Down on the Pharm

Imagine a physician or dietitian handing you a set of individualized nutritional guidelines based on your unique genetic makeup — one that could help you ward off such diseases as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
That’s the ultimate goal of the Nebraska Gateway for Nutrigenomics, a new research initiative at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. It aims to use genome-based technologies to figure out what makes individuals and some ethnic groups susceptible to certain diseases and develop nutritional strategies to overcome those susceptibilities.

“In the old days,” nutrition scientist Tim Carr said, “We used to say ‘my grandfather ate bacon and eggs everyday and still lived to 103.’ Those of us in the business would say, ‘that’s just genetics,’ and we’d dismiss it.

“We’re no longer dismissing it. We’re trying to figure out how that works,” Carr added.

Individuals’ risk for certain diseases depends in part on their genetic makeup. Although those genetic makeups can’t be altered, how they behave can be manipulated by diet. That’s what nutrigenomics is all about.

“Looking at the genetic makeup of individuals, you can identify certain risk factors and make dietary recommendations,” said Janos Zempleni, a molecular nutritionist who heads UNL’s nutrigenomics initiative.

In February, a review team comprising scientists from several other universities noted that UNL is well-positioned to be a leader in this burgeoning research field because it can integrate its plant-genomics expertise with its nutrition and food-science expertise. As food and nutrition scientists determine how diet interacts with the genome, agricultural scientists will be able to develop crops and livestock to put those findings into action.

“Since Nebraska is where America’s diet begins, it is appropriate that UNL would be a leader in the nutrigenomic field,” the team said in its report.

UNL food scientist Vicki Schlegel, another member of the research team, put it this way: “You’re making agriculture a pharmacy, basically.”

Schlegel imagines a day when states might carve out niches for certain kinds of health-boosting crops.

“We might say, ‘in Nebraska we grow crops for heart health,’” she said. “Colorado might say, ‘we grow crops to fight diabetes.’”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s well-known diet guidelines are based on nutritional needs, said Schlegel, who specializes in neutraceuticals. “What we’re talking about is a step beyond. This is considering foods from a more complex perspective.”

“This is a huge shift in thinking,” Carr said. “We are going from one-size-fits-all recommendations to a realization that one size doesn’t fit all.”

As scientists determine how nutrients and genes interact, they’ll be able to take a patient’s genetic profile and have a dietitian prescribe a diet and bioactive compounds to fit that profile.

“In short, we’ll have personalized nutrition,” Carr said.

The nutrigenomics team’s research is digging even deeper. Angela Pannier, a biomedical engineer, is studying how nutrition affects tissue engineering – the regrowing of tissue as a replacement for tissue lost to disease or injury.

Pannier hopes to determine how diets might be altered to give a newly transplanted “engineered tissue” a better chance to survive. Ultimately, that could improve organ-transplant patients’ prognoses.

“No one else is looking at this ... I think this could be groundbreaking,” Pannier said.

Zempleni and the other Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources scientists noted that while the nutrigenomics initiative is only about a year old, it’s built on research that’s been conducted at UNL for years. The team comprises about 30 scientists from 11 departments, including the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Plans are being made for additional hires to complete the team, and UNL hopes to obtain funding to renovate building space.

Research in the Nebraska Gateway for Nutrigenomics is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, USDA, the state of Nebraska and private industry.

Carr can be contacted at (402) 472-7940.

Beefing up knowledge

Leadership specific to Nebraska’s top agricultural commodity — beef cattle — is being groomed through the Nebraska Beef Industry Scholars program in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

The four-year certification program for University of Nebraska–Lincoln students combines knowledge, insights and direct involvement of beef industry leaders with research-based courses taught by nationally recognized faculty.

“The beef scholars program illustrates how integral parts of the industry affect each other,” said Matt Spangler, assistant professor. “These students become good representatives of the program and the university, and are the future leaders of the beef industry.”

Nebraska is a national leader in beef. Cattle and calves were its leading cash receipts in 2008, USDA reports, and nationally last year Nebraska was second in cattle and calves with 6.35 million head.

The scholars program is a part of Nebraska’s BEEF (Beef Education Excellence for the Future) initiative to enhance beef education in the state in various ways.

Laura Maricle, agricultural journalism junior from Albion, said the beef scholars program hones student interests and networking beyond the classroom with other students, faculty, staff and industry leaders.

“Through the field trips and other events, we learn, face challenges, develop network connections and become (more) employable,” Maricle said.

During an August tour across Nebraska and eastern Colorado, the scholars group visited 10 sites in six days — “everything from feedlots to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association headquarters in Denver,” Spangler said. Not only was the tour informative, he said it showcased the students and the program.

In addition, Spangler said, beef industry scholars are members of Nebraska Cattlemen and attend state meetings, which further expands their knowledge and networking.

Faculty and staff work closely with students to link them with beef industry professionals for internships and experiences in ranching, doing research and in communications.

The beef industry scholars program is well-received and supported, Spangler said.

“We knew people were excited when we launched the program, but we didn’t anticipate the level of support and participation,” Spangler said. Supporters provide time and expertise to help the students, as well as financial contributions.

The Nebraska Cattlemen is one supporter, and in the classroom executive director Michael Kelsey discusses issues and scenarios important to the industry.

“We have a great relationship with the university,” Kelsey said. “We understand that the future heavily depends on new blood.”

“The youthful, fresh perspective is exciting,” he added. “When they understand a new idea — you can just see it.”

The program, now in its third year, has 37 students who are taking a special block of 18-24 credit hours as part of their curriculum.

Beef scholars may have careers such as seedstock breeders, ranchers, feedlot or processing managers, bankers, veterinarians, and leaders in beef and cattlemen associations.

While the beef industry is impacted by current economic trends, Kelsey reminds scholars and industry leaders they share a common goal.

“If we pull together, we succeed today and in the future,” Kelsey said, adding, “There are lots of hungry mouths in this world. We ought to be the one to feed them.”

Spangler can be contacted at (402) 472-6489.

Bean counting

A University of Nebraska–Lincoln dry bean breeding specialist is studying hundreds and hundreds of dry bean seeds to find varieties that will thrive in the Nebraska Panhandle’s growing conditions.
Carlos Urrea, UNL dry bean breeding specialist at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff, is working on developing high-yielding dry bean varieties with resistance to drought and multiple diseases. He also is looking at developing a bean that can be harvested early because historically the area sees frost by Sept. 15.

So far, UNL has released one new dry bean cultivar, NE1-06-12, a great northern bean with enhanced resistance to common bacterial blight and bean common rust. It was released last year and marketed as Coyne. It was named in honor of the late UNL Dry Bean Breeder Dermot P. Coyne.
Since this release, Urrea has been looking into different dry bean collections to find genes that can be used to control other diseases such as bacterial blights, fungal diseases and viral diseases. Urrea joined the PHREC in April 2005.

Urrea and his staff use molecular markers to incorporate and pyramid disease resistance into the commercial dry beans. Molecular markers complement the disease screening through all phases of breeding.

Rodney Loose, a dry bean producer near Mitchell, said UNL’s bean breeding research is a big asset for Western Nebraska.

“(Urrea) is developing varieties that will work in our area,” Loose said. “Varieties that are developed (in other states) don’t always work in Nebraska.”

Loose, who just ended his nine-year term on the Dry Bean Commission, participated with Urrea in variety trials on his farm.

Nebraska is fourth place in dry bean production nationwide, and is No. 1 in northern bean production and No. 2 in pinto bean production.

“I’m helping Nebraska by trying to develop beans with a high-yield potential, resistance to diseases and well-adapted to Nebraska,” Urrea said.

Urrea not only is looking at the great northern bean, but other classes and opportunities as well.

He said bean demand is growing as people realize the health benefits of beans.

“Our quality in Nebraska is one of the best,” he said. “We grow the best great northern beans in the U.S. and one of the reasons is because all our beans are irrigated. Our pinto quality also is good.”

Craig Henkel, a dry bean producer near Bayard, said Nebraskans depend a great deal on UNL and its bean breeding program.

“It’s vital to the state, growers and processing companies and benefits the consumers with a nutritious product that is easier for growers to produce,” Henkel said. “Anytime you can raise a healthier and safe product it is better for all facets of the industry.”

The work Urrea is doing, though, is a long and tedious process.

Urrea’s bean collection comes from around the globe, some domesticated and some wild.
From his U.S. core collection, which includes 434 general germplasm accessions, he was able to find one wild bean seed with disease resistance traits (bacterial wilt), with a seed size of about 26,000 seeds per pound. The normal bean seed size is between 1,200 and 1,500 bean seeds per pound.

Collections are grouped by seed size, seed shape, center of origin and primary center of domestication.

“So, this is a very small bean,” he said. “For me to incorporate disease resistance into this cultivar of bean and in one of this size, it is going to take six or seven generations.”

He also asked the International Center for Tropical Agriculture for its bean collection, which includes 1,600 entries. He is still looking at these entries, and has found some that also are showing disease resistance.

In the meantime, while looking at the U.S. core collection, he tests lines that are adapted to the U.S. and is testing them for drought tolerance. This work is being done in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Puerto Rico.

Urrea said he has identified seven entries this year and has shared them with several U.S. dry bean breeders for testing in those locations.

“It’s a continuous process,” he said. “We are going to be testing them in growers’ fields and based on that information, releasing one of the lines. Our program has a goal of having one or two releases every couple years.

“We have a large collaboration going on with this program from different breeders in the U.S. and worldwide and we exchange germplasm. The beauty of this is the bean community is pretty small and we share a lot of knowledge and germplasm.”

Urrea can be contacted at (308) 632-0556.

Bolstering agrosecurity

Fires, blizzards, even potential terrorist acts pose a danger to the livelihood of Nebraska’s agricultural industry. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension is taking part in an effort to protect the industry through community preparedness.

Extension took part in an April pilot conference in Alliance to introduce a national plan to strengthen community agrosecurity, said Scott Cotton, extension educator based in Chadron. The Alliance meeting, attended by 57 producers, Farm Service Agency representatives, county officials, feedlot operators and agribusiness representatives from 14 counties, was one of seven such conferences in the nation.

Attendees learned how to assess risks, form an agriculture disaster plan and get help from others “if the worst-case scenario happens,” Cotton said. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency has a statewide disaster plan, but it needs refinement by each county to deal locally with agricultural disasters, he said.

Nebraska’s agricultural disasters mostly have been climate-related. Blizzards, for example, have prevented feed from being delivered to cattle and endangered their lives. Three years ago western Nebraska could have used better planning when drought-related wildfires consumed thousands of rangeland acres, Cotton said.

Cotton, who had been part of a national educational team put together by USDA and the Extension Disaster Education Network, had lobbied for Nebraska to be one of the seven sites.
“Because we’re so dependent on agriculture it’s critical we have that plan to develop continuity,” Cotton said. “We need to make sure agriculture stays in business.”

Dawes, Sheridan, Box Butte and Sioux counties have begun the process of developing an agriculture annex to their disaster response plans, Cotton said. These plan annexes will help counties assess the risks to agriculture and develop mitigation tools, such as a call tree of agriculture disaster responders and resources ready for regional emergency managers and county officials should an event occur.

“It’s a simple step to bolster the readiness of agriculture-dependent communities in mitigating the impacts of potential disasters,” Cotton said. “Statistics from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) indicate that one of every four businesses impacted by disaster do not recover. This is not acceptable for agriculture in Nebraska.”

Cotton can be contacted at (308) 432-3373.

Aye, Robot

Give 88 middle school students 44 specialized LEGO kits and you'll be amazed what they come up with.
These middle schoolers from across Nebraska and even some from outside the state gathered during a week in July to learn to build and program robots from a kit called LEGO Mindstorms NXT.

The camps are part of University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 4-H's goal to become a national leader in science education. Last year Nebraska 4-H received a nearly $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to take the robotics curriculum nationwide.

Six five-day beginning and advanced camps called GEAR-Tech-21 were scheduled in June and July in Holdrege, Lexington, Gretna, Aurora and Omaha. Activities focused on building and programming robots and learning Global Positioning Systems and Geographic Information Systems technology.

The intent of the camps is to promote learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, said Bradley Barker, the Nebraska 4-H science and technology specialist and principal investigator on the project.

The largest camp was held the week of July 6 at the Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center in Gretna. Eighty-eight middle school students attended the level 1 camp. It was the best-attended robotics camp
4-H has had since starting them in 2007, Barker said.

"What makes it fun is that it's hands on," Barker said. "They get to build and program the robots to do just about anything they want."

During the robotics activities, pairs of students each got the Mindstorms kit containing LEGO pieces and all the electronics needed to build the robot, which ends up looking something like a miniature car.

After building them, the students used laptops and specialty software to program their robots so they could be navigated through a course and around obstacles. For example, a robot traveling across the floor would stop and turn before hitting a box placed before it. Light sensors enabled the robots to follow a trail of tape on the floor, and sound sensors let the students get the robots moving by clapping their hands or speaking a verbal command.

Each pair built basically the same robot but they were able to program the robot how they wanted.

"We try to find various levels of challenges for them once they understand the programming," said Kevin Kramer, 4-H science program manager.

"It's really fun," said Haley Ficken, 11, of Lincoln – one of 12 girls among the students at the camp. "I thought it sounded really interesting and I was excited to do this."

In the GPS/GIS part of the camp, students used hand-held GPS devices to track certain areas of the campsite. They used data collected on the devices and mapping software to build customized maps of the site, as well as maps of the state.

Megan Patent-Nygren, 4-H instructional designer who led the activity, said it helps students realize the variety of careers in the technology industry and gives them hands-on learning.

"We have a huge shortage of students going into science and technology careers," she said. "This gives them that light bulb moment where they realize that this is really cool and they can get paid to do this."

Barker expects that the 4-H camps will inspire students to start robotics clubs in their own schools. The robotics curriculum already is spreading across the country. One of the participants at the Gretna camp was Walter Horikawa, a 4-H volunteer from Hawaii who learned about Nebraska 4-H's robotics efforts and came to learn it for himself so he could teach it to others.

Barker hopes that with the grant money Nebraska 4-H will be able to continue to expand its robotics curriculum. He is working with the UNL Department of Computer & Electronics Engineering to develop a new robotics program with an integrated GPS chip that he said will make the robots more robust.

Then, in collaboration with the National 4-H Council and National AfterSchool Association, Nebraska 4-H will work with trainers outside Nebraska to teach the curriculum in 4-H and after-school programs.
Barker can be contacted at (402) 472-9008.

Farm bill intricacies

The 663-page 2008 federal farm bill isn’t exactly an easy read, yet it is very important in having huge implications for Nebraska producers and the nation’s food and fiber needs.

Research and analysis by Brad Lubben, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension public policy specialist, contributed toward early development of the document. Lubben also supports UNL extension educators who work with producers directly affected by each new farm bill.

Officially called the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, the five-year USDA legislation outlines policies, procedures and payments for federal farm support programs as well as natural resources conservation, rural business, bioenergy and other areas. In fact, three-fourths of the new farm bill relates to federal programs for nutrition and food assistance, Lubben said.

Lubben said Nebraska producers received $340 million in farm program benefits in 2007, while another $120 million annually flows into the state for soil conservation, wildlife, water quality and water use efficiency programs.

Farm programs typically function as price supports, but the latest farm bill added the revenue-based Average Crop Revenue Election safety net and Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program to provide additional disaster assistance.

Lubben and UNL extension educators this year have explained the new risk-management legislation to more than 5,000 Nebraska producers and agribusiness people. Among them was Dick Zach, producer and vice president of Farm Credit Services (FCS) of America.

Zach said so many complex variables are involved in the new programs and in making decisions that the FCS itself was puzzled. He said he was relieved when Allan Vyhnalek, extension educator based in Columbus where Zach’s office is located, offered to “sit down and figure this out.”

Vyhnalek used a software program that could help generate various scenarios and explained ways producers could maximize benefits. Tim Lemmons, extension educator based in Weeping Water, took the lead in developing one of the farm bill software tools available to assist Nebraska producers with farm program decisions.

As with other extension educators statewide, including Randy Pryor in Wilber and Paul Hay in Beatrice, Vyhnalek expected to do much one-on-one consulting with producers this summer before an August signup deadline.

Educated decisions about the farm bill safety nets are important not only for producer livelihood but for communities, schools and businesses that rely on agricultural income.

Cuming County, for example, ranked first statewide in livestock and in total value of agricultural production in 2007. Its $856 million in agricultural products sold that year put it at 27th in the nation, while its $732 million in livestock sales put it 13th.

“Production agriculture, especially livestock production and beef production, is the economic engine of Cuming County,” said Brad Koehn, president and CEO of F&M Bank, N.A. in West Point.

Koehn and Larry Howard, extension educator based in West Point, collaborated to host a February farm forum larger than either could do alone.

The education keeps his customer risk portfolio “very low and makes our job a lot easier in managing risk with our customers,” Koehn said.

Requests of tapes from the forum from people who did not attend — as well as those who did — speak highly for Lubben and the out-of-state presenters, he added.

Typically when commodity prices are low, farm program support payments are higher. UNL ag economists say support payments to Nebraska producers exceeded $1 billion in 1999 through 2001, and again in 2005. When farm receipts are higher, farm bill support payments are less; in 2008 they were less than $500 million.

The world’s current economic crunches means “there may not be a more volatile time than right now,” Lubben said, adding that means making the best farm program and risk management decisions all the more important.

Lubben can be contacted at (402) 472-2235.

Healthier farms

While profits and yields often are the bottom line for farmers, a new University of Nebraska–Lincoln tool called the Healthy Farm Index will help farmers take into account the benefits of nature.
An integral part of UNL's organic farming project, the tool will help farmers and landowners measure their farm's ecological health and maintain or improve crop productivity.

"It will help farmers find a balance between maintaining profits and yields while enhancing the farm ecosystem," said John Quinn, a third-year doctoral student at UNL leading the project's research. "We really want this to be a tool for farmers interested in looking at a broader spectrum of their farm based on the best science available."

The Healthy Farm Index will measure and optimize multiple ecosystem services, communicate their value and ensure that ecosystem services remain in the decision-making process of farmers, agency personnel and other stakeholders.

Ecosystem services include all the benefits people receive from nature. This includes everything produced on the farm like clean water, air and soil.

"These are things that we want farmers to think about and talk about," Quinn said. "While farmers may be talking now about high yields, we want them to be talking about protecting their watershed and bird species on their farms. If we can get those things as part of their conversations, we can get them as part of the decision making process."

UNL researchers have designed the tool so any individual can use it. By the end of this year they will have a Web-based user interface so that anyone can go online and plug in his or her information.

While researchers have started with 27 organic farms across Nebraska and Kansas for this project, Quinn hopes all farmers some day will use the tool. The team started with organic farmers because they have more diverse systems and have more crops on a smaller scale.

The project has received four more years of USDA funding. Quinn, a native of Minneapolis, Minn., will continue this research post-doctoral. Other members of the UNL research team working on the Healthy Farm Index are James Brandle, professor in UNL's School of Natural Resources, and Ron Johnson, formerly of UNL, now with the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Clemson University. The principle investigator for the UNL organic farming project is Charles Shapiro, UNL soils scientist.

The project started when Quinn set out to study birds and food production on farm systems.

"The more people we talked to, the more we realized that we needed to look at something broader," Quinn said.

The Healthy Farm Index covers ecological, social and economic factors of farm systems.

Current indicators for the Healthy Farm Index include: production: yield, diversification and acres; biodiversity: habitat, birds, crops and livestock; ecosystem services/conservation practices: soil, water and landscape; personal satisfaction with: profit and farm management.

The structure of the index is designed so that other indicators can be added as more research is conducted and more people participate.

So far, researchers have sampled breeding bird populations and associated insect and vegetation communities on the 27 organic farms. They are finishing up their third year of data of early morning bird surveys. Surveys start at sunrise and finish four hours later. In addition, farmer surveys are being conducted with participating farms for their crop production and management practices, including their satisfaction with their farm operation.

When it comes to birds, some have responded differently to different vegetation practices, such as windbreaks versus larger wooded areas.

Researchers also are looking at balancing bird diversity with production using a frontier curve. This will allow farmers to make small adjustments to their management strategy, such as reducing yield by 2 percent, but dramatically increasing bird diversity.

"Basically, all these components come together to give us an index value," Quinn said. "The whole purpose is to have a decision making tool for farmers."

For more information about the Healthy Farms Index, visit the Web.

Brandle can be contacted at (402) 472-6626.

Learning for leaders

Supervisors and commissioners elected to lead Nebraska’s 93 counties sometimes can use a little help developing their own leadership skills.

At the request of the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO), University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension developed the NACO Institute of Excellence, a yearlong educational leadership program.

Fifty elected county officials representing 42 counties graduated last December in the first Institute of Excellence, and about 30 enrolled in the 2009 program.

“Nebraska was lagging behind other states” in terms of leadership development for county officials, said Phyllis Schoenholz, extension educator based in Hebron. “We saw it as a need.”

NACO also saw it as a need, and sought extension’s help to build leadership for its members, said Jon Edwards, assistant legal counsel for the organization.

“We saw a movement toward leadership development,” Edwards said. “We thought this could provide an opportunity to help the county officials in the state of Nebraska to become better leaders.”

Pamela Lancaster, chair of the Hall County Board of Supervisors and vice president of NACO, agreed. She said elected county officials bring their life experiences to the job, but many lack advanced leadership skills needed to guide their counties most effectively.

“I was amazed at the information we were able to obtain in a short period of time,” Lancaster said. “Everyone who participated thought it was tremendously beneficial.”

Participants attended one class session every other month in either Lincoln or North Platte, Schoenholz said. During alternate months they participated in an online class session. Topics included understanding yourself as a leader, communication, managing conflict and trends in county government. They also took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test to help them understand more about different personalities.

Most participants asked after the session said the education helped make them better listeners, which enhances their decision making, and be more tolerant of how others process information to make decisions.

Schoenholz can be contacted at (402) 768-7212.

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