Current Newsletter
August 2026
August 2026
Message from Dr. Tala Awada
Interim Dean and Director of the Agricultural Research Division
Welcome to a New Academic Year:
Advancing Research, Innovation, and Impact Together
As we begin a new academic year, I am honored to serve as Interim Dean and Director of the Agricultural Research Division (ARD) within the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR). With the start of the fall semester, I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our exceptional faculty, staff, students, and partners across Nebraska, and I am optimistic about what we can accomplish together in the year ahead.
This is a time of both opportunity and challenge for higher education and research. My commitment this year is to support you while advancing ARD's long-term success and impact. As we navigate a rapidly evolving environment, our Land-Grant mission remains our guide and source of strength, providing a foundation for the work ahead and positioning ARD to advance IANR's strategic priorities, the Chancellor's Bold Path Forward, and President Gold's Odyssey to the Extraordinary. Together, we can strengthen our research enterprise, foster innovation, expand opportunities for ARD community, develop the next generation of talent, deepen partnerships, and position our stakeholders to thrive.
The significance of our impacts extends beyond our campuses. ARD researchers are addressing critical challenges in agriculture, food systems, the bioeconomy, natural resources, digital agriculture, environment, grasslands, human and rural health, and economic well-being. Just as importantly, we translate discoveries into practical solutions that improve lives, strengthen communities, support Nebraska producers and businesses, and create value across the state and beyond. The impact of our collective efforts can be seen every day in the people, industries, and communities we serve.
As we continue our focus on ongoing impactful initiatives, and to help advance several emerging strategic opportunities, we recently invited nominations for part-time Acting Associate Dean appointments within ARD. Thirteen faculty members stepped forward during this transition period, demonstrating leadership and commitment across our community. I extend my sincere appreciation to each of them for their willingness to serve.
From this outstanding group, we are appointing three Acting Associate Deans, each serving at 0.3 FTE, to assume responsibilities from my previous role while I serve as interim dean. Together, they will help advance key strategic priorities, leverage existing strengths, and strengthen collaboration across IANR, the University of Nebraska System, and external partners. In addition to advancing strategic initiatives, the Acting Associate Deans will support ARD's operational priorities.
Dr. Nicole Buan, Department of Biochemistry, will lead efforts to advance innovation and growth in Nebraska's bioeconomy.
Dr. Amanda Ramer-Tait, Department of Food Science and Technology, will focus on precision nutrition and rural health while expanding partnerships with UNMC and other strategic collaborators.
Dr. Brian Wardlow, School of Natural Resources, will focus on spatial sciences and their integration with the bioeconomy, digital agriculture, natural resources, human health and prosperity, and artificial intelligence.
As we begin this academic year together, we want you to know that the ARD leadership team is here to support you. We look forward to listening, learning, and working alongside you as we pursue new opportunities, address complex challenges, and build on the strong foundation already in place. I am confident that, together, we will make this another exceptional year for ARD, IANR, and the University of Nebraska.
Welcome back, and best wishes for a productive and rewarding academic year.
This is going to be a monthly newsletter, intended to strengthen communication and engagement across the ARD community and with our external partners. Each issue will feature a message from the Interim Dean, ARD On the Ground faculty spotlights, awards and recognitions, stakeholder and community perspectives, and updates from our three Research, Extension, and Education Centers across the state.
ARD on the Ground
Pesticide Application Technology with Milos Zaric
Research and Extension Professional in Pesticide Application Technologies
Assistant Professor of Agronomy & Horticulture
A Message from our Stakeholders
Propelling Nebraska Agriculture into the Next Generation Bioeconomy
Mark McHargue, President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau
Nebraska is uniquely positioned to lead the next generation of the bioeconomy, where innovation, technology, and sustainability will drive global agricultural competitiveness. As one of the nation's premier agricultural states, Nebraska can become the leading destination for agricultural research, workforce development, and commercialization by investing in strategic partnerships, talent, and emerging technologies.
The University of Nebraska, working with producers, industry, USDA, and entrepreneurs, should advance transformational research in precision agriculture, regenerative systems, digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and sustainable bioproducts. Using Research Extension Education Centers and other producer connected platforms would position Nebraska as the national leader in resilient, secure, and sustainable food systems.
Mark McHargue
Nebraska Farm Bureau President
A Message from our Faculty
From Response to Recovery: Monitoring Nebraska’s Rangelands After Wildfire
Mitch Stephenson and Dirac Twidwell
Nebraska has already experienced its largest wildfire year on record. Nearly one million acres of grazing land burned this spring, and continued drought has slowed vegetation recovery while sustaining wildfire risk into late summer.
Fire has shaped Great Plains grasslands for thousands of years. It influences plant communities and grazing patterns, recycles nutrients, and limits woody plant expansion. Yet large wildfires can also disrupt ranching operations and rural communities—particularly when they occur during severe drought and threaten livestock, infrastructure, and forage resources. Following this year’s fires, producers faced the immediate work of documenting losses, repairing infrastructure, and securing alternative feed. They must now make decisions about recovery that will unfold over years, not months.
A Message from our Research Extension and Education Centers
Cover Crops Aid in Weed Management for Dry Beans
Nevin Lawrence and Chabella Guzman
Dry edible bean production in Nebraska ranks first in Great Northern beans and second in pinto beans. The Panhandle of Nebraska, where the bean industry is concentrated, generates tens of millions of dollars for the state's agricultural economy.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center Dr. Nevin Lawrence, Nebraska Extension Weed Management, is researching suppression of the weed Palmer Amaranth. The weed is herbicide-resistant and one of the most severe threats to Nebraska dry bean producers. Currently, there are no effective post-crop emergence (POST) herbicides labeled in dry beans that can control ALS- and glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth.
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