UNL Emeritus Extension Educator, Keith L. Glewen, has provided educational programs over a 40 year Extension career serving the needs of clientele locally, statewide and regionally.
Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement
Tribute Citation
Keith L. Glewen
2025 Honoree
Delivered by:
Chuck Burr, Extension Educator
March 28, 2025
Keith Glewen grew up on a dairy farm in Fond du Lac County Wisconsin near Alto, a conservative Dutch community. His great-grandfather who immigrated from the Netherlands, purchased a parcel of glacial till land in 1853 and cleared white, burr, red oak and shagbark hickory trees from the land. He built a log cabin, and, in 1857, quarried limestone blocks to construct a new home.
Keith’s grandfather and later his dad grew hemp as a cash crop for the U.S. Navy for the WW I and WW II campaign as it was a source of sisal rope. On the farm his family raised dairy cattle, hogs and a small beef herd. Keith learned to love science from his junior high school science teacher. Keith competed in regional and national crop and soil judging contests and found them extremely gratifying and one of the best experiences of his four years at University of Wisconsin at Platteville earning his bachelor’s degree in crop and soil science (1975). Keith headed west and enrolled in graduate school at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln to study agronomy with specific focus on partitioning genetic variability for seedling growth in Sand bluestem, Andropogon hallii Hack. He spent the first four years of his career as an agriculture technician in the Agronomy Department. In 1980 (the same year he earned his master’s in agronomy from UNL), he transitioned to an educator role with Nebraska Extension in Saunders County. Keith is a 50 plus year member of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and has presented educational program impact at the national conferences. Keith Retired in January 2021.
While working with Nebraska Extension, Keith Glewen had local, regional and statewide program responsibilities for agronomic and natural resource/environmental related issues, with a focus on developing programs for growers, as well as crop consultants and industry agronomists supporting farm operators in the Midwest Region. He secured funding for various research and education programs. And he developed effective partnerships with many farm operators and commodity organizations. While Keith provided numerous programs over his tenure, some of his hallmark programs include the
Crop Management Diagnostic Clinics, Soybean Management Field Days, the Nebraska Cover Crop Conference, and the Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo. In working with commodity boards, Glewen secured funding to implement research and education programs. Glewen received grant funding well in excess of $1 Million throughout his career to support his programming efforts.
Crop Management Diagnostic Clinics
Keith Glewen helped establish the Crop Management Diagnostic Clinics in 1996 to fill a need for hands-on, field-based training in Nebraska. Agriculture business representatives, crop consultants and educators were seeking comprehensive training that provided CCA credits, and many had been leaving the state for training. This was considered one of Nebraska’s premier hands-on training sites for agriculturalists in the Midwest. The Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic site was also utilized for Youth Crop Scouting Competitions for state competition and regional contests, further expanding the reach of the crop management education programs. Over 9,300 attended from 1996-2019. Survey impact from the 2019 program included 240 participants from 36 Nebraska counties and 6 states (IA, IL, KS, MO, NE and SD), as well as Manitoba, Canada. Total acres managed or influenced by producers: 82,431, total acres managed or influenced by advisors/employees: 3.2 million acres. Estimated value of the knowledge gained and/or anticipated practice changes on a per acre basis was $9.04 per acre bringing the estimated total value of the program to $28.7 million.
Soybean Management Field Days
Keith helped develop the Soybean Management Field Days in a partnership with the Nebraska Soybean Board that provided opportunities to learn how to profitably apply the products of technology and research at the farm level. The field days were conducted at 4 different farms or sites across Nebraska each year. Attendance during Keith’s tenure for in-person field days (1999-2019) was 9,652. Average $ per acre reported gained by participants from 1999-2019 was $8.58 per acre. The average number of producer acres represented for the 21 years was 449,515 producer acres and average estimated value of knowledge gained and/or anticipated practice changes at $3.86 million. Soybean Management Field Days celebrated 25 years in 2023 and continues on today.
Nebraska Cover Crop Conference
The 2020 Nebraska Cover Crop Conference was one of the last in-person programs before pandemic shutdowns occurred. The conference attracted 231 participants from 43 Nebraska counties and 5 states.
The estimated value of the knowledge gained and/or anticipated practice changes on a per acre basis was $11 per acre bringing the estimated total value of the 2020 program to $18 million. 95% noted the program was “one of the best” or “above average”. These numbers were consistent with impact in previous years, as this popular program always drew in a packed house and has now grown into the Eastern Nebraska Soil Health Conference.
Nebraska Soybean and Feed Grains Profitability Project
Keith Glewen was in on the ground floor of developing the Nebraska Soybean and Feed Grains
Profitability Project (NSFGPP) - an on-farm research partnership among Nebraska farmers, agribusiness (crop consultants, seed dealers, etc.) and Nebraska Extension faculty. Together partners analyzed farmers' production and marketing systems, then identified potential agronomic practices or marketing strategies that could lead to a more profitable farming operation.
Before this project transitioned into the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network, farmers and industry cooperators boasted of the benefits. Here are some examples from a survey of NSFGPP farmers and agribusiness representatives: In the early 2000’s, 62 NSFGPP private industry cooperators and farmers, with average project tenure of 5.75 years, represent more than 150,000 acres of cropland. Forty-six farmers, representing 40 farm operations, estimated that the NSFGPP project improved their profitability by an average of $7,768/operation annually for a cumulative impact of $310,720 annually. Private industry cooperators estimated the annual value of the project to their businesses to be $5,253 annually, or cumulatively $84,048 annually.
The Nebraska Soybean and Feed Grains Profitability Project has evolved into today’s Nebraska On-Farm Research Network and is considered one of the leading applied research programs in the country. Annually, more than 100 on-farm research sites focus on farmer-driven questions, where growers determine answers using their equipment, land and farming practices to evaluate new products, practices and technologies. This program continues to grow and expand rapidly.
Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo
The long-running expo that Keith Glewen coordinated was and still is a mainstay for many growers to attend in the winter to obtain helpful production and marketing tips to utilize in the upcoming year. The 2019 Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo attracted 272 registrants from: 73 Nebraska cities, 26 Nebraska counties and 3 states (IL, KY, and NE). Comments from growers demonstrate why the expo is important to their operations, such as: “The things that you learn at the expo help build a foundation. You can start to filter out what has been effective. It’s always good when you hear something that solidifies what you have been doing and that you have been doing the right things.” The Fremont Corn Expo followed the same blueprint and became one of eastern Nebraska’s premier comprehensive agriculture programs.
Pandemic Programming
Keith also helped spearhead bringing the Crop Management Diagnostic Clinics and Soybean
Management Field Days online during the Covid pandemic in 2020, offered via e-learning online options with Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) continuing education credits. He also brought the Nebraska Soybean Expo online, as well, so that growers could continue learning during a challenging time.
Keith was a strong champion of strong county-based commodity organizations. He was instrumental in underpinning the success of the Saunders County Livestock Association, Soybean Growers Association, and Corn Growers Association. His unique ability to foster synergistic relationships, energy and impact with these farmer and agribusiness led organizations created an amazing culture and environment focused on innovation and adoption of best agricultural practices.
Keith and his wife Sherry of 33 years are proud parents of 5 children and 11 grandchildren. Keith is an avid agronomist and continues to nurture plants in his greenhouse and garden and is a frequent attendee and supporter of extension and sporting events.
In recognition of a lifetime of exceptional contributions through education in crop production and a loving model husband, father, grandfather, and indeed an outstanding leader for all of Nebraska agriculture – the Nebraska Hall of Ag Achievement proudly bestows upon Keith L. Glewen the 2025 Honoree Award.
