Nebraska is an agricultural state with its farms and ranches utilizing 44.8 million acres acres which is about 92% of the state's total land. Out of all those farms and ranches, about 48% of them have livestock or poultry operations. In more recent years however, there has been an ever-growing increased risk of zoonotic diseases especially of variant influenza strains such as high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and swine flu.
With that being said, in-depth resources related to these zoonotic diseases are currently lacking in Nebraska. This is exactly what we are hoping to address with our Youth in Agriculture project to keep you and your animals healthy! By collaborating with partners at UNL, UNMC, Nebraska FFA Association, and 4-H we have been working on creating online modules, training events, and even a game in the app store to teach youth about zoonotic diseases and careers in One Health!
For more information about this project or to access any of these educational materials please visit the Youth in Agriculture page on UNMC's website.