Students run a farm with an outdoor garden on the Benson Farm in Frankfort, Kentucky. The garden has field plots and raised beds, and the team uses the site for annual and perennial crop production, drip irrigation, and composting systems. Crops are produced using sustainable principles, including cover cropping, crop rotation, and fertilizers. 

Students develop crop plans for production spaces and learn propagation, seeding, and transplanting methods. They also develop strategies for integrated pest management and plant disease mitigation in this controlled environment agriculture space.  

Hydroponics is a plant production method involving growing plants without soil using nutrient-enriched water. The greenhouse features hydroponic systems that produce lettuce, kale, swiss chard, and other vegetables. 

Kentucky State University has a renowned aquaculture research facility. The aquaculture division offers opportunities for students to learn about aquaponics systems. Students maintain the systems and troubleshoot issues. Aquaponic systems combine fish production (aquaculture) with hydroponic plant production, with the fish waste providing nutrients to feed the plants.

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The Urban Agriculture team travels often to collaborate with USDA research sites. One is in Charleston, South Carolina, where students are learning from the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory. The other collaborative site is Wooster, Ohio, where a student is conducting their thesis research on the Effect of Selenium Fertilization on Beta-Carotene Accumulation Among Two Cress Varieties grown Hydroponically. The team will also be attending many renowned conferences, such as the American Horticulture Society Meeting and the Controlled Environment Agriculture Summit.  

While students in any major can get involved, the Urban Agriculture experience complements the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources baccalaureate degree program in Agriculture. Kentucky State University offers these degree options in Agricultural Systems, Nutritional Science and Food Systems, Environmental Systems, and Aquaculture Systems. Find more information below.  

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