Fall 2021 Nebraska Ag Summit showcases agricultural technology

More than 80 Nebraska high school students spent the day immersed in the agriculture industry during Concordia’s Fall 2021 Nebraska Ag Summit.

The event, sponsored by BASF, kicked off with a keynote speech from Cicely Batie, assistant director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, where she shared with students that one of the reasons the state’s ag industry is strong is due to the conservation of natural resources.

“We can produce crops in a sustainable way for generations to come,” she said. “If you’re interested in agriculture, there will always be a future for you here in Nebraska.”

In addition to informing students about the various aspects of the ag industry not just in Nebraska but across the globe, Batie invited the students to get involved at the local level by attending city governmental meetings like city council or zoning and planning, as a way to become a more informed citizen.

In the third edition of the Nebraska Ag Summit at Concordia, students participated in four interactive workshops, learning how technology is impacting and improving the industry. Workshops were led by ag leaders, including Andrew Uden and Brendan Cremin from automed; Randy Jensen and Alex Heiden from Central Valley Ag, in addition to Professor Kim Clark and Dr. Dennis Brink from Concordia’s ag program.

In automed’s workshop, students learned about its automated livestock medication device that reduces treatment costs, improves drug efficiency and livestock health. Uden, the company’s chief of business development, said that although ag technology does not get the same investment capital other industries do, some of its innovative products could be used across multiple sectors.

“You look at investment in capital in North America in technology companies, less than 5 percent of that goes into ‘ag technology,’” Uden said, “and yet it’s one of the fastest-growing segments in the country. For example, automed is a smart syringe, we don’t even have smart syringes in hospitals—so I think it’s really exciting for me and other young people coming in to say we’re leading technological development and we’re making safer, better, cheaper food that people can trust.”

Jensen and Heiden from Central Valley Ag taught students how drone technology is helping farmers with crop production and management. Clark’s workshop focused on agricultural marketing, showing students how ag companies and operations can maximize profits and minimize losses. Brink taught students about soil health and microbial growth in Concordia’s ag lab within the Dunklau Center for Science, Math and Business.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to bring students from across the state to campus and show them some of the ways they can be involved in agriculture,” Clark said. “With the large variety of options out there, it’s important to show students as early as possible how they can make an impact in the ag industry.”