Celebrating Nebraska Agriculture on National Ag Week

March 13, 2024

By Andela Taylor, NCTA News

As National Ag Week approaches, it's essential to reflect on agriculture's pivotal role in Nebraska's economy and in shaping its identity and future. Agriculture isn't just an industry; it's the heartbeat of our state, embodying resilience, innovation, and community spirit.

Nebraska's agricultural impact extends far and wide, boasting diverse products and leading the nation in many categories. In her Ag Week article, Nebraska Director of Agriculture, Sherry Vinton shared our high rankings in beef and swine production, poultry and eggs, millet, corn, dry edible peas, grain sorghum, and soybeans.

Vinton also shared, "Nebraska has a unique advantage, known as the "Golden Triangle," where the combination of corn, livestock, and ethanol production provides significant opportunity to add value at every step along the production chain."

Additionally, here in southwest Nebraska, agriculture's local and regional impact goes beyond these products to include many ag-centered businesses and our one-of-a-kind educational institution.

The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) is a testament to Nebraska's commitment to preserving and advancing its agricultural legacy since 1913. NCTA equips students with the tools and expertise to thrive in a rapidly evolving agricultural landscape through cutting-edge programs, state-of-the-art facilities, and accessible, abundant ag land. These assets allow NCTA to immerse students from all backgrounds in effective training for ag industry careers.

NCTA's student-focused faculty emphasizes experiential learning and engages the ag industry and university system partnerships. This ensures that students engage with relevant coursework responsive to the industry's evolving needs. Students enjoy a range of experiences from precision agriculture in agronomy to caring for our campus cattle herd on the ranch horse crew to intensive hands-on animals of all kinds in veterinary technology, and more.

As we celebrate National Ag Week March 17 - 23, let us express gratitude to the farmers, ranchers, and agricultural professionals who sustain Nebraska's agricultural legacy. Let us also recognize the pivotal role of institutions like NCTA in shaping the future of agriculture through education, innovation, and community engagement.

In conclusion, we hope you'll agree that growing NCTA will grow the most important asset we need for agriculture's success: people. Among our current students are those from far and wide who have discovered rural Nebraska and are determined to stay.

Please help us spread the word to high school students near and far. Campus tours can be scheduled anytime at ncta.unl.edu, and Fall 24-25 enrollment remains open until the semester starts in August.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology, and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and student teams' success in competitive activities, including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.

###