by Jackie Ostrowicki | University of Nebraska
Agriculture is the heart and soul of Nebraska.
The state’s leading industry, its impact goes far beyond the plate—providing Nebraskans with jobs, contributing to the state’s economy, and touching the lives of its citizens every day.
Production agriculture contributes more than $25 billion to Nebraska’s economy each year, thanks to the hard work of Nebraska farmers and ranchers working on 48,000 farms and ranches spread across nearly 45 million acres. In fact, farms and ranches use 92 percent of Nebraska’s total land area.
"Few other states have an economy with this degree of agricultural prominence," said Mike Boehm, vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL. "Even as our cities grow and our economy diversifies, agriculture remains critically important to the economic prosperity of Nebraska—and it will long into the future."
When it comes to research that supports both large-scale and small-scale crops, the state looks to the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln.
Agronomy views agriculture from an integrated, holistic perspective. Agronomists are experts in crop production and soil management, as well as ecology. Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology and business of plant cultivation—generally specialty crops.
Together, the department’s work helps feed Nebraska—and that of a growing global population.
Read the full story at https://nebraska.edu/nuforne/martha-mamo.
More details at: https://nebraska.edu/nuforne/martha-mamo