Plattsmouth Rotary February Meeting (Farmer's Day Program)

Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be with you here in Plattsmouth today, and I am particularly pleased to be part of your Farmer's Day program. Because I am so new to Nebraska and the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, I am trying to learn as much as I can about how the Institute connects with the state, annd how you feel we can be an even better partner with Nebraska. I'm curious about our work in each Nebraska county, and because I was coming to Cass County today, I asked those I work with for some figures on how the Institute is part of the lives of Cass Countians.

Nebraska Cooperative Council 56th Annual Meeting

What a pleasure it is to be with you this morning - thank you for inviting me. I am looking forward to visiting with as many of you as possible while I am here today, and hope to have the opportunity to visit with you more as we meet again at other times and other places. One of the things I am always interested in knowing is what you perceive as Nebraska's greatest needs, now and in the future, and which of those Needs you think the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources can most efficiently and effectively address for our state. In the Institute we see ourselves as partners with Nebraska, and we seek ways we can work with Nebraska's residents to find the best solutions for our state's concerns.

Nebraska Cattlemen/Nebraska Cattle Women Conference

I’m so pleased to be here with you today, and I look forward to visiting and working with members of this group now and in the future. Since arriving in Nebraska nearly a year ago now on a snowy, blustery day, I’ve been delighted to take every opportunity that comes my way to get to know Nebraska and Nebraskans better. I want to know what you think are Nebraska’s greatest needs, now and in the future. I want to know how you think the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources can help meet those needs. I seek ways all of us, working together, can find the most efficient and effective solutions for Nebraska’s concerns.

Family, Youth and Community Partners Luncheon With Senators

Good afternoon. I am so pleased to be here with you today. I welcome this opportunity to talk with you about how University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, works with Nebraska’s at-risk families. I’m extremely proud of our work to help families meet their needs and develop and strengthen skills they can use to better share in Nebraska’s good life.

Congressional staff dinner /reception

It is my very real pleasure to welcome you here tonight. We are so pleased to have this opportunity to talk with you about Nebraska agriculture and natural resources, and the work we in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources do as partners with Nebraska. We welcome your insights and your help in doing all we can to strengthen our efforts on behalf of Nebraska, where one in four people depends on agriculture for employment. That number underscores the importance of Nebraska's agricultural farm gate to consumer plate industry, as well as the importance of the work we conduct in IANR.

APC Hearing

Members of the Academic Planning Committee, and others here today, I will appear before this committee today and tomorrow during the APC hearing process to speak about proposed vertical cuts in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources budget. Each time we will discuss a cut we in the Institute do not like ... a cut we would not make unless forced, as we are now, to do so. This is true of today's proposal to close the South Central Research and Extension Center at Clay Center.

APC Hearings

Members of the Academic Planning Committee, and others here today, it is my responsibility to speak with you about the budget cuts we are recommending in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. This is a difficult task, because I must speak for cuts that I would prefer not to make, cuts I know are opposed by constituents and colleagues whom I hold in high regard, cuts imposed upon us because of the current status of the Nebraska economy.

IANR's Contributions to Nebraska's Future

One in four Nebraskans depends upon agriculture for employment. That fact, found in the 2001 Nebraska Agriculture Fact Card, a cooperative effort of the Nebraska Bankers Association, the Nebraska AgRelations Council, and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, underscores the importance of agriculture to Nebraska, and the importance of the work conducted in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Agriculture Builders of Nebraska

Good morning. It is my very great pleasure to be here with you today, and to have this opportunity to visit with you about the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. I’m going to talk for just a few minutes about issues and highlights for the Institute, and then I’ve asked Dan Cotton, director of IANR’s Communications and Information Technology unit to illustrate some of the fine and innovative work being done in the Institute to benefit Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Grange

Thank you so much for inviting my wife Virginia and me to be with you today. It delights me to talk about land-grant universities in general, and about the land-grant university mission we take so very seriously in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources in particular, because I am so proud of the way our faculty and staff continually strive to contribute to and improve the economic and societal well-being of rural Nebraska, as well as all of Nebraska.

Nebraska Turfgrass Conference

I’m delighted to be here with you, and look forward to visiting with as many of you as possible both today and in the future. I’ve just completed one year in my job as University of Nebraska Vice President of agriculture and natural resources and Harlan Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and it has been a learning year for me. As I start this second year, I look forward to learning even more about Nebraska and its citizens, and one of the ways to best do this is to hear what you are thinking. I want to know what you consider Nebraska’s greatest needs, now and in the future. I want to know how you think the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources can help meet those needs. I seek ways all of us working together, can find efficient and effective solutions to Nebraska’s concerns, and I want to know your interests in our work – what you think we do well, what you think we could do better, what you think the needs of the future will be.

Nebraska Agri-Business Association

When I was with you back in August of 2001, I mentioned that in New Mexico I served on the board of the New Mexico Agricultural-Chemical and Plant Food Association, and have, I hope, some appreciation of the work you do. I also truly appreciate your interest in your support of the work conducted at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Thank you for that! Your support, always critical, becomes even more so in such difficult, difficult economic times as our state finds itself in today. Nearly $4 million dollars was permanently slashed from the IANR budget in three rounds of budget cuts between October 2001 and August 2002, a result of Nebraska's continuing revenue shortfalls. At the same time, our frustrated IANR constituents make it clear that nearly $4 million of need did not disappear with our funding. Now more cuts are expected in this legislative session.

Agriculture at the Crossroads

What a pleasure it is to have this opportunity to welcome you all to this thirteenth annual Agriculture at the Crossroads Conference sponsored by the Nebraska AgRelations Council and the Department of Agricultural Economics here in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.

Agriculture Builders of Nebraska, Inc. Morning Session

Good morning! On behalf of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources representatives here this morning, I want to express our very real pleasure in being with you, and our very great appreciation of all that you do. We in the Institute value the Agriculture Builders of Nebraska highly. Your support for our work and the wise counsel of ABN members has been invaluable to me personally since my arrival in Nebraska, and I know that is true of the entire Institute, as well. In fact, the thoughtful perspective and the confidential advice of the ABN Executive Committee in the recent third-round of budget cutting decisions we faced in the Institute helped me work through what we had to do in that very, very difficult round of cuts.

Opening Remarks for Master Conservationist Presentations

It is a distinct honor for me to help recognize the 2003 Master Conservationists tonight. Tonight's event marks the 20th anniversary of the program sponsored by the Omaha World-Herald and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.