Published 14 May 2021
The University of Nebraska has launched a 5-year project to help safeguard the U.S. food supply. The project will address agricultural and natural resources security, defense, and countermeasures; biological defense in support of the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and other government stakeholders; development and deployment of biosurveillance, biodetection and diagnostic tools; and pandemic preparedness related to human, livestock and crop plant diseases that could result in disruptions to the U.S. and global food systems.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska will begin a five-year partnership to help safeguard the U.S. food supply.
Dry Edible Bean Breeding Specialist, Nebraska Extension
The University of Nebraska Dry Bean Breeding Program has announced the development of two new dry edible bean varieties, one a great northern bean suitable for direct harvest and the other a slow-darkening pinto bean variety with longer shelf life. Both new varieties could be available for planting in growers’ fields as early as 2022 or 2023.
The great northern dry bean cultivar White Pearl is adapted for western Nebraska growing conditions, upright plant architecture, high yield, and enhanced resistance to bean rust, common bacterial blight, and bean common mosaic virus. White Pearl’s upright plant architecture makes it suitable for direct harvest, which is a growing trend in the Nebraska dry bean industry. In 2020, 20-25 percent of the planted area was direct harvested.
Associate professor Joe Luck took over the half-time role March 1.
Mar 17, 2021
Joe Luck, associate professor of biological systems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been tapped to serve as the associate director at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead.
Luck, whose new position took effect March 1, joined UNL’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering in April 2012. In addition to his new half-time role with ENREEC, he serves as associate professor and Extension specialist for precision agriculture.
His responsibilities include developing Extension and research programs regarding the application of precision agriculture technologies in crop production. He also formerly taught a course on precision agriculture.