Leadership Kearney Class #35 October Session

Leadership Kearney Class #35 kicked off their Ag, Energy, and Environment Day with a breakfast at Birdie's & Brews in Kearney courtesy of Kearney Tire & Auto. From there, the class carpooled to KAAPA Ethanol in Ravenna, where they met tour guide, Phil Thorngate, Plant Manager. During the tour, the class learned about the impact the plant has on farmers and the agriculture industry while producing ethanol to help power the world. Phil spoke on the production of ethanol and the impact the company has on the state. Phil also explained the pride they take in helping local farmers by getting semis through the yard exceptionally fast during the unloading of corn process. Efficiency at the plant and efficiency for our farmers… win win.

The second stop was in Pleasanton to visit Megan Mayo, Chief Operational Officer at Sprout House. During the tour, the class learned that Sprout House grows, packages, and distributes 11 different herbs for two Walmart distribution centers which supply 300+ Walmart locations in middle America. In a typical week, the company produces 6,000 boxes. During Thanksgiving and Christmas, production increases to 25,000 boxes per week. Sage and rosemary are their most popular herbs. Other herbs that they grow are: mint, basil, chives, and parsley. For our next stop, across the street was Sweetwater Hemp Company where Chief Marketing and Extraction Officer, Brett Mayo, talked about the operation of manufacturing CBD and THC products - which are concentrations of hemp. The class learned that Brett uses all natural ways of production - only using water and ice to develop full spectrum oil and products, where other companies use chemical processes such as ethanol or butane for extraction.

We returned to Kearney and ate lunch at the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program where we had lunch courtesy of Raven Tech. While refueling, we listened to Mike Wilken, Certified General Appraiser, Real Estate Salesperson, and Owner of Agri Affiliates, Inc. Mike taught us about how he supports the Ag community. With an average of over 50 appraisals conducted annually, ranging from small 3-acre parcels to expansive land holdings exceeding 1,000 acres, bringing extensive experience in valuing a wide variety of land types and uses, and specializing in advanced property valuations for use in litigation, estate and succession, financial structuring, and corporate/commercial planning. Mike and his team take both time and decades of experience to accurately evaluate properties for buyers and sellers in Nebraska & Kansas.

We also learned from Jason Farnsworth, Platte River Recovery Implementation Program's Executive Director on the important work this program is doing for Piping Plover, Interior Least Tern, Whooping Crane and Pallid Sturgeon populations. The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program is a multi-state and federal partnership between Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and the U.S. Department of the Interior. It protects and restores river habitat for these four threatened or endangered wildlife species while allowing continued water and hydropower operations. Seeing the office and learning about the program, we got to then load up in our cars and head down to the Platte River and one of their private land projects to see firsthand the kind of habitat the PRRIP manages. Malinda Henry, Ph.D. Science Plan Coordinator explained how they track Tern and Plover nests, and the types of external influences that affect this nesting success like predation and quality of nesting site habitat.

Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) was the final tour of the day. There, the class heard from JT, Kevin, Grant, and Brian about the impact the company has on the state and the region. We learned that NPPD is based in Columbus, Nebraska and employs over 2,000 workers across multiple locations. NPPD serves an area population over 530,000. Coal and nuclear energy are the current dominant energy sources, but NPPD is also building a natural gas ‘on demand’ power plant south of Lincoln as they continue to expand the different energy inputs they use to power Nebraska!

Overall, an eye-opening and amazing day highlighting different types of Ag, Energy, and Environmental businesses right here in our own community.

Submitted by session historian, Craig Chamberlin.