The University of Nebraska celebrated the completion of its new feedlot research, teaching, and extension center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 27. Located at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead, Nebraska, this state-of-the-art facility is set to advance research projects, teaching, and extension opportunities in the field of livestock production.
Named the Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center, the facility honors the late John Klosterman and his wife, Beth, of David City, Nebraska. The University of Nebraska Board of Regents is expected to formally approve the facility’s name in August. Beth Klosterman, a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation, and her late husband have been long-time supporters of the university and its Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Klosterman family has been involved in cattle feeding in Nebraska for five generations.
“Our dad was proud to be part of Nebraska’s agriculture industry and passionate about connecting with others who shared his commitment to advancing livestock production and natural resources stewardship,” said Meg Klosterman Kester, representing the Klosterman family during the ribbon-cutting event.
The $7.2 million facility received $5.5 million in private support through the University of Nebraska Foundation. Major donors included JBS USA, Greater Omaha Packing Co. Inc., Farm Credit Services of America, and Dennis and Glenda Boesiger.
“The Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center will support the university’s land-grant mission and the advancement of our state’s largest industry—agriculture,” said Rodney Bennett, chancellor of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “This public-private partnership will allow faculty and students to participate in groundbreaking beef research and enable producers and industry partners to see how new technologies perform in a commercial-scale feedlot.”
Among the largest research feedlots in the world, the center offers commercial-scale open-air and covered pens, a 240-head feeding facility for precision feeding technology studies, and state-of-the-art equipment for low-stress animal handling. The facility also includes an enclosed classroom for hands-on student experience and workforce training in Nebraska’s beef industry.
“The Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center is another example of where ag innovation meets Nebraska’s growing bioeconomy,” said Mike Boehm, Harlan Vice Chancellor for IANR and NU vice president. “The center is designed to inspire collaboration and innovation, ensuring that advancements in beef production happen first in Nebraska.”
The new center is part of the university’s Beef Innovation Hub, aiming to enhance beef production, economic vitality, and natural resources stewardship through research, education, and extension. Cattle will arrive at the facility later this summer, with research projects, classes, tours, and learning opportunities to follow.
Additional philanthropic support came from the Terry Klopfenstein Fund and the August N. Christenson ARDC Excellence Fund. Pending formal approval, one of the buildings in the complex will be named the Terry Klopfenstein Feed Technology Center, in honor of the late Terry Klopfenstein, a pioneer in the university’s ruminant nutrition program.
“This state-of-the-art facility will support the Nebraska beef industry by paving the way for world-class research, providing hands-on training for students, and giving beef industry partners a testbed for new and emerging technologies,” said Brian F. Hastings, president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation.
