News

News

News

About the News Section

Keeping the public aware of the research, Extension and teaching efforts of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension Service is vital to our success. Our professional writers work with UK College of Agriculture and Extension professionals to produce timely and accurate news stories and features. Print stories are distributed to newspapers across the Commonwealth, as well as to local, regional and national trade publications.

Our section provides useful, timely news and educational information via print and broadcast media to improve the quality of life for Kentucky residents.

Our experience working with print, television and radio news organizations gives us insights into how mass media can help you deliver your message to special audiences. We can share with you ideas and strategies for working in a mutually-beneficial way with local newspapers and broadcast stations. We offer media training to College of Agriculture faculty and staff, Cooperative Extension specialists, and periodically to select non-profit or governmental groups. Please let us know if you’d like to schedule training or if you have general questions about media.

If you have an idea for a news story, please email our news desk at CAFENews@uky.edu

View archived issues of The mAGazine here.

Have a news idea?

Email News to suggest ideas.

Email CAFE News with Ideas

Visit CAFE News

Read the latest news from Agricultural Communications Services.

Link to CAFE News

Experts at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

The below experts are available to speak to the news media.

Kenny Burdine

Professor

859-257-7273

kburdine@uky.edu

Expertise: beef economics, livestock marketing and management

 

Will Snell

Professor

859-257-7288

wsnell@uky.edu

Expertise: Trade, policy, direct government payments, tobacco and hemp economics.

 

Greg Halich

Associate Extension Professor

859-257-8841

Greg.halich@uky.edu

Expertise: Grain crops and forage economics

 

Tyler Mark

Associate Professor

859-257-7283

Tyler.mark@uky.edu

Expertise: Hemp economics

 

Timothy Woods

Professor

859-257-7270

tim.woods@uky.edu

Expertise: Local foods and food cooperatives

 

Jordan Shockley

Associate Professor

859-218-4391

Jordan.shockley@uky.edu

Expertise: Farm management/poultry economics

Matt Dixon

Senior Meteorologist

859-218-4363

matt.dixon@uky.edu

Expertise: Weather

Les Anderson

Extension Professor

859-257-2856

landerso@uky.edu

Expertise: beef production

 

Katie VanValin

Assistant Extension Professor

270-365-7541 X21361

Katherine.VanValin@uky.edu

Expertise: beef production

 

Tony Pescatore

Extension Professor

859-257-7529

apescato@uky.edu

Expertise: poultry production

 

Jacqueline Jacob

Poultry Extension Project Manager

859-257-7613

Jacquie.jacob@uky.edu

Expertise: poultry production, small and backyard flocks

 

Debra Aaron

Professor

859-257-7553

daaron@uky.edu

Expertise: sheep production

 

Merlin Lindemann

Professor

859-257-7524

Merlin.lindemann@uky.edu

Expertise: swine production

 

Zach Bartenslager

Extension Associate

859-257-7544

Zach.bart@uky.edu

Expertise: youth livestock programs

Akinbode Adedeji

Associate Professor

859-218-4355

Akinbode.adedeji@uky.edu

Expertise: food engineering

 

Wayne Sanderson

Professor, Director of Central Appalachian Regional Education Center, Director of Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention

859-218-2227

Wsa223@uky.edu

Expertise: agricultural safety and health

 

Tiffany Messer

Assistant Professor

859-218-4353

tiffany.messer@uky.edu

Expertise: Water quality; Nutrient cycling, fate and transport; Ecosystem restoration

 

Sam McNeill

Extension Professor

859-562-1326

Sam.mcneill@uky.edu

Expertise: Grain bin safety and mechanics, energy audits

 

Michael Sama

Associate Professor

859-218-4325

Michael.sama@uky.edu

Expertise: Drones in agriculture

Rebecca McCulley

Professor

859-257-6388

Rebecca.mcculley@uky.edu

Expertise: Climate change in field crop agriculture

Seth DeBolt

Director and Professor

James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits

859-257-8654

Seth.debolt@uky.edu

Expertise: bourbon, wine, distillation, brewing sciences

 

Jeffrey Wheeler

Extension Specialist

Horticulture

859- 257-1332

jeff.wheeler@uky.edu

Expertise: enology, wine

 

Patsy Wilson

Extension Specialist

Horticulture

859- 257-1332

patsy.wilson@uky.edu

Expertise: viticulture

Mia Farrell

Assistant Dean and Director

Office of Diversity

859-218-4800

Antomia.farrell@uky.edu

Alison Davis

Director

Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK)

859-257-7260

alison.davis@uky.edu

Expertise: rural development, economic development, leadership development, community health

 

Jayoung Koo

Associate Extension Professor

Landscape Architecture

Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky

859-257-3853

jayoung.koo@uky.edu 

Expertise: landscape architecture, community design, urban and regional planning, environmental restoration planning, GIS

 

Ryan Sandwick

Extension program manager

Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK)

Landscape Architecture

859-218-1710

ryan.sandwick@uky.edu

Expertise: city planning, downtown revitalization, community design

Stephen Dobson

Professor

859-257-4902

sdobson@uky.edu

Expertise: mosquitos

 

Dan Potter

Professor

859-257-7458

dapotter@uky.edu

Expertise: Pollinators, Japanese Beetles

 

Jonathan Larson

Assistant Professor, Horticultural Entomologist

859-562-2614

jonathan.larson@uky.edu

Expertise: mosquitos, ticks, emerald ash borer, cicadas, garden insects, household pests, pests of trees, shrubs and turf

 

Zachary DeVries

Assistant Professor, Urban Entomologist

859-562-2856

zdevries@uky.edu

Expertise: bed bugs, cockroaches, ants, residential pesticides

 

Ric Bessin

Extension Professor

859-257-7456

rbessin@uky.edu

Expertise: field crop and horticultural pests

 

Subba Reddy Palli

Professor, Department Chair, Entomology

Co-director, Center for Arthropod Management Technologies (CAMTECH)

859-257-7450

rpalli@uky.edu

Expertise: RNAi technology for pest management, gene switch technology, hormone regulation and gene expression in insects

 

Clare Rittschof

Assistant Professor

859-218-3343

Clare.rittschof@uky.edu

Expertise: honeybee aggression, bee behavior and social interactions

 

Nick Teets

Assistant Professor

859-257-7459

n.teets@uky.edu

Expertise: insect adaptability to extreme climates (Antarctica)

Christopher Barton

Professor

Forestry & Natural Resources

859-257-2099

barton@uky.edu

Expertise: mountaintop removal reclamation

 

Chris Sass

Associate Professor

Landscape Architecture

Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences program

859-257-3485

chris.sass@uky.edu

Expertise: urban forestry issues and urban stormwater systems

 

Stephen Higgins

Director of Environmental Compliance

Agricultural Experiment Station

shiggins@uky.edu  

859-257-3000 x120

Expertise: engineering for livestock systems, environmental compliance

Fernanda Camargo

Equine Extension Specialist, Asssociate Professor

fernanda.camargo@uky.edu

859-257-7525

Expertise: 4-H, equine Extension

 

Amanda Adams

Associate Professor and MARSTM Equine Scholar

Gluck Equine Research Ctr.

amanda.adams@uky.edu

859-218-1097

Expertise: Aged horse research

 

Camie Heleski

Lecturer

UK Equine Science and Management

camie.heleski@uky.edu

859-323-5386

Expertise: behavior, “Social License to Operate,” working equids

 

Roberta Dwyer

Director, Pre-Veterinary Advising Program

Professor, Department of Animal and Food Sciences,

rmdwye2@email.uky.edu

859-218-1122

Expertise: biosecurity

 

Scott Stanley

Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Gluck Equine Research Center

Director, Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory

scott.stanley2@uky.edu

859-218-1169

Expertise: drug testing and analytical chemistry, biological passport

 

Jill Stowe

Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics

Jill.stowe@uky.edu

859-257-7256

Expertise: economics, Kentucky Equine Survey

 

Kimberly Tumlin

Director, Equestrian Athlete Initiative

Assistant Professor, UK College of Public Health

kimberly.tumlin@uky.edu

859-218-2017

Expertise: Equestrian Athlete Initiative

 

Morgan Hayes

Assistant Extension Professor

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

hayesmorgan@uky.edu

859-218-4350

Expertise: facilities, ventilation, engineering for livestock systems, environmental compliance

 

Bob Coleman

Associate Professor, Equine Extension Specialist

rcoleman@uky.edu

859-257-9451

Expertise: nutrition, equine science, forages, facilities

 

Kathryn Graves

Director, Animal Genetic Testing and Research Laboratory

Associate Professor, Gluck Equine Research Center

ktgraves@uky.edu

859-218-1193

Expertise: Genetic Testing Laboratory

 

Ernie Bailey

Professor, Gluck Equine Research Center

ebailey@uky.edu

859-218-1105

Expertise: genetics, genomics and bioinformatics

 

Mick Peterson

Professor

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

mick.peterson@uky.edu

859-218-1652

Expertise: horseracing track surfaces and sport horse surfaces

 

Daniel Howe

Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Chair and Professor

Gluck Equine Research Center

dkhowe2@uky.edu

859-218-1113

Expertise: infectious disease

 

James MacLeod

John S. and Elizabeth A. Knight Chair and Professor of Veterinary Science

Gluck Equine Research Center

UKAg Programs Director

 jnmacleod@uky.edu

859-257-2226

Expertise: musculoskeletal science, genetics, genomics and bioinformatics

 

Mieke Holder

Assistant Professor

Department of Animal and Food Sciences

mieke.holder@uky.edu

859-257-6880

Expertise: nutrition

 

Laurie Lawrence

Professor

Department of Animal and Food Sciences

llawrenc@uky.edu

859-257-7509

Expertise: nutrition

Martin Nielsen

Associate Professor

Gluck Equine Research Center

martin.nielsen@uky.edu

859-218-1103

 

Emma Adam

Assistant Professor

Gluck Equine Research Center, UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

emma.adam@uky.edu

859-562-2186

Expertise: wide ranging topics from infectious disease to veterinary issues

 

Jennifer Hunter

Assistant Director

Family and Consumer Sciences

859-257-3887

Jhunter@uky.edu

Expertise: farm stress and mental health

 

Alex Elswick

Assistant Extension Professor

859-257-3290

Alexander.elswick@uky.edu

Expertise: substance use and prevention, addiction

 

Nichole Huff

Assistant Extension Professor

859-257-7753

Nichole.huff@uky.edu

Expertise: financial literacy

 

Amy Kostelic

Associate Extension Professor

859-257-1763

Amy.kostelic@uky.edu

Expertise: Healthy aging

 

David Weisenhorn

Senior Extension specialist

859-257-3072

weisenhornda@uky.edu

Expertise: Parenting and child adolescence

Chad Lee

Extension Professor, Director of Grain and Forage Center of Excellence

859-257-3203

chad.lee@uky.edu

Expertise: Corn, full-season soybeans and wheat

 

Tom Keene

Agronomy Specialist

859-257-3144

tom.keene@uky.edu

Expertise: Hemp Extension and research

 

Carrie Knott

Associate Extension Professor, Director of UK Research and Education Center, Princeton

859-562-1320

carrie.knott@uky.edu

Expertise: UKREC, Wheat, double-crop soybeans, corn

 

Bob Pearce

Extension

Professor

859-257-5110

rpearce@uky.edu

Expertise: hemp, burley tobacco

 

Ray Smith

Extension Professor

859-257-3358

Raysmith1@uky.edu

Expertise: Forages

 

Jimmy Henning

Extension Professor

Plant and Soil Sciences

College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

859-257-2877

Jimmy.henning@uky.edu

Expertise: forages, horse pasture evaluation program

 

Carl Bradley

Extension Professor

859-562-1306

Carl.bradley@uky.edu

Expertise: small grain, soybeans, canola diseases and disease management

 

Kiersten Wise

Extension Professor

859-562-1338

Kiersten.wise@uky.edu

Expertise: corn, sorghum and forage diseases and disease management

Gregg Rentfrow

Associate Extension Professor

Meat Science

859-857-7550

Gregg.rentfrow@uky.edu

Expertise: beef, pork, meat education, 4-H youth food sciences

Contacts for News

Jordan Smith

Agriculture Communications Specialist
Section Manager

jordan.r.smith@uky.edu 131-C Scovell Hall Lexington, KY 40546-0064

Jeff Franklin

Agriculture Communications Specialist

(859) 257-9088 jeff.franklin@uky.edu 139-E Scovell Hall Lexington, KY 40546-0064

Aimee Nielson

Agriculture Communications Specialist

(859) 257-7707 aimee.nielson@uky.edu 143 Scovell Hall Lexington, KY 40546-0064

Jordan Strickler

Agriculture Communications Specialist

(859) 257-8324 jstrickler@uky.edu 140 Scovell Hall Lexington, KY 40546-0064

Contact Information

131 Scovell Hall 115 Huguelet Drive Lexington, KY 40546-0064