Livestock Values Get New Emphasis in Nebraska

Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns has announced the launch of a statewide public awareness campaign to help all Nebraskans understand how production of beef, pork, milk and poultry affects their daily lives. The campaign theme is “Nebraska Livestock: We’re All Shareholders.”

“The theme underscores the impact that livestock production has on virtually everyone in the state,” said Johanns. “We all need to understand that as agriculture goes, so goes Main Street.”

Johanns credited Nebraska Congressman Tom Osborne for initiating the effort. Over a year ago, Osborne called together members of diverse agricultural and rural interests to discuss challenges facing animal agriculture in Nebraska.  The talks prompted formation of the Nebraska Agriculture Industry Partnership, which created the campaign to emphasize that livestock production yields more than food. It is the economic engine that drives Nebraska’s economy.  In Nebraska, more than 300 dairy, meat and food processors employ nearly 39,000 people, with more than 6,500 new jobs created since 1993.  However, an increasingly “urban” mentality is spreading to  rural areas.

In many rural communities, a growing share of the population has few, if any, ties to animal agriculture. Residents’ aesthetic and environmental concerns challenge many existing livestock operations. In some areas, local zoning regulations have created barriers to expansion of animal production.

Chuck Hassebrook of the Center for Rural Affairs called livestock production essential to the future of Nebraska, while small and mid-size farmers and ranchers are essential to the future of rural communities.