Nebraska: Water, Cattle, Manufacturing and Tourism

Nebraska's Sandhills have a unique beauty all their own.  Expansive grasslands as far as the eye can see growing under beautiful enormous skyscapes.  Most travelers totally miss it when crossing our country, thinking the entire state of Nebraska is but a wasteland!  

Loup River
in Sandhills
of Nebraska

Almost all of Nebraska covers the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides filtered pure water to man and beast alike, inviting migratory birds and other wildlife to feast there as well.  The Ogallala Aquifer is replenished by snow and rainfall, and due to depth and acres covered, Nebraska accounts for about 67% of the volume of the Aquifer's groundwater (Texas and Kansas account for 10% each).  The total water storage is about equal to that of Lake Huron, providing irrigation from the High Plains to almost 14 million acres in Nebraska (46%), Texas (30%) and Kansas (10%).  For more information: Water Encyclopedia

Irrigation from the Ogallala Aquifer certainly helps Nebraska produce great grain crops and the Sandhills grasslands produce some of the world's best beef.  According to the Nebraska Beef Council, Nebraska's economic engine is fueled by beef cattle raised throughout the state - $6.5 billion cattle sales impacted its economy by $12.1 billion in 2009.  

Sandhills
Traffic Jam

The top 3 beef producing counties in the entire U.S. are in Nebraska - Cherry, Custer & Holt Counties.  Nearly 5 million head of cattle are marketed in a state with only 1.8 million residents (2010 Census).  The Nebraska Beef Council claims Nebraska produces more cattle per resident than all other states, including Texas and California. 

Choice cuts of beef can be ordered directly from Nebraska ranchers, which they deliver to any place so long as it is located in the United States.

Nebraska's work ethic has driven growth of manufacturing as well.  The list of Nebraska manufacturers is quite surprising; for example, Loup Valley Machinery & Mfg's molded waterproof electrical connectors made in Burwell - gateway to the Sandhills.  As of October, 2011, Nebraska's jobless rate is only 4.2%;(2nd only to North Dakota's 3.5% jobless rate, thanks to an oil boom). Why go to China when it can be made in Nebraska.

See some of the wild, wild West at Nebraska's Big Rodeo smack in the middle of ranch country.  Take your family to see the "real deal" - buckin' broncos, calf roping, barrel racing, and bull riding complete with clowns narrowly escaping those horns!  Chow down on Nebraska's choice steaks at the local Legion Club or enjoy some fine cuisine at the Sandhills Grill. Drive around the area and enjoy!

Nebraska's Big Rodeo is in Burwell, which is only a 3-hour scenic drive out of Lincoln, Nebraska's capital, along the Loup Rivers Scenic Byway.  But don't take my word for it - go see all of Nebraska's Scenic Byways - or take a virtual tour with the video at right (best view is full screen).

The NEBRASKAland Magazine is a treasure trove of interesting history and events held in Nebraska, including wildlife photos.  You will also find wonderful photos and descriptions of the Sandhills' landscape and its plant and animal life on Kody Unstad's website: The Nebraska Sandhills 

Global Migrating Traders

Is trading in this global world of finance still too much to grapple with? Try comprehending something more complex, yet much easier to understand - because we simply accept forces of nature like these Global Migrating Traders.

Major players in Nature's Global Trading Exchanges are the Sandhill Cranes, much larger than snow geese. In March the Sandhill Cranes migrate from their winter homes spread across northern South America, fly north through a narrow band across Nebraska, to arrive & again spread out across their summer home in Canada. These large cranes are especially graceful despite 7 ft. wing spans and squat bodies balancing on spindly legs. Watch their dance moves in the sidebar video shot by Harold Silver in southern Ontario.

As the Sandhill Cranes traverse a narrow route across Nebraska's beautiful Sandhills, they stop for several weeks to rest and mate along a 50 mile-wide stretch of Nebraska's Platte River near Kearney. This wildlife spectacle of graceful cranes swoop up each night in the sky & land gracefully on sandbars in the Platte to roost overnight. It is a sight to behold while visiting Nebraska in March.

Let's not forgot 500,000 snow geese, trading places from the north to the south, that gather in Missouri's Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Their chattering as they roost for the night sounds like Nature's Global Trading Exchange every Spring and Fall.