Visitors to the 2011 University of Nebraska Expo on Tuesday, July 26, can take a riding tour through field research plots; walk on a tour of the arboretum and greenhouse; and stroll among many displays that will be set up on the grounds, including some offering health screening.
And they can also sit down to a barbecue dinner prepared by the Scottsbluff-Gering United Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee.
The Expo will take place from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center, 4501 Avenue I. The center is just north of Scottsbluff along Highway 71. The theme is “Research and Extension in Action since 1910.”
A 60-minute riding tour will showcase crop research under way this summer in the plots at the Center. The tour will be offered at two different times.
Those who like to tend their lawn or garden can walk on a horticultural tour that will focus on “Great Plants for the Great Plains;” the effects of the mountain pine beetle; alternatives to turf; and greenhouse activities. Like the field tour, the horticulture tour will be repeated a second time.
The standing displays will appeal to anybody interested in agricultural research, health topics, 4-H and more. Some of the displays will show how UNL specialists and educators help farmers protect crops from weeds, disease and harmful bugs, and search for new alternatives for Panhandle farmers and livestock producers. Others will have information and advice on adopting healthier habits for all phases of life; and about signing up for Medicare. One display will illustrate UNL’s role in preparing for disasters and responding to them.
4-H members will be at the Expo to demonstrate what they are learning about science and technology for the future. Health screening will be conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing in Scottsbluff. Prospective college students will have the opportunity to talk to UNL representatives.
The Panhandle Research and Extension Center is one of four regional centers operated by UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR). The Center is also the administrative hub for the 17-county Panhandle Extension District, comprising 17 counties in the Nebraska Panhandle and north-central Nebraska.
The annual Expo showcases IANR programs in the Panhandle, which focus on crop production; animal agriculture; food, nutrition and health; entrepreneurship; child and youth development; and water and the environment.
University of Nebraska Expo is a new name that is intended to call attention to the Panhandle Center’s connection with to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, according to Carlos Urrea, chairperson of the planning committee. The Panhandle Center has a 101-year history of collaborating with the Lincoln campus. The specialists who conduct research and extension in the Panhandle are UNL faculty members. They carry out research and share information with the public via web sites, publications, field days, meetings, workshops, and other methods.