Nebraska Cattlemen testimony supports university funding reques

Nebraska

Nebraska Cattlemen testified in support of the University of Nebraska's request for funding at the March 6 Appropriations Committee hearing. Homer Buell, NC past president and current Education Committee and UNL Task Force chairman, emphasized the importance of agriculture to the state. He explained how important cattle producers think education, research, and extension from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources is. He outlined current conditions at the institute and what the Nebraska Cattlemen is doing to maintain excellence at IANR.

To continue to lead the U.S. in red meat production, Nebraska needs a University system that graduates top quality students, does meaningful research and then delivers the knowledge gained through that research to their students and the industry. To keep the best and brightest cattle producers and the entire state need a University that excels so it will be a magnet for Nebraska's graduates, Buell said.

"We need research that will help us profitably provide food for the world. Research in the use of ethanol by-products is a good example, as is muscle profiling work that has increased the value of each carcass by $50 to $75. A more subtle, but equally important result of decades of research done by the agronomy department is the fact that we are not experiencing the same ecological disaster and economic melt-down that occurred during the Dust Bowl era. The current drought is more severe and longer lasting than the one that occurred during the 1930s. The Sandhills are particularly prone to wind and water erosion. However, research done by range scientists at UNL and other land grant universities and their ability to disseminate that information to livestock producers has meant that our pastures still have vegetative cover," Buell said.

Education and research are vital to this state, but present funding puts this at risk. Currently, the department of agronomy and horticulture has several open positions including a grassland ecologist and an irrigated cropping systems specialist (Nebraska has 7.6 million irrigated acres and 90,000 irrigation wells). By September, there will only be one-half an Extension position in range management to serve a state with 22 million acres of grazing lands that are dominated by one of the most delicate ecosystems in the world. The shortage is particularly dangerous in view of the fact that we are in the midst of the worst drought in the recorded history of this region, he said.

Also, the agricultural economics department has four open positions. Particularly hard hit are positions that teach farm and ranch management and risk management. Those two areas of study are basic requirements of almost every single graduate who wishes to pursue a career in production agriculture or in allied industries like banking and insurance.

Further, the animal science department has several open positions, including a molecular geneticist and a rumen microbiologist. The department will have no one to teach physiology and anatomy next semester, which usually has 40 students. The department is entirely void in the area of genomics.

"The Nebraska Cattlemen is committed to doing everything it can to help make IANR a strong and viable institution. Over the last year and a half we have worked in these areas," Buell said.

Advisory:

--Met with the various departments in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

--Had fact finding conference call with IANR personal about Panhandle Research and Education Center feedlot and open positions.

--Continuing to work with IANR in an advisory role.

Recruitment:

--Initial recruiting plan finalized that divides the state into 14 zones.

--Zone leaders met with UNL faculty and administration.

--Specific roles for zone leaders and teams have been developed and implemented.

--Teamed up with Ag Builders to work with UNL's Nebraskan's for Nebraska.

Fundraising:

--Agreement reached on how $150,000 from Nebraska Cattlemen ($50,000 per year for 3 years) will be used at NU.

UNL Judging Team:

--Subcommittee formed.

--Met with animal science administration.

--Working with UNL Foundation to gather funds for the team.

NC is also working hard to secure federal funding for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Buell said that the University of Nebraska is important to the beef industry but it's also very important to him personally. "The biggest resource on my ranch is grass. Research at our university provides me with the tools and knowledge to better utilize that resource. That has made me thousands of dollars and allowed me to contribute to the economy. In the area of financial management, the University has provided me with the skills to be a better businessman, which is also a benefit to the economy."

He added, "Like most Nebraskans, I complain about how high my taxes are and usually I'm against anything that might raise them. Not so in this case. Both I and the Nebraska Cattlemen are extremely concerned that if our University system is not funded at appropriate levels its ability to provide this state with teaching, research, and extension will be compromised.

"The mission statement for NC's UNL Task Force is: To assist UNL in maintaining prominence as a leading agricultural university in the world while enhancing the beef industry in Nebraska and the United States. Nebraska Cattlemen requests that the Legislature adopt it on this issue and give the University of Nebraska the funding it needs to achieve it," Buell said.

The Nebraska Cattlemen association serves as the representative for the state's beef cattle industry and represents professional cattle breeders, ranchers and feeders, as well as 46 county and local cattlemen's associations. Its headquarters are in Lincoln and a second office in Alliance serves cattlemen in western Nebraska. This and other Nebraska Cattlemen information is available at www.nebraskacattlemen.org.

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10

3/26/07

4 Star NE

Date: 3/21/07

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