38 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN June/July 2025 DON WALKER MIKE POLK JUST SOLD! $28,000,000.00 WWW.AGRIAFFILIATES.COM | Congratulations! Rapid Creek Ranch To the Buyer, Seller and Agricultural Real Estate Team on the successful sale of this incredible 30,321 acre property, located in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills. NE Cattlemen_Rapid Creek Ranch_one-third page_Congrats Sold.indd 1 4/30/2025 11:00:17 AM PEERS PROPELLING THE INDUSTRY FORWARD TIFFANY HENG-MOSS, PH.D.| INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, HARLAN VICE CHANCELLOR, INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN As a Nebraska native and proud University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) alumnus, I’ve had the great privilege of serving the state I love in a number of roles – as a faculty member in the UNL Department of Entomology, as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and now as interim vice president of the University of Nebraska and Harlan vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR). Each of these roles has deepened my appreciation for our state’s agriculture industry and the partnerships that propel it forward. Few partnerships are more impactful than the one between Nebraska’s beef producers and our university. It’s this long-standing collaboration – with producers, researchers, educators and organizations like Nebraska Cattlemen – that helps make Nebraska the second-highest producer of beef in the nation. Together, we’re advancing a shared mission rooted in innovation, education and stewardship. This spring, we welcomed 20 high-achieving students into the second cohort of the Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program, a unique partnership between Gov. Jim Pillen and the university. These students, all high school seniors from across the state, are pursuing careers in large-animal veterinary medicine – a field in high demand across rural Nebraska and essential to the long-term success of our state’s livestock industry. The Elite 11 program, which launched in 2024 and welcomed its first cohort of 19 students last fall, reduces the financial burden of veterinary education for students who commit to practicing in clinics that serve food animals in rural communities across Nebraska. Each student receives significant tuition support, with the opportunity for full tuition coverage through the Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine with Iowa State University. As part of the inaugural class, students like Chase Martin have already built strong professional networks and discovered the breadth of opportunities in livestock veterinary medicine. Whether they ultimately pursue careers providing veterinary care to feedlots, swine operations or mixed-animal practices, these students are preparing to serve as the next generation of trusted advisors for Nebraska’s beef producers. I’m incredibly proud of Chase and the other talented and passionate students taking part in this program, and I’ve been blown away by the caliber and number of applications we’ve received so far. These students are a wonderful reminder that the future of agriculture in Nebraska is bright. CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
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