Ag Specialists that Cross the Line April 17, 2007 Presenters: Terry Hejny & Steven D. Johnson.

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 CountiesOn-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

• “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

Farmers & Ranchers College

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 peer-reviewed document (EC-176)

David Kohl

Steve JohnsonElwynn Taylor

Art Barnaby

Ag Specialists

“Crossing Lines”

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

“Making Crop Marketing &

Insurance Decisions”

17 County Extension Offices in Nebraska

served as downlink host sites

March 7th, 2007

Web-Based Education

Anywhere Anywhere

CountyCounty

USDA Ag Census,NASS, FSA &NRCS

USDA RMA, GRP, GRIP

Proposed:Revenue Counter-Cyclical Program(RCCP)

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. JohnsonFarm & Ag Business

Management Field Specialist(515) 261-4215

[email protected]/

polk/farmmanagement.htm

Terry HejnyExtension Educator

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

(402) [email protected]