Joe Luck receives educator/researcher of the year award

Joe Luck
Joe Luck (second from left), associate professor of biological systems engineering and precision agriculture engineer at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, has received the PrecisionAg Institute’s Educator/Researcher of the Year award.

August 9, 2017

Lincoln, Neb. — Joe Luck, associate professor of biological systems engineering and precision agriculture engineer at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, has received the PrecisionAg Institute’s Educator/Researcher of the Year award. The award recognizes Luck’s commitment to precision agriculture and devotion to the industry, setting the stage for increased precision adoption and significant innovation.

Luck was nominated by colleague John Fulton, associate professor at Ohio State University, who said, “Joe represents a new generation of educators and leaders for precision agriculture. He is an advocate for agriculture and promotes the use of precision agriculture to improve the farm operation while reducing environmental impacts.”

Luck grew up on a small farm in western Kentucky and graduated with a degree in civil engineering. After graduation, he decided to reenter the agricultural industry. He later received his Ph.D. and hoped for a career working with the same crops he worked with back home. Joe has a three-way appointment at Nebraska that allows him to be active in research, teaching and in Nebraska Extension.

“I always liked working with producers and teaching as well as the research side, so when I had the chance to come out to Nebraska, it ended up being the perfect job,” said Luck.

Luck started the Precision Agriculture Data and Management workshops in 2013 to help producers get something out of their data. He worked with cooperators and research data to create 8-10 workshops every winter. There are between 20 and 25 different exercises that have been created for the workshops. In one exercise, participants can take the data, computers and software to put out a seeding rate trial, collect data and analyze the results to see the effect on the yield. Last year, instructors showed participants how to build profitability maps using the technology data sets that they were collecting.

“I love working with the farmers because they are really anxious to learn. When you see people get excited about stuff that you’re teaching them, it’s a real boost,” Luck said.

Luck has 31 peer-reviewed articles, 10 extension publications and 21 learning guides centered on technology and site-specific management concepts. He says that while it was an individual award that he received, it would not be possible without all of the other great researchers and Extension educators that he has had the opportunity to work with at Nebraska.

To read more about the 2017 PrecisionAg Institute awards, visit http://www.precisionag.com/institute/2017-awards-of-excellence-winners-announced/.

For more information about the Precision Agriculture Data and Management Workshops, visit cropwatch.unl.edu.


Joe Luck
Associate Professor of Biological Systems Engineering
402-472-1488
jluck2@unl.edu


Writer - Gina Incontro, IANR Media

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