Directory of Contacts for Beef Cattle Production Issues

Beef Educators

Arterburn, Jack

Educator

Box Butte, Dawes, Sheridan, Sioux Counties

PO Box 329
105 Loofborrow St.
Rushville, NE 69360

308-327-2312

jack.arterburn@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Range Management
  • Range Monitoring
  • Grazing Systems

Beckman, Ben

Educator

Antelope, Cedar, Knox, Madison, Pierce Counties

101 E Centre St
PO Box 368
Hartington, NE 68739

402-254-6822

ben.beckman@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Grazing Systems
  • Weed Identification and Control
  • Range and Pasture Monitoring
  • Annual Forages/Cover Crops

Benjamin, Ryan

Educator

Cherry County

365 No Main St. Suite 3
Valentine, NE 69201

402-376-1850

ryan.benjamin@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Range Management
  • Range Monitoring
  • Prescribed Fire
  • Grazing Systems

Berger, Aaron

Educator

Kimball-Banner Counties
209 East Third Street
Kimball, NE 69145

Cheyenne County
920 Jackson Street, PO Box 356
Sidney, NE 69162

308-235-3122

aberger2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Range and Forage Management
  • Cow-calf/Stocker/Yearling Production Systems
  • Unit cost of production for cow/calf production
  • Breeding and Genetics

Biehler, Connor

Educator

Saunders County

1071 County Road G
Room B
Ithaca, NE 68033-2234

402-624-8000

cbiehler2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Cow/calf Nutrition
  • Sire Development
  • Alternative Feeding Systems
  • Forage Testing
  • Grazing Management

Fulton, Jesse

Educator, Director of Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance

Statewide

4502 Avenue I
Scottsbluff, NE 69361

308-633-0158

jesse.fulton@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)
  • BQA Assessments & Feedyard Auditing
  • Cattle Handling & Transportation
  • Handling Facility Design
  • Meat Science & Meat Quality

Laborie, Erin

Educator

Furnas County

912 R Street
P.O. Box 367
Beaver City, NE 68926

308-268-3105

erin.laborie@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Stocker/backgrounding nutrition and management
  • Feedlot nutrition and management
  • Ration evaluation

Meyer, T.L.

Educator

Blaine, Grant, Hooker, and Thomas Counties

P.O. Box 148
Thedford, NE 69166

308-645-2267

tl.meyer@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Reproductive Management
  • Estrous Synchronization Protocols
  • Heifer Development
  • Cattle Handling

Neimeyer, Steve

Educator

Garfield, Loup, Wheeler Counties

Box 638
Burwell, NE 68823

308-346-4200

sniemeyer1@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Beef Cow Leases
  • Beef Cow Record Systems
  • Forages and Testing

Pickinpaugh, Wayde

Educator

Jefferson, Saline, Gage, Nemaha, Johnson, Pawnee, and Richardson Counties

Johnson County
352 Broadway St.
Tecumseh, NE 68450

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Cow/Calf Nutrition
  • Feedlot Nutrition
  • Beef Cow Management

Plugge, Brent

Educator

Buffalo County

1400 E 34th St
Kearney, NE 68847

308-236-1235

bplugge1@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Beef nutrition using & storing distiller in a cow/calf operation
  • Beef Cow Management
  • Ration formulation using the NRC
  • Heifer Development

Saner, Randy

Educator

Lincoln-McPherson Counties

348 W State Farm Rd
North Platte, NE 69101

308-532-2683
800-200-1381

rsaner2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Nutrition & Forage Management
  • Reproduction and time AI
  • Business Management
  • Quality Assurance
  • Co-grazing using sheep, goats, and cattle together in a system

Schick, Brad

Educator

Boone Nance County

304 3rd St.
Fullerton, NE 68638

308-536-2691

brad.schick@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Range and Forage Management
  • Mixed/Interseeded Pasture Grazing Systems
  • Pasture Nutrient Cycling
  • Crop Residue Grazing

Smith, Hannah

Educator

Brown, Rock, and Keya Paha Counties
148 West 4th Street
Ainsworth, NE 69210

(402) 387-2213

hannah.greenwell@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Beef Cow Management
  • Stocker/Backgrounder/Yearling Production
  • Ration Formulation/Evaluation

Waechter-Mead, Lindsay

DVM Educator

Franklin, Kearney, Adams, Clay, Webster, Nuckolls, Fillmore, and Thayer Counties

621 N Cedar
Red Cloud, NE 68970

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Beef cow/calf production systems
  • Preventative herd health programs
  • Neonatal calf health
  • Reproductive management

Walz, Troy

Educator

Custer County

431 S 10th Ave
Broken Bow, NE 68822

308-872-6831

twalz1@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Pasture leasing considerations
  • Pricing supplements for beef cattle & ration balancing
  • Grazing strategies to reduce cost
  • Ration Development

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Animal Science

Drewnoski, Mary

Ph.D., Beef Systems Specialist (Ruminant Nutrition)

C220f Animal Science Bldg
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0908

(UNL East Campus)

402-472-6289

mdrewnoski2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Growing cattle nutrition (stocker/backgrounding)
  • Grazing/feeding alternative forages
  • Grazing/ feeding corn residues
  • Mineral nutrition
  • Incorporating cattle into cropping systems

Erickson, Galen

Ph.D., P.A.S., Beef Feedlot Extension Specialist (Ruminant Nutrition)

C220 Animal Science Bldg
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0908

(UNL East Campus)

402-472-6402

gerickson4@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Feedlot Nutrition
  • Feedlot Management
  • Nutrient Management
  • Ration Evaluation - Feedlot
  • By-product use in feedlot
  • By-product storage
  • Composting

Funston, Rick

Ph.D., P.A.S., Beef Cattle Reproductive Physiologist

West Central Research and Extension Center
402 W State Farm Rd
North Platte, NE 69101-7751

308-696-6703

rfunston2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Reproductive Management
  • Estrous Synchronization Protocols
  • Heifer Development
  • Fetal Programming
  • Production Records

McCarthy, Kacie

Ph.D., Cow/Calf Specialist

C214 Animal Sciences Building
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0908

(UNL East Campus)

402-472-6074

kacie.mccarthy@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Nutrition and Reproduction Interaction
  • Mineral Nutrition
  • Beef Cow Management
  • Reproductive Management

Mulliniks, Travis

Assistant Professor, Range Cow Production System Specialist

West Central Research and Extension Center
402 W State Farm Rd
North Platte, NE 69101-7751

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Nutrition x Reproduction Interaction
  • Heifer Development
  • Range Cow Nutrition
  • Ration Balancing
  • Grazing Management
  • Stocker/backgrounding nutrition

Spangler, Matt

Ph.D., Extension Beef Genetics Specialist

C204f Animal Science Bldg
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0908

(UNL East Campus)

402-472-6489

mspangler2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Breeding Systems
  • Understand and application of indexes
  • Understand and application of EPDs
  • Genetic tools to decrease input costs
  • Understand and application of DNA Technology

Wilke, Karla

Ph.D., P.A.S., Range Mgt Cow/Calf Specialist

Panhandle Research and Extension Center
4502 Ave I
Scottsbluff, NE 69361-4939

308-632-1245

kjenkins2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Protein Nutrition
  • Use of alternative feeds
  • Ration balancing
  • Forage intake
  • Grazing management
  • Feedlot or backgrounding

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Range, Pasture, and Forage Specialists

Redfearn, Daren

Ph.D., Forage/Crop Residue Specialist

Keim Hall (Keim) 136
Lincoln NE 68583-0915

402-472-2662

dredfearn2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Adaptive Grazing Management
  • Cover Crops
  • Annual Forages
  • Perennial Pasture Management

Stephenson, Mitchell

Ph.D., Extension Range and Forage Specialist

Panhandle Research and Extension Center
4502 Avenue I
Scottsbluff, NE 69361

308-632-1355

mstephenson@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Adaptive Grazing Management
  • Grazing Livestock Behavior
  • Livestock Distribution and Utilization Patterns
  • Plant-Herbivore Interactions
  • Timing of Grazing
  • Targeted Livestock Grazing
  • Rangeland Monitoring

Volesky, Jerry

Ph.D., Extension Range and Forage Specialist

West Central Research and Extension Center
402 W State Farm RD
North Platte, NE 69101-7751

308-696-6710

jvolesky1@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Balancing Forage Supply & Demand
  • Irrigated Pasture
  • Annual Forages
  • Principles of Grazing Mgmt
  • Subirrigated Meadow Mgmt
  • Drought & Rangelands
  • Winter Grazing Strategies
  • Prescribed burning
  • Plant growth, Morphology & Identification

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Veterinary Specialists

Clark, Halden

DVM, MS, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center

UNL GPVEC
PO Box 148
820 Rd 313
Clay Center, NE 68933-0148

402-762-4504

hclark16@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Cow/Calf Health and Reproductive Management
  • Stocker and Feedlot Animal Health
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship

Funk, Becky

DVM, MS, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center

UNL GPVEC
PO Box 148
820 Rd 313
Clay Center, NE 68933-0148

402-762-4505

rfunk2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Cow/calf, stocker and feedlot herd health programs
  • Interaction of cattle health and nutrition
  • Beef Quality Assurance
  • Stockmanship

Jobman, Erin

DVM, MPH, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center

UNL GPVEC
PO Box 148
820 Rd 313
Clay Center, NE 68933-0148

402-762-4506

ejobman@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Preventative Health Practices
  • Cow/Calf Health Management
  • Stocker and Feedlot Production Systems

Vander Ley, Brian

DVM Epidemiologist, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center

UNL GPVEC
PO Box 148
820 Rd 313
Clay Center, NE 68933-0148

402-762-4503

bvanderley2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Epidemiology
  • Bovine Respiratory Disease
  • Developmental Programing
  • Preventative Health Measures

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Entomology

Boxler, David

Entomology Extension Educator (Livestock)

West central Research and Extension Center
402 W State Farm Road
North Platte, NE 69101-7751

308-696-6721

dboxler1@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Fly Control

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Environmental Engineering

Schmidt, Amy

Ph.D., P.E., Livestock Environmental Engineer

213 LW Chase Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0726

402-472-0877

aschmidt@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Environmentally responsible livestock production and industry expansion
  • Manure management
  • Manure nutrient and soil health value
  • Antimicrobial resistance mitigation in manure management systems
  • Regulatory guidance for livestock production systems
  • Mortality management

Stowell, Richard

Ph.D., P.E., Extension Specialist - Animal Environment

215 LW Chase Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0726

402-472-3912

rstowell2@unl.edu

Subject Matter Areas:
  • Beef buildings and shade structures
  • Ventilation
  • Odor and air quality issues
  • Feedlot design

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