OMAHA, Neb. (AP)--U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne didn't talk about politics or Nebraska football when he spoke to a class at Omaha's South High School recently.

Instead, Osborne talked about cattle and the importance of livestock to Omaha and Nebraska.

"Between the stockyards and the packing plants, that's what made south Omaha go," Osborne told the Omaha World-Herald.

Osborne has been at the forefront of an effort to make Nebraskans more aware of the importance of livestock to the state. The push stems from a perception of a growing ambivalence toward the livestock industry, as well as from battles repeatedly waged in rural counties over attempts to expand livestock facilities.

Osborne said Nebraska is simply part of an affluent American culture that takes things for granted.

"People see beef as something we buy at McDonald's or Burger King. It's already packaged, and people don't think about where it comes from," Osborne said.

About a year ago, Osborne created the Nebraska Agriculture Industry Partnership, which encompasses a diverse mix of farm interests with the goal of promoting and increasing the appreciation of livestock.

In the 1950s, Omaha was the largest beef-producing city in the world. Signs over the South Omaha Bridge (now known as Veterans Memorial Bridge) declared Omaha the "Nation's Largest Beef Packing Center."

By 1974, Omaha's dominance as a meatpacking center had dwindled. The packing plants had started moving to smaller towns. The connection to agriculture of the state's largest cities has lessened, Osborne said.

South Omaha teacher Gary Kastrick realized history would be lost when the Omaha Stockyards closed in 1999 after 116 years. So at night he crept into the stockyards and took enough wood to rebuild a cattle pen in a basement of the school. His collection has evolved into a museum of south Omaha.

Besides a cattle pen, the museum has several photos of the stockyards, along with old sale bills and other memorabilia. Most of the items were donated by people who wanted to keep the history of the stockyards alive.

Kastrick's students have conducted more than 90 interviews with museum donors, residents, cattle producers and former stockyards workers.

"A lot of people in Nebraska don't realize how important livestock is to Nebraska," Osborne said. "People in urban areas, particularly young people, need to be a little educated about livestock."

Date: 3/24/05