Three years since the tornado: UK research center rebuilds stronger, reaffirming role in Kentucky agriculture

The University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton’s journey over the last three years has solidified its role as an anchor for agricultural research and education.

Princeton, Ky.—On Dec. 11, 2021, an EF-4 tornado struck the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton (UKREC), leaving behind only remnants of a facility that had been an essential contributor to Kentucky's agricultural research. Decades of infrastructure and millions of dollars in equipment were destroyed overnight, reducing one of the state’s key agricultural assets to rubble. Now, three years after the storm, the Western Kentucky center is rebuilding and becoming better than before. 

UKREC director Carrie Knott looks back on those three years as a time of intense adjustment and ultimately, growth.  

“The day after the storm, our team was faced with an enormous task: How do we continue the work that so many depend on when we’ve lost everything we built over decades?” Knott said. “But for us, stopping was not an option.”