University and private-sector representatives gathered on August 14 for a groundbreaking ceremony that marked a significant milestone for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s precision agriculture initiative, NFarms. This event underscored the collaborative potential between academia and industry to drive ag tech innovation.
NFarms, short for Nebraska Future Ag Research and Management Systems, aims to formalize the university’s ongoing research and outreach in precision agriculture into a cohesive and strategic initiative. The initiative will be based at the university’s Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (ENREEC) near Mead, encompassing over 3,000 acres. This scale is unique in university agricultural research, allowing for commercial-scale operations that can be directly applied to real-world farming scenarios.
Kurtis Charling, Vice President of Agricultural Technology for Lindsay Corporation, highlighted the invaluable contributions NFarms will make to the agricultural industry and local growers. “The research and learning that will come out of this facility will be invaluable to the industry, as well as to our growers,” Charling said. He emphasized that NFarms will be instrumental in testing new ideas, products, and concepts, leveraging the expertise of the university’s faculty and staff.
The initiative is set to foster public-private partnerships and entrepreneurship within the agricultural sector. Kent Kirchoff, Vice President for Sales and Marketing with AKRS Equipment, noted that these collaborations significantly enhance producer efficiency by facilitating the implementation of innovative technology on Nebraska farms. Joshua DeMers, Program Manager of The Combine, an Invest Nebraska initiative, echoed this sentiment. He pointed out that the research and innovation at NFarms would help bring new products and services to the commercialization stage, providing Nebraska producers with practical, scalable, and affordable solutions.
The groundbreaking ceremony itself was a showcase of the university’s precision ag focus, featuring an NFarms drone taking a core sample and an ag robot demonstration by the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Joe Luck, Professor of Biological Systems Engineering and Associate Director of ENREEC, outlined the initiative’s vision, including the construction of an initial 5,000-square-foot building to house precision ag equipment. The long-term goal is to develop a campus dedicated to a range of projects, addressing key agricultural needs such as data management and efficient automation.
NFarms will draw on insights from various fields, including agronomy, plant pathology, computer science, engineering, statistics, and software development. This multidisciplinary approach aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem where industry partners can collaborate and innovate. “It’s tough sometimes for companies to have access to all that expertise,” Luck said. NFarms will provide “a place where we can bring all that together and develop software tools or whatever is needed. We can embed that in our farm operation and test it.”
The initiative benefits from ENREEC’s extensive resources, including its total 10,000 acres and the Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center. These production-scale systems closely mirror the conditions faced by stakeholders, enhancing the reliability and applicability of the developed technologies.
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s forthcoming $160 million National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture at Nebraska Innovation Campus presents additional collaborative opportunities. This facility will focus on digital agriculture, opening new avenues for scientific cooperation with NFarms.
Mike Boehm, Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, emphasized the importance of harnessing the best ideas from various sources to advance precision agriculture. The resulting benefits for producers include value-added products, increased operational productivity, and greater profit opportunities. Derek McLean, Dean of IANR’s Agricultural Research Division, described NFarms as a “hot spot” for pioneering innovative ag technologies.
As technology becomes increasingly integral to modern agriculture, Charling predicted that NFarms would play a vital role in shaping the future of agronomy, engineering, farming, and cattle feeding. “There’s no doubt in my mind that NFarms is going to give us a leg up in that area,” he said.
