In August 2015, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources/Extension, in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska State Fair, opened Raising Nebraska in Grand Island, NE.
Now, seven years later, the partners are re-envisioning the educational venue, focusing on the topics of audience reach and ongoing sustainability.
WHAT WILL THE NEXT FIVE TO TEN YEARS LOOK LIKE FOR RAISING NEBRASKA?
This question helped frame a participatory process designed to inform the future of the venue and its role in educating public audiences about Nebraska agriculture and food production.
WHAT WE LEARNED
It was clear during the re-visioning sessions that our stakeholders and partners that Raising Nebraska continues to be a unique and valued resource in telling the story of Nebraska agriculture and food production.
At the same time, it was also clear that it is time to rethink the role that Raising Nebraska can and should play in the landscape of Nebraska ag literacy and outreach—shifting to a new model that puts less emphasis on new exhibits while leveraging the assets we have in place to deliver more robust and meaningful education and events.
ELEVATING WHAT WE DO
In response to the input gained during the sessions, we are building a “space within the space” at Raising Nebraska. The space will be an enclosed room and located along the west wall of Raising Nebraska, between the north side of the walkable map and the south edge of the kitchen seating space.
This room is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate a range of uses—from educational presentations to seminars, from hands-on activities to meetings. The space will be equipped with the latest technology needed to support these activities. We are working with an architectural design firm to ensure that the space is private, soundproofed, and versatile.
The exhibits that are currently located in the area where the new room will be built, will be relocated within Raising Nebraska.
Raising Nebraska will continue to be a valuable resources for schools,
youth audiences, community groups, visitors, etc. We will work to create a schedule that ensures this unique experience connects with as many people as possible in innovative ways.
We ask you to think about how you might use the new space we’re creating and how Raising Nebraska can partner with you in the future to imagine new and creative ways to reach students, consumers and your constituents/target audiences by leveraging the resources at Raising Nebraska.
To learn more about becoming a financial contributor to this project,
please contact Stuart Shepherd at sshepherd3@unl.edu
To discuss programming partnership and to reserve this space in 2024,
please contact Sarah Polak at spolak2@unl.edu
Thank you for your continued support for and engagement with Raising Nebraska.
