By Scout Nelson
Construction has officially begun at Nebraska Innovation Campus for the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture. A celebratory ground-turning event took place recently, marking a significant milestone in agricultural research.
The center represents a state-of-the-art collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Nebraska Innovation Campus. Focused on tackling the multifaceted challenges of 21st-century agriculture, the center will be a beacon for innovation and resilience in farming.
USDA chief scientist Chavonda Jacobs-Young highlighted the importance of the collaboration between ARS and UNL, highlighting the USDA-land-grant university partnerships across the country. The updated facilities ensure the best scientists work in the environment and with the necessary tools to tackle agriculture's challenges.
The new center is set to dramatically expand the USDA’s research capabilities, featuring 15,000 square feet of greenhouses connected to the existing Greenhouse Innovation Center. It will host cutting-edge research on wheat, barley, sorghum, forage, and bioenergy grasses, focusing on developing climate-resilient crops.
Mike Boehm, vice chancellor for UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, expressed enthusiasm for a project's potential impact, highlighting the 120-year partnership between USDA-ARS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He praised the project's innovation, adaptability, and dedication of agricultural, state, and federal leaders, highlighting the long history of agricultural production in the US.
Once completed, the research complex will serve as a central hub for experts from various disciplines, working together to enhance agricultural profitability, water and food security, and landscape resilience.
Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett emphasized the collaborative effort required to tackle today’s agricultural challenges: “The complex problems we face today in the ag industry require unprecedented levels of collaboration to overcome. This facility will help us achieve that goal, aligning resources and magnifying impressive impacts on agriculture nationwide.”
By fostering such extensive cooperation, the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture is poised to lead American agriculture into a new era of productivity and sustainability.
Photo Credit: istock-ekkasit919
Categories: Nebraska, Sustainable Agriculture