Ag Specialists that Cross the Line
April 17, 2007
Presenters: Terry Hejny &
Steven D. Johnson
Presentation Objectives
• Overview of existing Nebraska (UNL) Extension
boundaries, ag programs and human resources
• Highlight Ag Specialists that “cross the line”
• Review the existing ISU Vet Med partnership
with UNL
• Summarize Lessons Learned and Changing
Needs
• Highlight Emerging Risk Management
Educational Opportunities
Nebraska’s County Lines
Extension District Lines
UNL Extension’s Human Resources
• 1998 (January)
• Extension Specialists
(Ag Economics)
– 16.2 FTE: 23 faculty
• SE Extension
Educators
– 28.5 FTE: 29 faculty
• 2007 (January)
• Extension Specialists
(Ag Economics)
– 6.05 FTE: 10 faculty
• SE Extension
Educators
– 24 FTE: 24 faculty
History of “crossing the line”
• 4-State Range Beef Cow Symposium
– Since 1969: Colorado, Wyoming, South
Dakota & Nebraska
• 4-State Beef Conference
– Since 1982: Kansas, Iowa, Missouri &
Nebraska
• Crop Insurance Workshop
– Since 1999: Colorado, Kansas & Nebraska
Greater Quad Counties
On-farm Research Projects
• Since 1998, UNL Extension has teamed
with 30 farmers in Clay, Fillmore,
Hamilton and York counties for on-farm
research trials.
– Set the stage for future programs that
“crossed the line” . . . beyond county and
district and region
Farmers & Ranchers College
• Since 2000, 68 workshops in Grain
Marketing and Risk Management and 9
workshops focusing in Livestock
Marketing/Risk Management
(7: Cow/calf, 2: Swine)
• Utilizes an Advisory Board for program
direction
• Various funding sources
Farmers & Ranchers College
• “Hands-on/Minds on” interactive workshops
featuring nationally known experts from other
Land-Grant’s (Kohl, Barnaby, Flinchbaugh,
Johnson) along with UNL Extension faculty
• Impact:
– Grain Marketing: 700,000+ acres/year,
$5,850/workshop x 155 operations = $900,000+
annually
– Livestock: 81,000+ head/year x $9.20/head =
almost $750,000 annually
Nebraska’s “Winning the Game”
• Since 2003
– WTG, MSG and LMP
• Minnesota and Nebraska
• Impact: 500 participants annually
• Nebraska Extension Specialists &
Educators deliver with support from the
Nebraska Soybean Board
Soybean Management Field Day
• Since 1999
• Target Audience: 500 participants (crop
consultants, lenders, etc.)
– annual event conducted in August
• Nebraska: Coordinated by Extension
Specialists & Educators with support
from the Nebraska Soybean Board
• Select “ag specialists” participate
Computerized Farm Financial
Recordkeeping
• 2003: “team” approach: four Southeast
District Educators developed the
curriculum, authored handouts and
instruction
• Impact
• 2007: expanded to Northeast and West
Central
Ten Easy Ways to Boost
Profits $20/Acre
• 44 Extension Educators and Specialists
• 23 workshops reaching 372 farmers and
consultants
• 1 year follow-up survey (2 sites)
• Applying those reduced production costs to
their row crop acres generates $941,598
more profit for those respondents.
• 25 power point presentations and a peerreviewed document (EC-176)
Ag Specialists
David Kohl
Art Barnaby
“Crossing Lines”
Elwynn Taylor
Steve Johnson
ISU-UNL Professional Program in
Veterinary Medicine
• Strength in combined resources of
leading swine, beef, poultry & red
meat producing states.
ISU College of Veterinary Medicine
Great Plains Veterinary Educational
Center, Clay Center, NE
ISU-UNL Professional
Program “Crosses the Line”
• First two years of veterinary education at
UNL
–
–
–
–
25 students enter Fall ‘07
Hiring veterinary medical faculty
Developing curriculum
Renovating & constructing facilities
• Final two years & DVM at Iowa State
– Will join 480 students at ISU in ’09
– Hiring new faculty
– Renovating & expanding facilities
• Two-phase Veterinary Teaching Hospital project will
add 25% to overall college space & increase small
animal medicine facility over 100%
Addressing Vet Med’s
Changing Needs
• Vet med program addresses two
areas of national need for:
– More veterinarians
• Particularly food safety & security,
& public health
– Food animal veterinarians
• Students primarily with rural backgrounds
• More likely to have food animal interests
Strong Regional Resources
• Iowa State University College of
Veterinary Medicine
– Nation’s first public supported school of veterinary
medicine – 1879
– 128 years of veterinary teaching experience
– Veterinary Teaching Hospital & Clinics
– Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
• University of Nebraska – Lincoln
– Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources
– Extensive agricultural animal resources
• Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center at Clay
Center, Nebraska
Lessons Learned
• UNL Extension’s Perspective
– Do’s
– Don’ts
• Ag Specialist’s Perspective
– Do’s
– Don’ts
Addressing Extension’s
Changing Needs
•
•
•
•
Extension Funding Challenges
“Graying” Faculty and Staff
Complexity of Ag Issues
Clientele Educational Needs
– Formal
– Informal
• Emerging Technologies
Emerging Risk Management
Educational Opportunities
• Electronic Dissemination
– Satellite Broadcasts
– Public Television
– Newsletters
– Web Casting
– Pod Casting
– Web Meetings
– Webinars
Statewide Satellite Broadcast
March 7th, 2007
“Making Crop
Marketing &
Insurance Decisions”
17 County Extension Offices in
Nebraska served as
downlink host sites
Web-Based Education
USDA Ag Census,
NASS, FSA &
NRCS
Proposed:
Revenue CounterCyclical Program
(RCCP)
Anywhere
County
USDA RMA,
GRP, GRIP
Presentation Summary
• Overviewed existing UNL Extension
boundaries, ag programs and human
resources
• Highlighted Ag Specialists that “cross the
line”
• Reviewed UNL Extension’s and Ag
Specialist’s Lessons Learned and Changing
Needs
• Highlighted Emerging Risk Management
Educational Opportunities
Steven D. Johnson
Terry Hejny
Farm & Ag Business
Management
Field Specialist
(515) 261-4215
sdjohns@iastate.edu
Extension Educator
University of NebraskaLincoln
(402) 267-2205
thejny1@unl.edu
www.extension.iastate.edu/polk
/farmmanagement.htm