The University of Nebraska–Lincoln launched on Sept. 15 a new initiative aimed at helping producers make better use of digital agriculture technologies — from developing new decision-support tools to improving existing technologies and training the next generation of innovators.
The Nebraska Digital Ag Hub, announced during Husker Harvest Days, brings together Husker researchers, Nebraska Extension professionals, instructional faculty, staff, students, producers, industry representatives, entrepreneurs, and state and federal partners to develop technologies with producers’ needs at the center.
“Our vision is that Nebraska is where digital ag and innovation happens,” said Tiffany Heng-Moss, Harlan Vice Chancellor for the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and University of Nebraska vice president. “It’s where it’s created, it’s where it’s tested, where it’s validated, and it’s where it’s going to be scaled up.”
For decades, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has been a leader in the development, testing and adoption of digital ag technologies, said Guillermo Balboa, interim director of the hub. The university was an early adopter of drones, soil moisture sensors and other precision ag tools.
Today, the university has more than 40 programs focused on digital agriculture — including precision nitrogen and irrigation management, robotics and automation, livestock technologies, remote sensing, artificial intelligence and data science — as well as an academic minor. The On-Farm Research Network, launched more than 30 years ago, has helped producers statewide adopt precision tools and measure their effectiveness. Sentinel Ag, a Nebraska-based startup that uses satellite data to help producers optimize nitrogen fertilizer application, was started by a Husker graduate student, tested through the network and is now serving producers in 25 states.
In fact, the idea for the hub grew from conversations between Husker faculty and producers, Balboa said.
“We heard enormous excitement about digital agriculture — but also real challenges,” said Balboa, a research assistant professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. “Producers told us there are too many technologies. Systems do not always communicate with each other. The return on investment is not always clear. And we need more people with the skills to turn enormous amounts of data into better decisions.”
The Nebraska Digital Ag Hub aims to map and connect existing digital agriculture assets in Nebraska and build a network spanning the university, Extension, producers, industry and government. It will also launch new interdisciplinary research, create new experiential opportunities for students and offer new digital agriculture education and credentialing opportunities for students and producers alike with the goal of refining and connecting existing tools and innovating new ones.
The university is already part of the NASA Acres Farm Innovation program, which is developing the next generation of Earth-observation technologies for agriculture. Nebraska producers are taking part in the program, as well.
“Together, we are using Nebraska fields as a real-world testbed — connecting field measurements and producer knowledge with emerging satellite and hyperspectral technologies to explore how the next generation of Earth observations can improve decisions around crop management, water and nutrients,” Balboa said.
Nebraska is uniquely positioned to lead the work, Heng-Moss said. The scale and diversity of the state’s agricultural industry and natural resources, combined with the university’s deep expertise and strong partnerships with producers, industry and communities, create an environment where new technologies can be developed, tested and put to work. Those strengths, she said, give Nebraska an opportunity not simply to respond to the changes ahead, but to help shape them.
“Nebraska is where the future of digital ag is happening,” she said.