Department News

Nathan Conner, associate professor in agricultural leadership, education and communication at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has been selected for a Fulbright Fellowship.

Conner will be teaching and conducting research at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in Port Antonio, Portland, Jamaica, from August through June 2024.

Led by Mary Emery, Rural Prosperity Nebraska will work with 33 partners to create a resource hub for regional food systems that serves residents of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The center is one of 12 that the USDA is establishing across the country with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Nebraska Today | May 25, 2023

Mary Emery, director of Rural Prosperity Nebraska, recently talked with RFD-TV about a University of Nebraska–Lincoln led program that will establish 12 Regional Food Business Centers to help strengthen local food supply chains.  Nebraska Today | May 17, 2023

Mary Emery, executive director of Rural Prosperity Nebraska, said the award would help paint a clear picture of the farmers, distributors and other major players in the region’s local food system.

A lunchtime presentation by Becky Haddad, PhD (Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication (ALEC))

Students that compete in the Western Nebraska Youth Institute competition research about living conditions and food insecurity in different countries. The students submit their solutions to food insecurity in the different countries and present those solutions to a panel of food insecurity global experts.

Renee Donner, ALEC Recruiter, talks about the competition and it's impact.

The UNL Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications Department and the Nebraska Department of Education host the Western Nebraska Youth Institute. The students researched living conditions and food insecurity in various countries and then proposed a solution to a food insecurity issue in that country. They will present their solutions to global experts who know about food insecurity or production issues around the world.

The Rural Prosperity Nebraska has announced registration is open for the 2023 session of the Institute of Excellence.

“These trends in rural Nebraska are similar to what we’re seeing across the country,” said Heather Akin, assistant professor of strategic communication at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “Direct experiences with extreme weather tend to evoke more concern about climate change, but we’re also seeing more uncertainty in terms of how people think their communities will manage in the future.” The Grand Island Independent | December 18, 2022