54 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN November 2025 A family owned and operated Commercial Feedlot located in the heart of Nebraska’s Corn Production. OUR ATTENTION TO DETAIL MAXIMIZES YOUR PROFIT POTENTIAL! DFI also offers: Risk Management • Partnership Feeding Multiple Marketing Options Retained Ownership • Feeder Financing Private Consulting Nutritionist Private Consulting Veterinarian Location Close to All Major Packers Permanent Shades in Pens Two Locations: Columbus & Palmer • 13,500 head capacity Mike Drinnin, Owner/Manager • miked@drinninfeedlots.com Office: (402) 564-7409 • sharib@drinninfeedlots.com drinninfeedlots.com Jarad Drinnin - Columbus Cell: (402) 910-6508 Sam Drinnin - Palmer Cell: (402) 910-0233 PEERS A SHARED FUTURE TIFFANY HENG-MOSS, PH.D.| INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, HARLAN VICE CHANCELLOR, INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN We are back in the full swing of the school year, and I am impressed, as always, with our students. Their innovation, curiosity, passion for agriculture and strong work ethic remind me daily why our work at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) matters so much. They are the future of Nebraska agriculture, and they approach that responsibility with energy and optimism. This semester has also brought a new layer of conversation to campus. Alongside the usual rhythm of classes, research and outreach, our budget has been an important topic. As you have likely seen, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is in the midst of identifying $27.5 million in budget reductions. These are difficult decisions that will shape the future of the university, including IANR. Final recommendations will go before the Board of Regents for consideration and a vote. Even as we work through these challenges, one thing will not change: our steadfast commitment to Nebraska agriculture. The university’s land-grant mission was built in service to the state’s leading industry, and that partnership remains our foundation. Even as we navigate this process, momentum across IANR is strong. Last month, I traveled to Washington, D.C., with UNL President Jeff P. Gold, M.D. While there, we had wonderful conversations with leaders at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Nebraska’s partnership with ARS is one of the most unique in the nation. On East Campus, ARS scientists are embedded within our departments, collaborating directly with faculty and mentoring students on research that matters for producers – from animal health to crop resilience to sustainability. At the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and our Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center in Clay Center, UNL and ARS scientists work together to keep Nebraska at the forefront of livestock production and animal health. These partnerships are decades in the making, vital to our state’s economy and highly valued by our federal partners. Closer to home, our Department of Agricultural Economics continues to serve producers through the Center for Agricultural Profitability. One of its most recent successes is the launch of a livestock module in the Agricultural Budget Calculator, a free web-based program that helps ranchers and feeders evaluate the true cost of production. Producers can now build budgets for cow-calf operations, backgrounding programs, finishing or retained breeding stock; compare The university’s land-grant mission was built in service to the state’s leading industry, and that partnership remains our foundation. CONTINUED ON PAGE 56
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