May 22, 2008
Roads Scholar Tour Takes IANR Employees to Northeast Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. — While the University of Nebraska's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources is always working to make connections throughout the state, it also wants people across the state to feel connected to it as well.
That was one purpose of IANR's inaugural Road Scholars Tour, held May 15-16 in northeast Nebraska, said Debra Schroeder, chairman of the IANR Liaison Committee.
About 35 IANR employees boarded a chartered bus and visited a variety of university and business sites throughout the region. The group included administrators, liaison committee members and faculty and staff members with one to five years of university service.
"The over-arching goal in this whole process was we wanted to provide opportunities for new faculty to be exposed to different areas of the state," Schroeder said.
IANR hopes that the employees will be able to use the information they gained on the trip in their teaching, research and extension responsibilities, Schroeder said.
In addition to helping IANR employees to learn more about the state, the trip was an effort to help Nebraskans learn more about the mission of IANR, Schroeder said.
"We want to increase awareness in the state of what's going on within the institute and connect faculty and people within the state," she said.
The production of agricultural equipment was the focus of the first stop at West Point Implement and Design. Owner/manager Erv Eisenmenger demonstrated the company's major lines of equipment, including its Spread-All spreader, largely manufactured with recycled materials to spread the abundance of manure from feedlots.
The contingent stopped at the Knobbe Feedyards, owned by Harry Knobbe of West Point, which feeds about 20,000 head of cattle annually on 1,000 acres. Knobbe Livestock Sales buys and sells more than 140,000 head annually from 30 different states.
Topics addressed included groundwater monitoring wells and the demand for manure to use as fertilizer. While the company once had to beg people to take the manure, now there is a waiting list for it.
A discussion of agricultural issues followed at the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons. Executive Director and NU Board of Regents Chairman Chuck Hassebrook met with the group and answered questions for about an hour about the center's program priorities.
Group members visited the John G. Neihardt Center in Bancroft, where they watched a short video about the life of Neihardt, who was state poet laureate and wrote the famed book "Black Elk Speaks."
The first day also included a visit to the Haskell Agricultural Laboratory in Concord, where extension specialists talked about their research projects on such topics as conservation buffers, the effect of tillage on soil, and the use of propane flaming as a weed control tool.
Family and consumer sciences was the topic during an evening session, where extension educators shared the impact their work is making related to healthy families and communities, aging issues and financial management.
The second day featured a tour of the Lifelong Learning Center in Norfolk, which houses offices of the Northeast Research and Extension Center, UNL Extension in Madison County, Northeast Community College, Wayne State College and other entities.
Progressive Swine Technology in Humphrey provided a lesson in pork production. The production facility founded by Jim Pillen has 80 different sites in Nebraska and employs more than 550 people.
The IANR employees toured a produce farm at Daniels Produce near Monroe, owned by Andy Daniels. The company grows corn, pumpkins, tomato and other produce, which is sold at farmer's markets and in grocery stores.
The group learned about extension's grant-funded after-school programming at Centennial Elementary School in Columbus, then toured east Columbus, where many agricultural manufacturing interests are developing and expanding.
John Owens, IANR NU vice president and Harlan vice chancellor of IANR, is considering sponsoring annual Roads Scholars trips to different areas of the state, Schroeder said.
5/22/08-LM/DM Debra E. Schroeder
Extension - Cuming County Extension Educator (402) 372-6006
 
Dan Moser IANR News & Photography Coordinator (402) 472-3007
Department:
Extension
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