Jeff Yost, President and CEO of NE Community Foundation discusses the Endowment at the LEAD Alumni annual meeting.

25th Anniversary Celebration - Nebraska LEAD Program
LEAD Alumni Endowment Fund

The NE LEAD Alumni Association will match all donations up to $10,000. Help us make this fund drive great -- send donations to:
      Nancy Eberle
      Executive Secretary
      520 Road 20
      Bradshaw, NE 68319

Donation levels:
Diamond - $1000 and above
Platinum - $500 to $999
Gold - $250 to $499
Silver - $100 to $249
Bronze - $25 to $99

Click here for instructions on donating to the
LEAD Alumni Endowment Fund »

• If you are a member of the Nebraska Ag Relations Council and are interested in being a spokesperson to support Agriculture and Livestock in Nebraska, contact Craig Buescher, NE Ag Relations Council President. Craig is in the process of developing a "Speaker's Bureau" for the Council. The Nebraska Ag Relations Council is searching for people sign up to help "tell the story".  One of NAC's projects is to have speakers present the Nebraska Ag Industry Partnership (NAIP) livestock video at local meetings including local Chamber of Commerce, Zoning Boards, County Commissioners and any other interested parties.  Sign up now and become a part of this very worthy project.  Craig can be reached at alfalfaexpo@alltel.net or by phone at 402-262-2311.

NEVAP -- Nebraska Value Added Partnership

NEVAP is a collaboration of service providers who devote their time and resources to assisting entrepreneurs in developing value added enterprises. Approximately 20 partners currently participate. NEVAP began four years ago as a way to coordinate services relevant to value added agriculture and cooperative development in Nebraska. The partners consist of state and federal government, non-government agencies, non-profit organizations, Congressional representatives and Commodity Boards and Associations. NEVAP serves as a catalyst for communication and discussion in identifying the challenges and harnessing the opportunities facing value added agriculture in Nebraska.

If you have a value added project and need help with research and development, equipment or financial needs, please contact one of the NEVAP partners. NEVAP has worked on several projects, including but not limited to:

• Value Added Grants coordination
• Local food projects such as "Buy fresh, buy local", Nebraska's "Our Best to you", and others
• Nebraska MarketMaker
• Education on Agriculture Hot Topics such as Biodiesel, Ethanol and renewable energy sources.

For more information on the partners and NEVAP initiatives, check out the website at http://nevap.unl.edu or call Deb Yocum at USDA Rural Development at 402-223-3125, Ext. 4 or by e-mail at debra.yocum@ne.usda.gov.