Most of Nebraska’s 93 counties have plenty of livestock production and are friendly to livestock.

However, Steve Wellman, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, noted at a press conference at the recent Nebraska Cattlemen convention in Kearney that Livestock Friendly-designated counties have gone through a special process.

This process includes application to NDA by individual counties to gain the designation, along with specific requirements from the county board — all with the goal of recognizing counties that actively support the livestock industry and offering producers operating within the county guidelines and expectations for production.

Buffalo County became the 51st county in Nebraska to gain this designation at a ceremony during the NC convention. Gov. Pete Ricketts said at the press conference, “I want to congratulate Buffalo County on becoming a Livestock Friendly County. This is a big deal. Agriculture is what we do in the state of Nebraska, accounting for $21 billion in ag receipts every year, and more than half of that comes from livestock.”

Ricketts said that if the state is going to grow, it needs agriculture to grow. “Ag is the heart and soul of our state,” he said.

According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture, Buffalo County had livestock, poultry and other animal product sales of more than $159 million, with total market value of products sold in 2017 at $332 million.

“Buffalo County is home to around 950 farms and many other businesses with direct ties to agriculture,” Wellman said in an NDA news release. “With the LFC designation, the people of Buffalo County are showing everyone that they are open for agribusiness.”

“It took a lot of work and persistence to get it [LFC] done,” said Ron Loeffelholz, Buffalo County commissioner. “I represent the second district in Buffalo County, and I farm north of Kearney myself. This is a long time in coming. We had a group of producers that brought it to us with the right people to answer questions, and got us through the process and got it done.”

NC president Bill Rhea offered his congratulations to Buffalo County on the designation. He also noted that NC played a crucial role in helping the original LFC legislation pass through the Nebraska Unicameral in 2003.

Ricketts noted, “We would like all of our counties to be designated Livestock Friendly, and that every county has that opportunity to be designated and to give some form of certainty to those producers who wish to expand livestock, so they know what to expect and are able plan for it. But it takes local champions within the counties to drive it. That’s why we need local folks to step up.”

Wellman echoed Ricketts’ comments. “We hope to find champions in those other counties, and we’d love to work with them to get them LFC designated,” he said.

Learn more about LFC online at nda.nebraska.gov.