The 18th annual fall seminar series offered by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Grassland Studies will include lectures on topics ranging from impacts of the 2012 wildfires in Nebraska to flying robots that collect turf data to improving the quality of forages fed to beef cows.
The seminars, which may be taken for academic credit and are also free and open to the public, are held most Mondays during the fall semester from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Nebraska East Union (see kiosks for location).
The series features David Engle, this year's Frank and Margaret Leu distinguished lecturer. Engle is Regents Professor and director of the Water Research and Extension Center at Oklahoma State University. He will address whether production agriculture and conservation of biodiversity can co exist on our rangelands.
"We are fortunate to secure an individual as prominent and well-known as Dr. Engle to present the Leu Distinguished Lecture this year," said Martin Massengale, director of the center and instructor of the seminar course. "Dr. Engle's visit is a great opportunity for faculty and students to meet and interact with a highly regarded researcher and teacher in biodiversity, crop and rangeland ecology."
Below is the schedule for the remaining seminars:
Sept. 3 – No seminar (Labor Day Holiday)
Sept. 10 – Rob Mitchell, research scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, "Improved Grasses for Perennial Pastures"
Sept. 17– Rick Rasby, professor, Animal Science, UNL, "Enhancing Forage Quality Fed to Beef Cows"
Sept. 24 – Keenan Amundsen, plant breeder turfgrass, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, UNL, "Aerial Robotics Improve Turf Data Collection Efficiency"
Oct. 1 – Gerry Steinauer, botanist, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, "Using Fire and Tree Thinning to Manage Missouri River Oak Woodlands"
Oct. 8 – Ron Bolze, coordinator, Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, "Overview of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition"
Oct. 15 – No seminar (Fall Break)
Oct. 22 – No seminar (professional meetings)
Oct. 29 – David Engle, Regents Professor and director of the Water Research and Extension Center, Oklahoma State University, "Can Production Agriculture and Conservation of Biodiversity Co exist on Great Plains Rangelands?"
Nov. 5 – Terry Klopfenstein, professor, Department of Animal Science, UNL, "Cattle, Forage, Corn, Ethanol and Residues"
Nov. 12 – David Wedin, professor, School of Natural Resources, UNL, "Grassland Resilience and the Stability of the Nebraska Sandhills"
Nov. 19 – Chris Helzer, director, Eastern Nebraska Program, Nature Conservancy, "Impacts and Initial Lessons from the 2012 Wildfires Along the Niobrara River"
Nov. 26 – Mark Brohman, executive director, Nebraska Environmental Trust, "Twenty Years of the Nebraska Environmental Trust Preserving, Protecting and Restoring Nebraska's Grasslands and Other Natural Resources"
Dec. 3 – Brian Wienhold, research scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, "Potential Effects of Corn Stover Grazing on Soil Properties"
Videos of the seminars will be available for checkout from the center. For more information, contact the Center for Grassland Studies at (402) 472-4101, e-mail grassland@unl.edu.
The schedule is subject to revision. Any changes will be noted on the center's web site.