Joe Luck, associate professor of biological systems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been named educator-researcher of the year by the Precision Ag Institute.

The honor cited Luck's work as an educator and his publications, along with his development of precision agriculture data management workshops offered through Nebraska Extension. The annual workshops focus on farm data management, teaching participants how to utilize the data to drive decisions that impact crop production.

The Precision Ag Institute was developed in 2006 as an independent global forum dedicated to the sharing advancements in precision agriculture.

Burkholder named Advocate of the Year

The beef advocacy program supported by the beef checkoff has named blogger and cattlewoman Anne Burkholder of Cozad as the recipient of the first Advocate of the Year award. The award recognizes an outstanding participant in the Masters of Beef Advocacy program, which trains members of the beef community to engage with consumers and answer their questions about beef and beef production.

A Florida native, Burkholder moved to Nebraska with her husband in 1997 to run a family feedyard that had been in her husband's family since the 1970s. Since then, the mother of three started a successful blog titled "Feed Yard Foodie" and works for Progressive Beef to ensure that its supply chain is producing high-quality, sustainable beef.

NSB elects directors

The Nebraska Soybean Board held an election in July for the director seats in District 5, 7 and At-Large. Nebraska soybean farmers in those districts (5 and 7) voted with the following results:

District 5. (Counties of Cass, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee and Richardson) Daryl Obermeyer of Brownville was re-elected and will begin his second term on the board.

District 7. (Counties of Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Franklin, Hall, Kearney, Nuckolls and Webster) Doug Saathoff of Trumbull was elected and will begin his first term on the board.

At-Large. Greg Anderson of Newman Grove was re-elected and will begin his second term on the board.

The elected directors will serve a three-year term beginning Oct. 1 and ending Sept. 30, 2020.

Farm Bureau Foundation awards Rural Radio Foundation Scholarship

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation awarded the Nebraska Rural Radio Foundation Scholarship in Honor of Max and Eric Brown to Sasha Taylor of Ainsworth.

The $2,000 scholarship awards nontraditional students, age 25 or older, living in Nebraska's rural communities. Taylor is pursuing a nursing degree through Mid-Plains Community College at the Valentine Extended Campus.

Taylor's long-term goal is to remain on the family farm with her husband and children and continue to raise them in the rural lifestyle. After her youngest child starts kindergarten, she wants to make a positive commitment to the quality of life in rural Nebraska by providing access to health care close to home.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation took over the Nebraska Rural Radio Foundation Scholarship in Honor of Max and Eric Brown when the Nebraska Rural Radio Foundation dissolved in April of this year.