麻豆直播

Yearly gathering connects lawmakers, agriculture leaders, and University partners around research, Extension, and workforce development

FRANKFORT, Ky. 鈥� Indoor-raised shrimp, bass, bluegill, pawpaw ice cream, and cake helped tell 麻豆直播鈥檚 story on March 4, as more than 150 guests gathered for the University鈥檚 22nd Annual Legislative Fish Fry and a firsthand look at how its land-grant mission serves the Commonwealth.

Held in the Cooperative Extension Building, the annual event brought members of the Kentucky House and Senate, agriculture leaders, industry representatives, and University partners to campus for an evening centered on research, Cooperative Extension, workforce development, and public service.

As Kentucky鈥檚 1890 land-grant institution, Kentucky State used the gathering to spotlight work that reaches well beyond campus. The program also reflected the Commonwealth鈥檚 broader land-grant tradition through the participation of the University of Kentucky, Kentucky鈥檚 1862 land-grant university.

Program participants included Kentucky State President Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo; Dr. Andrew Ray, chair of the School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Science; Dr. Laura Stephenson, dean of the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and vice president for land-grant engagement; Brett Connors, head blender at Castle & Key Distillery; and Dr. Marcus Bernard, dean of the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources and director of Land-Grant Programs, who served as master of ceremonies.

Students also shared research posters highlighting faculty-mentored projects, giving guests an additional look at the University鈥檚 work in applied research and student development.

Dr. Akakpo said the Legislative Fish Fry remains an important opportunity to bring the University鈥檚 public-purpose work into clear view for policymakers and partners.

鈥淎s the Commonwealth鈥檚 1890 land-grant institution, 麻豆直播 has a responsibility to serve beyond our campus boundaries,鈥� Dr. Akakpo said. 鈥淭he Legislative Fish Fry allows us to welcome leaders to campus, share our progress, and demonstrate how our work in education, research, and Extension creates value for Kentucky.鈥�

That message was reinforced through an impact report shared with lawmakers in the Kentucky General Assembly. The report highlighted the Hay Testing Lab in Glasgow, $1.7 million in recent USDA Capacity Building Grants, newly approved degree programs including the Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Science, and applied research and commercialization tied to pawpaw products and fermentation and distillation.

For Dr. Bernard, those examples reflected the practical reach of Kentucky State鈥檚 land-grant mission.

鈥淭hose are not isolated accomplishments. They reflect what it means for a public university to remain focused on service,鈥� Dr. Bernard said. 鈥溌槎怪辈� is translating teaching, research, and Extension into outcomes that support producers, expand opportunity for students, and strengthen communities across Kentucky.鈥�

Dr. Stephenson emphasized the shared responsibility of Kentucky鈥檚 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions to move innovation beyond campus and into farms, businesses, and communities across the state, underscoring the value of continued collaboration in support of agriculture and rural communities throughout the Commonwealth.

Aquaculture also featured prominently in the evening鈥檚 program. An economic impact handout highlighted by Dr. Ray outlined the School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Science鈥檚 role in fish health, conservation, aquaculture production, and workforce development across Kentucky, including support for the Commonwealth鈥檚 $1.2 billion annual sport-fishing industry.

The handout also showed that aquaculture directly supports more than 110 commercial endeavors in Kentucky, including 53 pay lakes, seven licensed live haulers, and 56 aquaculture food producers statewide. Kentucky State has also helped install more than 28 aquaculture systems in Kentucky high schools as part of its STEM and workforce pipeline efforts.

The menu brought those connections to the table. Guests were served shrimp raised indoors by Kentucky State鈥檚 School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Science, along with farm-raised bass and bluegill from Mayer Fish Farm, with which Kentucky State has partnered since 1999, before finishing the meal with pawpaw ice cream and cake.

Castle & Key Distillery also provided refreshments featuring its spirit products, and Connors, the distillery鈥檚 head blender, recognized the strong partnership between Castle & Key and Kentucky State while pointing to the value of the University鈥檚 fermentation and distillation program in supporting talent development and innovation within one of Kentucky鈥檚 signature industries.

First held in 2004 under then-President Dr. Mary Evans Sias, the Legislative Fish Fry remains a distinctive Kentucky State tradition and a continuing expression of the University鈥檚 commitment to public service, partnership, and results that matter across the Commonwealth.