Where does my food come from? Do cows mind being milked? Why do farmers leave stalks in their fields? These are all questions you’ll find answers to – and more! – while exploring more than a dozen hands-on and interactive exhibits inside Raising Nebraska. Our exhibits let visitors experience Nebraska agriculture from several perspectives including food production, conservation, science, business, and consumption – all designed to engage and teach about your food and the families who grow it.
Exhibits
The Agri House
Discover a Nebraska home where farmers raise more than just food.
- Discover which everyday household items come from agriculture.
- Learn about renewable fuels like E85.
- Make a meal on the interactive placemat and learn where your food is grown.
- Learn about food insecurity by county and the number of children affected.
Drive a Combine
Climb into the driver's seat and experience harvesting crops.
- Learn about how farmers decide which crops to plant each year.
- Understand how farmers prepare their fields for planting and how they care for crops once planted.
- Drive a combine and harvest crops in a realistic simulator.
Control the Flow
Can you deliver the right amount of water at the right time?
- Discover how satellite technology, mapping, fiber optic sprinkler heads and more have an impact on a farmer’s field.
- Walk the length of a real, full-size irrigation pivot.
Grain Bin Theater
Now you can step foot inside a real grain bin.
- Watch brief films highlighting the diversity and passion of Nebraska agricultural producers.
- Learn how Nebraska family farmers and ranchers are using innovation, technology, and talent to grow more with less.
Trusted Voices
When you have questions about agriculture, who can you trust to give you good information?
- Watch brief films from real experts – scientists, farmers, and ranchers – who provide answers to common questions about agriculture.
- Get hands-on with our touchscreen technology.
Walkable Map
Nebraska is not as flat as you might think!
- Walk a giant topographic map of Nebraska.
- Experience the difference in elevation and precipitation as you travel across the state.
- Discover the six different ecoregions across Nebraska.
- Learn about the underground aquifers that supply most of the groundwater in the state.
- Read about the rich patchwork of soils that can be found in Nebraska.
Nebraska Stats
Nebraska by the Numbers
- Interact with the informative kiosk to view 100 years of rainfall data and learn about employment, life expectancy and crop data for each county in the state.
Living Soils
Nebraska agriculture is rooted in over 400 types of soil.
- See and touch a few of the different types of soil found in Nebraska.
- Learn what makes Nebraska’s soils great for raising crops.
Store to Farm, Farm to Store
Discover the full lifecycle of your food.
- Explore two exhibits designed to resemble grocery store displays
- Watch short videos tracking the journey of food
- Understand the path food takes from the store back to the farm
Milking Exhibit
Experience what it's like to milk a cow.
- Play with a modified milking machine and experience what cows experience when they are milked.
- Watch a short video showing how milk gets from a cow to the store.
The Amazing Egg
Examine the science of eggs in this larger-than-life display.
- Discover why some eggs are brown and some eggs are white.
- Learn about why and how eggs breathe, and how long it takes a chicken to lay an egg.
Ag Econ
Discover how Nebraska feeds a growing world.
- Explore Nebraska’s global reach by learning about the commodities that Nebraska exports worldwide.
- Interact with a digital map that highlights the top five countries Nebraska exports commodities to, complete with export values in US dollars.
Hog Feeder
Uncover the science of feeding hogs.
- Learn how feeding hogs goes beyond the traditional slop, with diets and care tailored with incredible scientific accuracy.
- Explore the specialized equipment used to provide hogs with the precise nutrients they need.
- Understand how farmers carefully regulate hog diets to ensure optimal health.
- See how farmers maintain comfortable and clean environments for their animals through our detailed hog barn model.
Beef Production Model
Explore the journey of beef production in Nebraska.
- Discover the three main phases of a beef animal’s life in Nebraska—from open range to the feedyard, and finally to the harvest facility.
- Learn about each phase with detailed interpretive panels that explain the processes involved.
- Gain insight into the sustainable and animal welfare practices that farmers, ranchers, and processors implement throughout the beef production journey.
Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts
Discover the importance of groundwater in the Central Platte region.
- View real-time data from a groundwater monitoring well located just east of Raising Nebraska on the Fonner Park grounds.
- Learn about various initiatives by the Central Platte Natural Resources district including scholarships, flood diversion projects, and K-12 programs.
Scale
Do you know how many piglets you weigh?
- Step on a real scale, solo or with a friend, to discover your weight in a variety of commodities.
- Learn how your weight compares to a number of piglets, gallons of ethanol, or potatoes.
The Circle Room
Explore educational pathways in the circle room.
- Raising Nebraska is a proud partner of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Learn about the diverse educational opportunities available through UNL.
- Get insights into the specialized programs offered by the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis.
Quiz Game
Challenge your agricultural knowledge.
- Test your expertise on GMOs or Careers in Agriculture with our versatile quiz game kiosk.
- Compete against other visitors in a format that blends learning and competition.
Evapotranspiration
Evaporation+Transpiration = Evapotraspiration!
Potato Exhibit
Nebraska is a meat AND potatoes state!
- Explore the different forms potatoes take in stores and food.
- See where potato production takes place in Nebraska.
- Unearth the reasons Nebraska is a great place to grow potatoes.
Soybean Reading Rail
Sprout your knowledge at the Soybean Reading Rail.
- Explore under a larger-than-life soybean sculpture that draws you into the world of soybeans.
- Read detailed information on soybean production in Nebraska and the diverse use of soybeans on flat reading rails.
- Discover how soybeans grow and learn about soybean meal and soybean oil through engaging flip books.
- See how soybeans are part of our daily lives with our interactive touch screen.
Corn Reading Rail
Pop into the world of Nebraska corn
- Read about how farmers are driving sustainable innovation on flat graphic panels.
- Discover the different types of corn, learn about detasseling, and explore the components of corn through engaging flip books.
- Look up! Our larger-than-life corn sculpture hangs overhead.
Outdoor
Outdoor
Outdoor
Outdoor
Outdoor
Outdoor
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Outdoor
River Walk
Walk through Nebraska's rivers
- Explore and learn about Nebraska’s major river systems by walking the pathways through the outdoor garden space.
- Learn about water supply and conservation and how crops are irrigated
Gardens
Explore our gardens of native Nebraska plants
- Explore the 100’ by 60’ outdoor gardens, shaped like the state of Nebraska.
- See a wide variety of crops, plants, trees and grasses positioned in the areas of the state where they are prevalent.
- Interact with on-site kiosks, interpretive displays providing educational information on home gardening, conservation and more.
