Many folks probably associate the statement "to protect and serve" with the mission of the military, or the police or fire department. Yet when it comes right down to it, that's what the work of the Division of Regulatory Services, part of the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is all about.

Nearly 130 years ago, a bill passed by the Kentucky General Assembly and signed into law by then Governor J. Proctor Knott, regulated the sale of fertilizers in the Commonwealth and protected "the agriculturalist in the purchase and use of the same." This milestone legislation placed the director of the Kentucky Experiment Station in full administrative charge of fertilizer control work. Subsequently, laws were passed to regulate the feed, seed and milk industries. In addition, service programs were added for seed and soil testing. As a practical matter, Regulatory Services was born and it is as relevant today as it was back in the late 19th century.

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