92 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN January 2024 PEERS 50 YEARS STRONG MIKE BOEHM, PH.D. | VICE PRESIDENT FOR AGRICULTURE, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, HARLAN VICE CHANCELLOR, INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN Happy New Year! As I begin my eighth year as the University of Nebraska (UNL) vice president and Harlan vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR), the institute is on the cusp of a new era. As you may remember, last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of IANR. In 1973, the Nebraska Legislature established IANR with the passage of LB149. This legislation culminated more than 10 years of discussion by state leaders, university officials and agriculture interests in Nebraska to ensure that the prominence of agricultural research, education and Extension at UNL was proportional to agriculture’s incredible impact on the state’s economy, success and identity. We celebrated IANR’s 50th anniversary with several special events, as well as a series of conversations and listening sessions for farmers, ranchers, commodity board members, community leaders and others passionate about agricultural production and natural resources stewardship all across the state. From those conversations and reflections, we have worked to develop a new strategic direction for IANR, which we will unveil early this year. This comes at a time when so many good things are happening. The Feedlot Innovation Center at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead is nearing completion. Construction on the first phase of the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture is set to begin later this year. Enrollment in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is strong, and our research and Extension faculty have continued their impactful work across the state. Later this month, thanks to a gift from Carol Krutsinger in memory of her late husband, Ron, UNL Beef Industry Scholars will head to the Cattle Industry Convention in Orlando, where they will have the chance to meet with industry leaders and make connections from all over the country. Each year, I am so proud of these scholars and the professionalism and integrity they exhibit as they represent UNL. I may be biased, but I believe our animal science students are among the very best in the country. Last year, the UNL Livestock Judging Team had a strong season with numerous accolades, including 12 top-eight overall finishes, 31 top-eight division finishes and 53 individual top-10 finishes. Liz Hodges, a UNL senior double majoring in animal science and agricultural and environmental sciences communications (and a former IANR student worker) was recognized as an academic All-American honoree. In addition, UNL Livestock Judging Team Coach Blaine French was recognized as the Intercollegiate Livestock Judging Team Coach of the Year. Blaine joined UNL as an assistant professor of practice in 2019 and has taken this program to a new level. He started his livestock judging career while attending high school in Batesville, Ark. He continued to develop his skills first at Fort Scott Community College and then at the University of Arkansas. He began coaching in an assistant role during his graduate studies before ultimately joining UNL, where he is inspiring the next generation of Nebraska ag leaders, including Liz, a native of Julian, who has already begun working as a reporter for Nebraska Farmer. I was also inspired by Allison Walbrecht, a UNL sophomore majoring in animal science with minors in the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program and the Krutsinger Beef Scholars program. Allison created the Unified Showing 4-H Club in 2020 while attending high school at Lincoln Southwest. The club pairs youth with disabilities with teen mentors to develop skills in animal husbandry and ultimately participate in the 4-H livestock exhibition at the Lancaster County Fair. Since she started Unified Showing, the program has expanded into several other counties, and Allison recently launched Unified Agriculture, a direct-to-consumer beef-sales enterprise creating ag-focused employment opportunities for those with disabilities. I’m so proud of our students, their work ethic, their drive, their great ideas and their passion for agriculture. I say often that the magic of Nebraska is the people – the agricultural producers and ag industry advocates; the community leaders; the entrepreneurs; and, in IANR, our faculty, staff and incredible students. As always, never hesitate to reach out with questions, comments, ideas or just to talk at mboehm3@unl.edu. ~NC~
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