By Eric Buck | Animal Science
University of Nebraska–Lincoln students caught a small glimpse of East Campus' past Sept. 30 when a live grazing demonstration was held on a small section of prairie on the southwest corner of campus.
The demonstration was conducted on a small portion of the 1/4-acre tall grass prairie outside of Hardin Hall. The prairie plot was planted in 2021 by David Wedin, director of Nebraska’s Center for Grassland Studies, and colleagues in the School of Natural Resources. The steers for the demonstration were provided by the Department of Animal Science.
The East Campus area was originally acquired by the university in the 1870s to be used as an experimental farm. Known then as “farm campus,” students performed work on campus to receive a hands-on learning experience similar to the experiential learning model used by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources today.
Attendees, including Lindsey Chizinski’s Principles of Ecology class, discussed grazing, ruminant nutrition and grassland ecology with faculty, staff and graduate students from Animal Science and Grassland Systems.
Keegan Dunn, a junior integrated science major, was interested in the discussion on how adaptive grassland management can vary from year to year based on the goals.
Read the complete article at https://news.unl.edu/article/east-campus-returns-to-its-roots-with-grazing-demonstration