Expanded Role for the Veterinary & Biomedical Herdby Dr. Richard Randle, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

University of Nebraska-Lincoln * Institute of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesIt is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran’s status, national ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

The School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences(SVM&BMS) unit, located predominantly in the northeast

corner of the ARDC property, consists of approximately 350acres of grassland. The school currently maintains a beefcow/calf herd consisting of approximately 100 head of adult breeding animals that calve in thespring. SVM&BMS primarily relies on brome grass pastures and hay as the feed sources for thecows. In addition, by-product feeds, such as distiller’s grains, alfalfa, cornstalks and bean stubbleround out the feedstuffs for maintaining the cow herd.

This herd has historically served as asource of animals for infectious diseaseresearch. With the inception of theProfessional Program for VeterinaryMedicine (PPVM), the focus of the herdhas broadened to include teaching in theprofessional program. Over the past 2years, a number of management practiceshave been instituted for this purpose.These practices include:1. Implementing a record keeping systemon the herd for collection of productionand health data.SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES - Cont. on P. 2

In This Issue...** ARDC FEAARDC FEATURE UNIT TURE UNIT

- Facilities Operations- Facilities Operations- - About the PeopleAbout the People- Expanded Role for the V- Expanded Role for the Veterinaryeterinary& Biomedical Herd& Biomedical Herd

** Are Are YYou Ready and Prepared forou Ready and Prepared forCalving Season?Calving Season?

** Best WBest Wishes to Josh Bentonishes to Josh Benton** Crop-Related TCrop-Related Trainingraining** Final WFinal Weigh Day for 4-H Marketeigh Day for 4-H Market

BeefBeef** Learning Learning About Meat GoatsAbout Meat Goats** Mark Mark YYour Calendars for Theseour Calendars for These

Dates (4-H)...Dates (4-H)...** Meet theMeet the SRECSREC StaffStaff** Mead FFMead FFAA - Mead Students- Mead Students

Gaining VGaining Valuable Skills throughaluable Skills throughHands on ExperienceHands on Experience

** Moravec Selected as Moravec Selected as ARDCARDCEmployee of the Employee of the YYearear

** Other TOther Top Honorsop Honors** Remembering Gayle HattanRemembering Gayle Hattan** Saunders County GrowersSaunders County Growers

Improve Nutrition forImprove Nutrition forGuatemalansGuatemalans

** UNL's UNL's Ag Research DivisionAg Research DivisionBoasts 36% Rate of Return OverBoasts 36% Rate of Return Over42-Y42-Year Periodear Period

** YYouth – Do outh – Do YYou Enjoy Livestock?ou Enjoy Livestock?Then This is for Then This is for YYou!ou!

March/April 2010Vol. 14, No. 2

The School of Veterinary Medicine and BiomedicalSciences currently maintains a beef cow/calf herd con-sisting of approximately 100 head of adult breedinganimals.

EXTENDEDVISIONS

A publication of theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural

Research & Development Center andUNL Extension in Saunders County

Moravec Selected as ARDCEmployee of the Year

Lisa Moravec has been selected as the recipient of the2009 Employee of the Year Award at the ARDC. Sponsored by the ARDC/UNL Extension in Saunders

County Social Committee, fellow employees nominate can-didates and supervisors, employees and the social commit-tee then submit scoring forms.

Lisa is a Staff Assistant with Husker Genetics at theARDC. Also nominated were Cheryl Dunbar, LukeHerdzina, and Deloris Pittman.

A nomi-nator forLisa stated,“Lisa's busi-ness func-tions sup-port for ourunit to makethe dailyoperationsflowsmoothly.She is irre-placeable inher supportof theDirector's position andresponsibilities..”

Lisa is responsiblefor the business officefunctions of HuskerGenetics since 2000,such as taking orders,accounting, and otherduties. She possesses abachelor’s degree inAgriculture with a majorin Ag Education fromUNL. She and her hus-band, Kent, live nearIthaca and have a son and daughter. Husker Genetics pro-duction facilities and business office are located at theARDC.

In addition to receiving a plaque, Lisa was also hon-ored with prizes solicited and organized by the ARDC/UNLExtension in Saunders County Social Committee. Prizedonors included the Champions Club, BehlenManufacturing, and the Hilltop Country Club. Lisa will alsobe recognized on a plaque displayed indefinitely at theARDC August N. Christenson Research and EducationBuilding.

This is the eighth year the award has been presented.Past winners can be viewed online athttp://ardc.unl.edu/eoy.shtml. ❏

Other Top Honors...

UNL Extension Educator, Keith Glewen, received the George Beadle award at the atthe Annual Wahoo Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet. The award embodies excel-

lence in education and training. Beadle combined the worlds of education and science. Thechamber notes that Keith was selected as the recipient of the award because he continues to bea strong supporter of both education and training for youth and adults alike. He goes aboveand beyond his job description. He promotes soybeans, soybean producers and all aspects ofagriculture. Keith’s involvement with 4-H over the years demonstrates his commitment toeducating our future agricultural leaders.

TJ McAndrew has been selected to receive UNL’s 2010 IANR Exemplary ServiceAward. TJ is the Research/Production Coordinator and manages Agronomy research projectsat both ARDC and the Havelock farm near Lincoln. The award recognizes employees for con-tinued outstanding service to the university through high-quality performance, commitment toquality work and inspiring teamwork. ❏

UNL's Ag Research Division Boasts 36% Rate of ReturnOver 42-Year PeriodIANR News Service

While investing money in the stock market can be risky in today's economy, investing inthe University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Agricultural Research Division is a pretty sure

thing, offering an internal rate of return of 36 percent in the period of study.The UNL study found that for every $1 invested in ARD, the major research arm of the

university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Nebraska's AgriculturalExperiment Station, investors received the equivalent net annual benefits of 36 cents everyyear for 31 years, amounting to $17.

This is more than twice the national average return of $8.Nebraska's ARD returns rank second nationally with only the University of Missouri's

Agricultural Experiment Station ranking just slightly higher with a 37 percent rate of return.The study was conducted in all 48 continental U.S. states. On average, the rate of return inother states was 29 percent.

"These returns are very impressive," said Lilyan Fulginiti, UNL agricultural economist."The ARD's impressive 36 percent rate of return beats the 9 percent and 12 percent averagereturns of the S&P 500 and NASDQ composite indexes during the same period."

Fulginiti conducted this research, along with AlejandroPlastina, an economist at the International Cotton AdvisoryCommittee.

At a time of declining financial support from the feder-al government for agricultural research, every dollar counts.This study shows that research and development throughland-grant universities helps the agricultural sector be com-petitive by substantially contributing to increases in produc-tivity, Fulginiti said.

Nebraska agriculture depends heavily on the scientificadvancements ARD provides, said Susan Fritz, interim deanand director of the ARD and associate vice chancellor ofIANR.

Lisa Moravec was presented with theEmployee of the Year plaque by MarkSchroeder, ARDC Director.

Nominees included CherylDunbar, Deloris Pittman, LisaMoravec and Luke Herdzina(not pictured).

ARD RATE OF RETURN -Cont. on P. 4

"Nebraska has a bio-based economy, with

2. All adult animals are individually identified using Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags.3. Electronic scales have been installed at the main working facility.4. Weaned steers are followed through the feeding phase in collaboration with Dr. GalenErickson, UNL Animal Science, to gather performance and carcass data.5. Estrous synchronization and artificial insemination has been implemented in heifers.

An elective course, VMED596, CattleProduction Systems, was instituted in the springsemester of 2009 by Drs. Richard Randle andDavid Smith. This elective continues on anongoing basis in spring and fall semesters. TheSVM&BMS cow calf herd is the focal point ofthis elective and allows students in the PPVMthe opportunity to gain hands on experience inlarge animal production practice. The courseobjective is to provide an overview of tools andmethods veterinarians use to optimize productiv-ity and improve financial success for beef cattleproducers, including how to evaluate and monitorproduction/management strategies and how tointegrate the many factors involved in veterinarydecision making.

The students participate in the decision mak-ing process for the herd in the areas of reproduc-tive management, replacement heifer develop-ment, weaning management, feeding and nutri-tion, marketing and health management. Theyare also introduced to the issues of beef qualityassurance, food safety and animal welfare andhow these issues are addressed at the cow/calflevel.

Laboratories are held at the site to providestudents experience in animal handling, bodycondition scoring, pre-breeding health mainte-nance, breeding soundness, pregnancy diagnosisand processing at weaning. Data collected on theherd is entered into a record system and the data is utilized by the students to monitor results andtroubleshoot identified problems.

Thirteen first and second year veterinary students were enrolled in the elective course in thespring of 2009 and 12 were enrolled in the fall semester. By enrolling in both semesters, the stu-dent gains an appreciation of an entire cow/calf production cycle.

Future plans for the site include upgrading of facilities and laboratory areas to better accom-modate the teaching role. Provisions for students to participate in calving management during thecalving season are planned. ❏

About the People

Many man hours are required to ensure that the animals at the unithave the best care possible. Faculty in the school are involved in

research, teaching, extension and diagnostic service throughout Nebraska.Dr. Richard Randle is the faculty supervisor of the SVM&BMS area at

the ARDC. Dr. Randle is an associate professor at the School of VeterinaryMedicine & Biomedical Sciences and serves as a Beef ExtensionVeterinarian. His area of interest is beef cow/calf production managementwith emphasis on young stock management, disease surveillance, biosecu-

rity and quality assurance. He resides in Malcolmwith his wife, Lawanna.

Learning About Meat Goatsby Sara Ellicott, UNL Extension Educator

March/April 2010 Extended Extended VVisionsisions Page 2

SCHOOL OF VM&BS - Cont. from P. 1

Classes and labs provide students experience inanimal handling, body condition scoring, pre-breeding health maintenance, breeding sound-ness, pregnancy diagnosis and processing atweaning.

Richard Randle, PhD

Blaine Clowser

Danny Josoff

Are You Ready and Preparedfor Calving Season?by Sara Ellicott, UNL Extension Educator

Many cattlemen are likely beginning to think about calvingseason, since it is not all that far off; some may already be

in the middle of it. I thought this week I would dedicate sometime to a few reminders to consider in preparing for calving sea-son.

First and foremost, it is important to have your calving barnor facility ready before it is time to use it. Have it clean andready to go and have plenty of bedding on hand so that you donot have to scramble when your first calves start coming.

It is important to have some essential supplies on hand, soyou are ready to go. Last winter, Rick Rasby, UNL beef spe-cialist, presented a workshop here locally and he included somegood calving reminders. Here are a few things off of his list. Afew basic supplies that might be necessary during calving sea-son: calving notebook or book to record date of birth, tag num-bers, problems, or anything else you need to write down to ref-erence later; eartags/tattoo equipment for calf identification;suitable stalls/pens, chute for restraining cows/heifers; halter forcattle; O.B. chains (30 inch and 60 inch stainless steel) and O.B.chain handles; calf puller; bucket, disinfectant, water; O.B.gloves and lubricant; iodine for navals; uterine boluses; antibi-otics; electrolyte powder (commercial or homemade); calf tubeto deliver electrolyte solution; scour boluses; knowledge ofanatomy and calving process; and lots of patience.

At the recent Beef Profitability Workshop on February 4,Dr. Richard Randle, Extension Beef Cattle Veterinarian,addressed some of calving topics during his presentation.Calving difficulty has major impact on the cow and calf; forexample, calves experiencing dystocia are four times more like-ly to be born dead or die within 24 hours of birth and calvingdifficulty also may cause a delayed return to estrus for cows.Dr. Randle discussed “normal” calving, how to recognize“abnormal” calving, how/when to determine of assistance isneeded and also when to call your veterinarian. Those in atten-dance found this presentation to be a good review, and therewere a lot of questions asked.

Finally, Dr. Randle covered newborn calf care, discussingthe importance of colostrum to the calf and also some about calfscours. A few good reminders for calf scours: it is important tooptimize the environment; meaning, separate calving pasturesfrom winter pastures, calving pastures should have adequatedrainage, provide protection for your cattle from the elements,avoid overcrowding, and maintain clean, dry, and warm envi-ronment.

For more specific information regarding Dr. Randle’s pres-entation, please contact Sara Ellicott, Extension Educator at sell-icott2@unl.edu or (402) 624-8030.

Best wishes for a successful calving season! ❏

Blaine Clowser is theAnimal Operations Managerfor the SVM&BMS area atthe ARDC. He resides southof Seward with his wifeSharon and two daughters,Jessica and Michaela. Theyhave a small registeredAngus and Shorthorn herd.Sharon also works for theSV&BMS in the VeterinaryDiagnostic Center. BothBlaine and Sharon are grad-uates of Penn StateUniversity with Bachelordegrees in Animal Science.

Danny Josoff is a part-time employee for VetScience. Danny and hiswife Jennifer, along withtheir four daughters, Bailey,Liberty, McKinley, andLaycee live north of Yutanon a farm. They own and

run a small group of cows and background their owncalves. Their family is very busy with youth sportsand school activities. They also spend the earlysummer getting 4-H projects ready for the countyfair. Danny has been with the department for 2years. Danny’s role is an essential part in the day-to-day management of the unit. ❏

Over 35 participants took part in a meat goat workshop in February at the ARDC. Meat goats are notsomething everyone should or will consider. However, there have been a growing number of them in

this county and the southeastern Nebraska region, so educational programs such as this is critical to propermanagement.

Randy Saner, UNL Extension Educator in Lincoln/McPherson counties presented a session about para-site management, explaining that this is one of the major challenges producers face when raising meat goats,particularly the fact that many of the medications available to treat these parasites are becoming less effec-tive. Saner explained how producers need to know and understand what these parasite cycles are, use ofmulti-species grazing techniques may help with this situation, and also conducted FAMACHA training,where he did a hands-on demonstration with producers to show them how they can look at the eye of thegoat (utilizing special FAMACHA resources) and determine the parasite level of the goats. This method oftreating animals who need it and not treating those who don’t has proven to be an effective managementstrategy.

Dr. Brian Faris, Kansas State University Sheep and Meat Goat Specialist, discussed multi-species graz-ing options utilizing goats. Dr. Faris discussed advantages and disadvantages of a multi-species grazing sys-tem. Some of the advantages are: increased carrying capacity, improved botanical composition of pasturesand suppression of undesirable species, increased individual animal performance of one or more species inthe mix, improved animal health due to parasite problems being reduced, improved potential cash flow –products are marketed at different times of the year, and it can increase enterprise diversity. There are also

some challenges, especially dealing with fencing require-ments, lack of knowledge of small ruminant husbandry,and it can increase the complexity of the farm or ranchdue to enterprise diversity.

Faris also discussed marketing and explained theimportance of marketing goals and focusing on a specifictype of an enterprise. He explained that the type of enter-prise will have a different set of goals. He discussed holi-day markets which focus on goat meat and talked aboutevaluation of live goats and also their carcasses, to showsome of the differences to the producers. ❏

Crop-Related Training...At the Saunders County Extension Office located at the ARDCAugust N. Christenson Research & Education Building

Mar.16 - Crop Scout Training for Pest ManagersMar. 18 - Nitrogen Management TrainingMar. 19 - Chemigation TrainingMar. 31 - Private Pesticide Applicator TrainingMay 11 - Field Scout Training

Learn more about these and other UNL Extension programs atwww.saunders.unl.edu. ❏

Animals that will be shown at the county fair or Fremont 4-H Fair only will need to weighedand identified. Any animals that may be shown at either the Nebraska State Fair or Ak-Sar-BenLivestock Exposition will need to have a DNA sample taken. Each DNA sample will be a $6.00charge / animal.

Any new 4-H families or FFA members who are interested in showing market beef need toattend the weigh day. Any youth who is eight years old as of January 1 is eligible to participate inthe market beef project. Youth who are ten as of January 1 are eligible to participate at theNebraska State Fair and/or the Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock Exposition. ❏

Mark Your Calendars for These Dates...* 4-H Speak and Split Contest - March 30, 6 pm, Mead High School (Register by Mar. 26)* 4-H Enrollment Forms Due - April 1* ATV Training (Open to youth and adults - 4-H or non-4-H who want to improve their ridingskills and knowledge. There is a maximum of 8 per class session, so pre-registration isREQUIRED. Participants will provide their own machine that is age appropriate.) - May 24-26 * Saunders County Fair, July 25—August 1* Fremont 4-H Fair, July 7—11* Nebraska State Fair, August 27—September 6. ❏

Youth – Do You Enjoy Livestock?Then This is for You! by Sara Ellicott, UNL Extension Educator

4-H livestock judging is a program that has been around a long time throughout the state andnation. It was at one time in Saunders County, but for various reasons has not been a formal

part of the 4-H program for several years. This is the second year we are working on getting thisre-started in the county for any youth that are interested.

Any youth involved in livestock projects or those interested in livestock are encouraged toattend. Youth will learn about livestock evaluation and how to place classes of beef, sheep and

March/April 2010 Extended Extended VVisionsisions Page 3

March16 Crop Scout Training for Pest Managers 9 am-5 pm18 Nitrogen Management Training 7 pm-10 pm19 Chemigation Training 9 am-1 pm24 4-H Livestock Judging 7 pm-9 pm26 Behlen Observatory Public Night 7:30 pm-10 pm31 Private Pesticide Applicator Training 1 pm-4 pm

April7 4-H Livestock Judging 7 pm-9 pm10 “Bulls Worth Waiting For” Annual Bull Sale

East Campus Animal Sci. Complex 7 am15 Nebraska Federal Women 9 am-3:30 pm17 Beginning Beekeeping Field Day 10 am-2 pm21 4-H Livestock Judging 7 pm-9 pm23 Behlen Observatory Public Night 7:30pm-10 pm27-28 Onsite Wastewater Training 8 am-5pm

May5 4-H Council Meeting 7 pm-8:30 pm11 Field Scout Training12 4-H Livestock Judging 7 pm-9 pm24-26 ATV Training31 Memorial Day - Closed

Final Weigh Day for 4-H Market Beef

All 4-H members who plan to exhibit market steers or market heifers needto plan on attending one of the two weigh day options for Saunders

County 4-H members. The first weigh day was held in January. The secondand final opportunity will be on Saturday, March 20th from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. atthe Wahoo Sale Barn.

Saunders County GrowersImprove Nutrition forGuatemalans

Soy protein is a valuable resource in feeding the world. Inboth Guatemala and Honduras, malnutrition and undernour-

ishment are prevalent causes of death for many children andyoung adults. And that is why the Saunders County SoybeanGrowers Association contributed towards the purchase of a“SoyCow” for children in Guatemala.

A SoyCow is a processing system that can grind and cookwhole soybeans into soymilk. Products, such as tofu and yogurtare then made from the soymilk. According to the World SoyFoundation, one pound of dry soybeans makes approximatelyone gallon of soymilk oryogurt. The World SoyFoundation has funded someof the work done by theWorld Initiative for Soy inHuman Health (WISHH)and the National SoybeanResearch Laboratory at theUniversity of Illinois inmultiple developing coun-tries that use the SoyCowsto produce foods for orphan-ages and still have foodavailable to sell, making theoperations economicallysustainable.

UNL ExtensionEducator, Keith Glewen traveled with Nebraska soybean grow-ers, Dennis Fujan, Bill Kremlacek, and Mark Caspers toGuatemala in January to see the SoyCow in action and to meetsome of the children in the girls’ orphanage where the equip-ment is in use.

Not only are the girls receiving an excellent source of pro-tein, but they are also obtaining nutrition training and the oldergirls are learning about marketing the excess products from thesoy cow.

More than $6,000 worth of soybeans were shipped toGuatemala provided by the Nebraska Soybean Checkoff Board.

The group also saw projects that the World Soy Foundationis helping fund with CARE, Cargill, Rotary International andpedi-atricorgani-zationsduringtheirtrip.

swine, along with defendingtheir decision by giving oralreasons. There will be addi-tional sessions planned inJune where participants willlook at classes of livestock,and there are opportunitiesfor youth to participate inlivestock judging conteststhis summer. There are somecontests held in neighboringcounties, along with one inKearney, both in June. Theculmination for the year isthe Premier Animal ScienceEvent (PASE) livestock judg-ing contest, held on EastCampus June 30, and open toall counties in the state. Ourgoal is to send a team orteams to this contest to repre-sent Saunders County.

4-H youth interested inparticipating on the livestockjudging team should contactSara Ellicott, ExtensionEducator, as soon as possible.The first meetings were heldin February, but the next ses-sions are: March 24, April 7,April 21 and May 12. Allsessions start at 7:00 p.m.Those that were unable toattend these meetings areencouraged to come andbegin learning. This will beintroductory, no experience isnecessary!

We are excited to see thisprogram going again. Therehas been a decent amount ofinterest in the program, andour hope is that it continuesto grow over time. For any-one interested in participat-ing, learning more about live-stock judging, or serving asan adult volunteer, pleasecontact Sara Ellicott at 800-529-8030 or selli-cott2@unl.edu. ❏

February’s No-Till Conferencewas populardrawing inalmost 230 peo-ple at the ARDCand 205 at theHoldrege ses-sion. Producerstook advantageof other winter training sessions. Saunders County CornGrowers Association co-sponsored a Herbicide Update meet-ing with UNL Extension and cooked hamburgers for thoseattending.

The SoyCow processing system

The Nebraska delegation is shown with some of theGuatemalan children who have benefited from theSoyCow system.

“This trip was the first time for me to witness the impact poverty hason diet and malnutrition,” said UNL Extension Educator, Keith Glewen. “Inow have a better understanding of the complexity of addressing this prob-lem. I also have a deeper appreciation for individuals, the corporate worldand governments for their efforts to correct problems associated with mal-nutrition.”

For more information about the World Soy Foundation go towww.worldsoyfoundation.org. For more information about WISHH, go towww.wishh.org. ❏

Meet the SREC Staff

In our last issue, an article was included about theSoutheast Research and Extension Center (SREC) moving

to the ARDC Christenson Building. In this edition we intro-duce two of the staff members now located at the building.

Kay Klundt is the office supervi-sor for the SREC. She provides sup-port to the SREC headquarters, dis-trict faculty, and staff and has beenwith the SREC since 1972. She alsoserved as secretary to the SewardCounty Extension Service. She is apast recipient of the IANROutstanding Office/ServiceEmployee and the UNL Kudo Award.

Connie Hansen is an office associ-

experience. Mead FFA members have many interesting SAEs they dedicate their personal timedeveloping.

A brief look at Allison Hough’s and Matthew Rozic’s SAEs may help one understand thevalue of this program. Allison Hough spends summers and weekends volunteering at the LincolnChildren’s Zoo. Her tasks include cleaning cages and feeding animals. She has learned how to

properly handle various wild and exotic animals, herfavorite are the camels. Most of her time however isspent teaching. She educates the public on wildlife andconservation using several different animals. “My SAEhas helped me become more responsible and understandwhat it takes to have a job. The skills I have developedwill help me in a career working with animals.” saidAllison Hough.

Matthew Rozic spends time throughout the year serv-ing as a tour guide. He takes people from all over thecountry on guided hunting and fishing trips throughoutNebraska. Matt plans and organizes the hunt, scouts foranimals, helps preserve habitat, and processes the meat.He said, “I love meeting new people and learning new

things from each of them.” Matt enjoys the outdoors and this project allows him to gain valuableskills while doing what he loves.

A Supervised Agricultural Experience program is a key component of agricultural education.While working on an SAE project, students learn to apply the concepts and principles taught intheir agriculture classes to real-world problems and scenarios. This allows them to gain knowl-edge and skills needed to be successful in a career. These opportunities are building business own-ers, scientists, educators, technicians, and producers of tomorrow. ❏

March/April 2010 Extended Extended VVisionsisions Page 4

Mead Students Gaining Valuable Skillsthrough Hands on Experienceby Jamie Larsen, Mead FFA Historian

There are three important elements that make up AgriculturalEducation. One is classroom learning, where students learn about

different aspects of agriculture in a classroom or laboratory setting.Another one is leadership, which members of the FFA develop throughparticipating in contests, conventions, and attending meetings. The thirdelement is Supervised Agricultural Experience, which is more commonlyreferred to as an SAE. SAEs are all about members getting hands onexperience in specific agricultural settings and developing skills from that

This issue of Extended Visions was produced and edited by Deloris Pittman, Marketing & Promotions Manager. Extended Visions is published bimonthly by theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln ARDC & University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Saunders County, 1071 County Road G, Room A, Ithaca, Nebraska, 68033-2234.

For more information, call 402-624-8000 or 1-800-529-8030. Check out our web site at http://ardc.unl.edu. E-mail dpittman1@unl.edu.© 2009 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Agricultural Research & Development Center

Mark Schroeder, Director, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ARDC * Keith Glewen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educator Unit LeaderSchool of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences article provided by Dr. Richard Randle

M.E.A.D.Making Education inAgriculture Different

Allison Hough and a Camel at theLincoln Children’s Zoo.

Best Wishes toJosh Benton

Josh Benton was recognized at a recent farewellreception at the ARDC. Josh served as the man-

ager of the beef feedlot from January 2007 toDecember 2009. Josh is pictured receiving a plaquefrom Mark Schroeder, ARDC Director. We extendour very best wishes to Josh as he works on com-pleting his dissertation! ❏

approximately one in three Nebraska jobs depending insome way upon agriculture," Fritz said. "ARD scientistsmake important contributions to the state's agriculture,food industries, environment, the well-being of familiesand communities. ARD scientists also provide new knowl-edge and seek answers to Nebraskans' problems and con-cerns."

Fulginiti and Plastina calculated the rate of return oninvestments by taking expenditures that were allocated toag experiment stations in each state and comparing themwith the private cost savings generated by productivityimprovements stemming from these public research anddevelopment expenditures.

Researchers looked not only at the impact of researchand development in each state, but also at the researchimpacts on other states. For example, they looked at howresearch and development in Nebraska affects states withsimilar production characteristics like Iowa and Missouri.

They found that even though Nebraska receives lesspublic agricultural research dollars than Iowa, for exam-ple, the bang for the buck of Nebraska research seems tobe higher than of Iowa. And while California gets a lotmore research dollars than any other state, it produces rel-atively low spillover productivity in other states.

"California's research impacts on their own productivi-ty is high, but the impacts on other states' productivity arenot as high as they would be in Nebraska," she said. "Itgoes to show that what we do with public research dollarshere in Nebraska are very well-invested because it affectsa lot of people in and out of this state. We receive less(than Iowa or California), but our reach is broader."

The study covered the years 1949-1991, the longestuninterrupted time that could be studied.

Fulginiti noted that there usually is a lag betweenresearch innovations and the adoption of the new technol-ogy, which means thestream of benefits tends tobe low in the years imme-diately following theinvestment and more con-centrated later, as the newtechnology becomes morewidely used.

Fulginiti and Plastinanow are collaborating withthe USDA to update theircalculations to 2008 and toinclude Extension funding.They also are looking atreturns on investment onpublic infrastructure, suchas roads, bridges, etc.

Housed on UNL's EastCampus, the ARD has sev-eral other research sitesacross the state, includingfour UNL Research andExtension centers at NorthPlatte, Scottsbluff, Norfolkand Lincoln and a systemof centers, farms, laborato-ries and forests across thestate, including the ARDC.

The ARD is the onlypublic entity in Nebraskacharged with conductingagricultural research. It ispart of a national networkof state agricultural experi-ment stations housed atland-grant universitiesacross the United States. ❏

ARD RATE OF RETURN - Cont. from P. 1

RememberingGayle Hattan

Gayle Hattan, formerCounty Agent and

Extension Agent inSaunders County passedaway on February 16,2010. He received hisMasters Degree in Dairy

Kay Klundt

Connie Hansen

Science from the University of Nebraska and served inthe US Marine Corp during World War II. Gayle movedto Wahoo in 1952 and served as a Saunders CountyExtension Agent for over 30 years retiring in 1986. Hewas a big promoter of the 4 H programs all acrossSaunders County. Keith Glewen, currently ExtensionEducator in Saunders County noted that during the firstsix years of Glewen's career in Extension he had thepleasure of working in the Extension Office with Gayle.According to Keith, "during that period of time I learneda great deal about Extension work by working togetheron projects with Gayle." Gayle had a great rapport withthe citizens of Saunders County and especially produc-ers and 4-H youth involved with production agriculture.He took time to listen to people and had a great under-standing of their needs.Because of that he wasable to bring Universityresearch-based Extensionprograms to the county toaddress those needs. Gaylewas very successful atdeveloping and nurturingrelationships. His effortsand impact on the Countyare still evident today." ❏

ate with the SREC and is often the first person you will see whenyou visit the Christenson Building at the ARDC, as she serves asthe receptionist at the front desk. She also organizes activities andevents for annual 4-H conferences, Unicameral Youth Conferenceand the Recently Appointed Administer Workshop. She has beenwith UNL since 1991 and has also worked in UNL’s Law Collegeand Division of Continuing Studies. Connie has a B.Sc. Degree inAdvertising and Journalism from UNL. She has one son.

If you are at the Christenson Building, please stop by, say “hi”and introduce yourself to Kay and Connie! ❏