from research findings and educational programs of the Martin-Gatton CAFE. 

Our farm has expanded from its initial 400 acres to more than 1,600 acres over the past 100 years. It serves as the headquarters for more than 65 faculty and staff members representing ten different departments in the college, and they are conducting more than 200 research and educational demonstrations of interest to Kentucky farmers, agribusinesses, and families annually.  

Information derived from these projects is delivered to farmers and the public through publications, events at UKREC and the county offices of the Cooperative Extension Service.  

While losing the infrastructure of this research hub during the 2021 tornado was a significant loss to the state’s agricultural industry, UKREC is transforming into a more advanced research institution that better meets the demands of today’s agricultural climate.