Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition Board of Directors
Vern Terrell, Chairman
Terrell Ranch
4412 436th Trail
Hay Springs, NE 69347-4198
(308) 232-4408
terrell@haysprings.net
Vern and his wife, Marjean are involved in a diversified farm/ranch operation with his brother, Terry, and their sons, Brock and Seth and their wives. Vern is a Nebraska LEAD graduate and has attended the Nebraska Ranch Practicum, which he feels is an important learning experience for any grass and cattle manager.
He is a member of Nebraska Cattlemen, Sandhills Cattlemen and Nebraska Farm Bureau as well having served on numerous boards. Vern stated that "Whether it is our own pasture or our rented pasture, we feel it is our responsibility to improve the stand and quality. NGLC has programs to help educate us to meet these goals. We use different grazing methods on each place depending on water, number of pastures and condition of the grasses."
Beau Mathewson, Treasurer
RGM Corporation
2487 Road 89
Potter, NE 69156-6625
(308) 254-4802
beaum756@gmail.com
Beau Mathewson is a third-generation grassland manager. Upon completing a BS in Agricultural Business from the University of Wyoming in 2004, he came back to the cow-calf and farming operation his grandfather and father amassed. Beau and his father have made many water and grazing improvements since that time on their expansive Panhandle ranch.
Beau is a member of the Sidney First United Methodist Church, where he serves as a Youth Group leader. He thoroughly enjoys the ranching lifestyle, even in his admittedly limited free time. Biking, shooting, and hiking are some of the ranch-related hobbies he enjoys. Beau also enjoys reading and writing prose.
A Beau quote: "I believe that grasslands are by far the most ecologically stable and sustainable resource on the planet. I believe that education, proper management practices, and public education and advocacy are the most valuable tools for preserving this natural resource."
Jim Carr
Brush Creek Ranch
Carr Ranch
82697 472 Ave.
Burwell, NE 68823
308-346-4652
jim@cattlegrazer.com
Jim Carr has been the Chairman of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition since 2007, and has been involved with NGLC for eight years.
He and his wife, Becky, rent and own a backgrounding feed yard and lease and manage several ranches. Jim is also involved with the Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Cattlemen. He and Becky have two daughters: Kelie and Sarah, and one granddaughter, Gracie.
Jim says he feels the grazing lands in Nebraska are the most important resource we have in the state. "With the programs that NGLC is conducting, we will help other producers to improve their range."
Rod Christen
Board Member
Rt. 1, Box 62
Steinauer, NE 68441
402-869-2221
rachristen@windstream.net
Rod Christen is the third generation of his family to ranch and farm on their place near Steinauer, NE. He and his family run cow-calf pairs and feeders, finish cattle for direct marketing, and raise their own seedstock through artificial insemination. The Christens own and rent pasture and farmground and have a rotational grazing system that includes winter grazing. They also raise corn, beans and wheat on rotation.
Rod has been involved with NGLC since 2005, and is also active in the Southeast Nebraska Grassland Association; Southeast Nebraska Cattlemen, where he served as past President; and the Nebraska Cattlemen, including being "Pit Boss" at Beef Pit at State Fair and serving as one of three NE Cattlemen representatives on the NE Land Trust Board.
Rod has been married to his wife, Amy, for 14 years. They have two daughters, Dana, 7, and Leah, 3, and a son, Evan, 5 months old.
Rod said he feels NGLC is especially important to protect our rare tall grass prairie resource as well as other grasslands. "I feel the best way to manage conservation and sustainability is through grasslands; which is being threatened more and more by mismanagement and row crops. I choose to be involved because I feel it is a responsibility as a land owner and farmer/rancher to help protect this way of life and sustainable resource for future generations."
Harlow Hill
Maddux Cattle Co.
33955 745 Rd
Wauneta, NE 69045-6521
(308) 882-4002
harlow.madduxcattle@gmail.com
Harlow Hill, a native of Alliance, NE, was the typical "city kid" until middle school when he started working on the John Frieberger Ranch. He worked there as much time as possible until joining the U.S. Marine Corp. in 1967. Harlow received an honorable discharge in 1968 and attended the University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture at Curtis graduating with a degree in Agricultural Production in 1971.
He spent a short time working at the University of Nebraska Scotts Bluff Experiment Station then returned to work on the Frieberger Ranch. In September 1978 Harlow was hired by Maddux Cattle Co. in Wauneta, NE. and has been a leader in their grazing management systems since it was instituted 32 years ago. Through the years he has done appraisals on their grass utilization and has been a local leader in getting neighbors to establish grazing management systems.
Harlow also has shared his knowledge by serving on panels and making presentations at a number of grazing management meetings. He has brought many changes to the Maddux grazing system and subscribes to the belief that grazing management is a dynamic program that requires constant updating and change.
Harlow and his wife Barb have three children and three grandchildren.
Jon Immink
Immink Ranch
57230 703rd Rd
Endicott, NE 68350-3005
(402) 442-2234
iclambs@gmail.com
Tim Kalkowski
Kalkowski Ranch
1916 Devonshire Dr.
Lincoln, NE 68506-1610
(402) 488-5292
tkalkowski@1fsb.com
Tim Kalkowski is a Vice President and Agricultural Loan Officer of the First State Bank of Hickman. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking-Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln after attending Rock County High School in Bassett, his childhood home. He helps manage the family ranch in Boyd County, Nebraska.
He is a member of Nebraska Cattlemen and has served as co-president of the Seward / Lancaster Affiliate of the Nebraska Cattleman's Association. He has also served on the Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board.
He is involved in church youth programs and as a youth baseball coach. He is married and has a 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.
Jim Luchsinger
Board Member, The Nature Conservancy
PO Box 701
Valentine, NE 69201
402-376-3621
jluchsinger@tnc.org
Jim attended the University of Nebraska where I received a B.S. in Agriculture (Natural Resources Management) and an M.S. if Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife. He is a business partner in a family farming/forage operation in east-central Nebraska. As The Nature Conservancy's Niobrara/Sandhills Program Director, Jim oversees management of the Conservancy's Sandhills properties and associated grazing programs and work with private landowners and partners to promote sound resource management and financial stability.
Jim is currently a Sandhills Task Force board member, a member of the Cherry County Natural Resources Committee, and serve as the treasurer of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Valentine, Nebraska. He also serves on the Nebraska Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee and is involved in local, regional and national initiatives in support of beginning farmers/ranchers and rancher conservation collaboratives such as the NGLC and the Sandhills Task Force. He is a member of The Wildlife Society (the professional organization for Wildlife Biologists) and The Nature Conservancy and serve on many grasslands and/or conservation committees.
Jim has been married to Sharon for nearly 20 years; and has one son, Nathan, who enjoys the outdoors and spending time in the Sandhills or on the family farm.
"I believe that farmers and ranchers are generally very good stewards of grasslands and that conservation of grasslands is directly related to the financial well-being of private landowners. Thus, organizations and initiatives that empower young farmers and ranchers and enhance the sustainability and economic viability of all grazing managers, are good for conservation and good for agriculture."
Kory Mack
Abbott Ranch Unit of the Rex Ranch
43431 Abbott Road
Ashby, NE 69333
(308) 577-6777
kmack@ari-slc.com
Kory Mack has been employed at Rex Ranch since February, 2000. He is foreman of the Abbott Unit, where he and two other cowboys practice holistic resource management. He also practices Bud Williams low stress cattle handling and John Hepworth horsemanship. He is a member of Nebraska Cattlemen, WRCA, and WSRRA.
Kory is married to Marcy, and they have two children, Tel (attending Chadron State College) and Malinda, at home. His hobbies include ranch rodeo, camping and watching Nebraska football.
Lynn Myers
Board Member
20720 Road 100
Lewellen, NE 69147
308-577-6356
mmyers@neb-sandhills.net
Lynn is currently a board member of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, and has been involved with the organization for "way too darn many years," he says, basically since the inception of the group.
Lynn grew up on a family farm and ranch and he and his wife, Marlene, now own and manage her family's place, which was homesteaded in 1907 and proved up in 1909, making this the 100th year of ownership of this ranch. They also own and lease additional land in their cow-calf operation. Both of Lynn's children are still involved in the ranch partnership. Although they don't currently live on the ranch, they return to help when they can. Son Creston is an optometrist and lives in Alliance, and daughter Carissa (married name Arnold) lives in Cozad and is a doctor of physical therapy.
Lynn was previously involved in the Nebraska Cattlemen, and has also been secretary/treasurer of his local fire district for 35 years.
Lynn says, "I think it's awful important that we take care of our resources. One of our goals is to always leave it in better shape than what it was when we took over. The people in this industry are the most production minded in the world. Most of us do such a good job at production; but we are the worst at marketing. That's why we have so many problems with environmentalists; we haven't promoted what we've done. Much of this land would not be in such good of shape if we hadn't done what we have.
"We can't continue to sell what we offer for below cost. People will pay unlimited amounts for recreation, but won't pay for food. We are the only industry that has to pay retail for all our inputs, then take less than wholesale for what we produce. I don't want to ranch 'just for the experience' — I have enough experience at this point. I want to get paid what our products are worth.
"I want to try to promote good stewardship because we are the original environmentalists — people need to realize we take good care of the ground, because we live here."
Wayne Rasmussen
Giop Livestock
86331 535 Ave
Plainview, NE 68769
402-582-3656
giop@plvwtelco.net
Wayne has been involved in the livestock industry all his life. He brings a little different perspective to the Nebraska Grazing Land coalition. Wayne comes from a part of the state that has both an abundance of row crop farming, and yet there is great potential in grass production. He has a strong desire to steward the land and the livestock that he is the primary care giver of. Wayne has attended short courses at the University of Nebraska and is a graduate of the Nebraska LEAD program. He has graduated from: Ranching for Profit, livestock handling schools, and holistic management training. He has attended many seminars to continue his education and further his understanding of the land and the livestock that graze our prairies.
He is currently the founder of the Grassfed Exchange which is now in its 3rd year of promoting, educating, developing strategies, and improving genetics for his fellow producer. Wayne firmly believes there is tremendous untapped potential in the grasslands of Nebraska.
Wayne has stated " The resources of grass, water, and sunlight are waiting for us to release their full potential into a further processed product of higher economic value. That, at the same time, is healing our land and conserving our other natural resources."
Paul Swanson
Board Member
5155 W. 12th St.
Hastings, NE 68902
402-385-6428
swanson@inebraska.com
Paul serves as a board member of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and has been involved with the organization since the late 1990s. He is an organic farmer and works to utilize grazing for soil improvement.
Paul also serves as a board of director for the Center for Rural Affairs and is a member of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, Holistic Management International and Practical Farmers of Iowa. He is married with two adult children.
Paul says, "Proper grazing management offers our greatest opportunity to regenerate worn out soils and improve better soils."
Brock Terrell
Board Member
3814 295th Trl
Alliance, NE 69301
308-762-3447
brockterrell@bbcwb.net
Broc worked for the Rex Ranch after college and learned holistic management. Today he manages his family's cow-calf and yearling operation in central Sheridan county where he uses holistic principles. Broc wants to share what he's learned and learn from those that have the experience to help his generation of managers continue the excellence.
Broc says, "I believe that grasslands are the most sustainable resource in the world and should be utilized and improved with good management by good managers. I want to help promote the good management."
Broc is married to Heidi and they live in Alliance, NE.
Scout Cox
Cox Ranch
35081 Calf Creek Rd
Mullen, NE 69152-5128
(308) 546-2646
scout137@hotmail.com
Scout Cox studied Anthropology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated in 2009 from the University of Wyoming with a Rangeland Ecology & Watershed Management degree. She and her father, A. B Cox, run a cow-calf/yearling operation northwest of Mullen. They strive to implement sustainable practices that meet the needs of the grass, cattle, and people.
Scout has been trained in Holistic Management and is a disciple of Ranching for Profit. She loves to rope calves in her spare time as well as act in the occasional community melodrama.
Mike Wallace
Double M Ranch
3736 Road V
Nelson, NE 68961-8727
(402) 225-2041
michaelharrywallace@yahoo.com
Mike and Fran Wallace own and operate the Double M Ranch, a multi-species (sheep-cattle-goat) pasture based operation near Nelson, Nebraska. They utilize year-round grazing, pasture lambing/calving in May/June, wintering stock on stockpiled standing forage with minimum use of mechanically produced-harvested-delivered feedstuffs. The use of multispecies grazing allows them to sustainably capture increased stocking rates, improved animal performance, diversity of income, and, improve the native range and introduced pastures.
Mike was born and raised on a dairy farm near Oregonia, Ohio, served in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam, received a BS in Agricultural Science from Wilmington College in Ohio, an MS in Agriculture from the University of Kentucky and worked five years as an Animal Scientist for the University of Illinois at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, Simpson, IL. Since 1978 he has been the Sheep Operations Manager at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center, Nebraska where he also works closely with programs to improve the use of the Center's pasture and forage resources. Mike is past president and director emeritus of the Nebraska Sheep and Goat Producers Association.
Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition Advisors
Bob Broweleit
Advisor, Sandhills RC&D
PO Box 28
Mullen, NE 69152
308-546-0636
Bob.Broweleit@ne.usda.gov
Bob Broweleit is the Sandhills Resources Conservation and Development Coordinator at the USDA-RC&D office in Mullen. Prior to his USDA appointment, he worked for the Kansas State University Cooperative Extension in Phillips County Kansas and for the University of Nebraska Animal Science Department. While at UNL, he earned a B.S. in Agronomy 1983 and a Master's Degree in Range Management in 1998.
Bob has served on various agency committees and assisted the implementation of numerous RC&D projects. He is also a cow-calf herd owner and partner in his family ranch, Bent Bar C Cattle Company. Bob has been involved with NGLC since 2008.
Brent Plugge
Advisor, UNL Extension
1400 East 34 St.
Kearney, NE 68847
308-236-1235
bplugge1@unl.edu
Brent serves as a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educator based out of Kearney, Neb., with a focus on livestock production systems. In this capacity he also serves as an advisor to the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, and has been involved with the organization since 2000.
Brent is married to Tami, who works at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and has three children — two are currently attending college at the University of Nebraska, and a 5-year-old who he says "takes up most of our free time." Brent is also involved with the Nebraska Cattlemen.
Brent says he "has a strong commitment to the stewardship of our natural resources. In addition I enjoy educating producers involved in agriculture. Sound science-based information coupled with sound experience can have an impact on our industry."
Jerry Volesky
Advisor, UNL
402 W. State Farm Road
North Platte, NE 69101
308-696-6710
jvolesky1@unl.edu
Jerry D. Volesky is the Range and Forage Extension Specialist for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and works out of the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte. He serves as advisor to the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, and has been involved with the group for 10 years.
Jerry says, "The Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition is a unique organization that has grassland managers and producers as the stakeholders. It provides a great forum for exchange of ideas, information and education on the sustainable and profitable management of grasslands."
Jerry is also involved with the Society for Range Management, previously serving as president of the Nebraska chapter; the American Forage and Grassland Council; and the West Central Weed Management Area.
Jerry is married to Teresa and has one son, Nicholas.
Scott Cotton
Vice Chairman
250 Main St., Ste. 8
Chadron, NE 69337
308-432-3373
scotton2@unlnotes.unl.edu
Scott currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, and has been with the group since 2006.
He has been involved in grazing lands and ranching since early childhood. From 12-30 years of age he was a hired cowhand for large ranches while running his own cattle and pasture. He finished four college degrees in Animal Science and Range Management before starting work as a Range Extension professional with the University of Wyoming, Colorado State University and now the University of Nebraska. As a past Section president for the Society of Range Management and Natural Resources Chair of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, he has integrated management of grazing at work and at home for the last 38 years. Scott was one of the first people certified as a Professional Rangeland Management Consultant, and has tried to encourage wise management of this resource every day.
Scott has been involved three years with the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, ten years with the Colorado Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, and two years with the Wyoming Grange when it was first discussing the need for technical grazing assistance. He has made two presentations at National Grazing Conferences.
Scott has also been actively involved with: Society for Range Management, National Association of County Agricultural Agents, Farm Bureau, Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska, Nebraska Cattlemen, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, Nebraska Livestock Emergency and Disaster Response Service, Soil and Water Conservation Society, and a number of local organizations.
He is married and has six children, all who are grown but one. He also has one brother who is a producer in Wyoming and Montana as well as a 32-year ag teacher, and one sister, who is a producer in Florida. His family has a long history of managing grasslands, cattle and horses back to 1882 in southeastern Montana.
Scott says, "Grazing lands support the bulk of agriculture production in our state. Nothing rings truer than landowners helping other landowners learning to manage using the best approach. I have watched groups of landowners make significant improvements on the face of three states. No other group has had this direct of impact for better conditions and cultural sustainability. It's a privilege to be associated with this group."