Just as agriculture has shaped Nebraska, notable figures from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have shaped agricultural science and policymaking on a national scale.
The contributions by alumni and faculty over the years have impacted a wide range of fields, including agronomy, animal science, agricultural engineering, entomology, plant pathology, extension services, economics and natural resources management.
Thanks to those contributions, producers have seen higher crop yields and improved plant and animal health; overseas markets have opened to Nebraska agricultural exports; farm equipment is safer and more capable; and agriculture across our country has achieved greater efficiency and environmental sustainability, all thanks to Nebraska research.
These and other Nebraska contributions are key parts in the national story of America’s agricultural heritage and advancement.
Below, 13 University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni are discussed, all renowned for their vision and achievements in bolstering U.S. agriculture in their respective fields.
Charles E. Bessey
Botany, mentoring
Bessey, professor of botany and chancellor of the University of Nebraska from 1888 to 1900, provided vital leadership for the university during its early years. He championed the university as a unified institution that provided both classical and practical education.
His national contributions include developing a key plant taxonomy method and establishing the country’s first undergraduate botanical laboratory. Bessey authored longstanding undergraduate botany textbooks and pioneered the use of graduate seminars.
Additionally, he contributed to the crafting of federal legislation over the land-grant mission and served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Many students he mentored went on to have notable careers in science, business and law, several of which are notable Nebraskans highlighted in this article.
Jay Brownlee “J.B.” Davidson
Agricultural engineering
Davidson, considered the “father of agricultural engineering,” was born on a Nebraska homestead in 1880 and received all three of his academic degrees from the University of Nebraska. In 1914, he was the first person to receive a professional degree in agricultural engineering from the university at a time when that area of study was making crucial early contributions to farm mechanization.
Davidson spearheaded the creation of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (now the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) in 1907, serving as its first president. He later received its highest honor, the McCormick Medal, for his work. He wrote textbooks and technical bulletins, and he also supported the development of standards for farm equipment. Additionally, he successfully advocated for the recognition of agricultural engineering as a profession by the United States Department of Agriculture and oversaw a national farm machinery survey for them.
Clayton Yeutter
Trade policy
Yeutter, a native of Eustis who served as the United States trade representative and the United states secretary of agriculture, was a central figure in landmark 20th-century trade negotiations that opened up the global marketplace to United States agricultural exports.
“He was an incredibly skilled negotiator who could really land some of the biggest deals to open markets for American products,” said Warren Maruyama, a former United States Trade Representative general counsel.
Yeutter earned three degrees from the university (a Bachelor of Science in 1952; a law degree in 1963; and a doctorate degree in agricultural economics in 1966) and served as president and CEO of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange before his service in Washington, D.C. The Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance is also named after him.
William J. Loeffel
Meat science
Loeffel spent four decades developing improved meats as a faculty member and departmental leader at the university. He earned a Master of Science in zoology from the university in 1929, and received national and international recognition for his contributions to meats research, teaching and administration.
He worked with the National Research Council, Feed Industry Council, National Meat Review Committee, American Society of Animal Production, United States Department of Agriculture and many other agricultural societies.
Loeffel was the university’s first meat scientist and served at the College of Agriculture for 45 years, including 21 years as head of the Department of Animal Husbandry (now the Department of Animal Science). The department’s Loeffel Meat Laboratory is named after him.
Frederic and Edith Clements
Plant ecology
Frederic and Edith Clements studied under Charles Bessey at the university and received doctorates in botany (1898 and 1904, respectively). Often compared to another science-focused couple, Pierre and Marie Curie, the Clements jointly made key contributions in developing plant ecology as a discipline. Many components of their approach to understanding plant succession remain influential in 21st-century plant studies.
Edith was the first woman to receive a doctorate from the University of Nebraska. She specialized in phytogeography (the geographic distribution of plant species) and was a talented botanical artist.
William Brokaw
Extension
Brokaw, born on a Seward County farm near Milford in 1877, was the central architect in creating the Nebraska Agricultural Extension Service, for which he served as director from 1919 to 1947. He was also a key leader in Nebraska in establishing soil conservation work and the 4-H program.
He worked with state and federal leaders, serving on the National Extension Committee and the President’s Committee on Farm Tenancy. He helped develop the Farm Security Administration’s Tenant Purchase Program and was twice called upon by the Franklin Roosevelt administration to report on the agricultural situation in Nebraska.
Franklin D. Keim
Agronomy, mentoring
Keim, professor and chairman of the Department of Agronomy from 1932-1954, is recognized for his achievements involving plant genetics, weed control, native grasses and pasture utilization. A native of Hardy, he received a Bachelor of Science from the university in 1914 and a Master of Science in 1918.
He was a fellow and president of the American Society of Agronomy and was active in the National Genetics Society of America, National Academy of Sciences, American Association of the Advancement of Science and numerous other professional organizations. The United States Department of Agriculture inducted him into its American Research Science Hall of Fame.
Keim mentored many future agronomists during his time at the university, including Nobel Prize winner and geneticist George Beadle.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Keim Hall, located on East Campus, is named in his honor.
Greg Ibach
Agriculture policy
Ibach, a native of Sumner, is a fifth generation farmer and rancher who is Nebraska’s longest-serving state director of agriculture. At the United States Department of Agriculture, he served as under-secretary for marketing and regulatory programs from 2017-21. In that leadership position, he led reform of biotechnology regulation, promoted traceability, expanded animal disease prevention and implemented hemp production regulations.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and animal science from the university in 1984. He was serving on the executive committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association when Mike Johanns, governor at the time, appointed him as assistant state director of agriculture. Ibach served as state director of agriculture from 2005-2017.
Theodore A. Kiesselbach
Agronomy
Kiesselbach, who trained under Charles Bessey and received a doctorate in agriculture from the university in 1918, was internationally renowned for his pioneering work in corn crossbreeding, corn hybrids and crop improvement. He played a key role in developing hybrid varieties of corn and helped improve other crops through his team’s research at the university.
In 1913 he developed the first hybrid corn variety in the western United States. He taught thousands of students during his four decades as a faculty member, and his 1949 research bulletin, “The Structure and Reproduction of Corn,” became a central reference for plant scientists nationwide.
Kiesselbach was named a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy early in his career and in 1951 received the Hoblitzelle National Award in the Agricultural Sciences, one of the most prestigious honors in agronomic studies.
George Beadle
Genetic science
Beadle, a native of Wahoo, shared the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for breakthrough research in cell function and biochemistry. He studied at the university’s College of Agriculture, earning Bachelor of Science in 1926 and Master of Science in 1927 under the mentorship of Franklin D. Keim.
Beadle and American scientist Edward Tatum shared the 1958 Nobel Prize for their research demonstrating the role of genes in regulating biochemical events within cells. Their approach shifted the scientific focus from tracking visible physical traits to mapping molecular functions.
Beadle later served on the faculty of the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University and Stanford. He was president of the University of Chicago during 1961–68.
In Lincoln, the university honors his scientific legacy through the Beadle Center, which houses advanced laboratories and offices for biochemistry, biological sciences and the Center for Biotechnology.
Robert K.D. Peterson
Entomology
Peterson, who received his Master of Science in 1991 and doctorate in entomology in 1995 from the university, is a prominent entomologist and past president of the Entomological Society of America.
His work focuses on agricultural entomology, risk assessment, and human-pest interactions, looking at key factors shaping biological and ecological systems. He is well known for his risk assessment research on comparative risks associated with insect-borne pathogens and management tactics.
William E. Splinter
Agricultural engineering
Splinter earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from the university in 1950 and served for decades as a professor and academic leader. He was the fifth agricultural engineer, and the first Nebraska engineer, to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He was also elected as president of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and later served as president of its foundation.
At the university, his leadership included serving as department head and the Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources’ vice chancellor for research. Splinter had a lifelong interest in tractor design and performance, and the university’s Splinter Research Laboratories house the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, teaching and research labs and a precision machine shop.
Source: news.unl.edu
