93
Let’s hear the story of Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry Agriculture, and the people who make it happen. Sponsored by Nebraska's Law Firm® - Rembolt Ludtke.
93
Brad & Libby Wilkins--A Family Legacy of Leadership
In this episode, we sit down with Brad Wilkins and his daughter Libby Wilkins to explore leadership across generations. Brad runs Pride Grain near Ainsworth and serves his community as a local school board leader, while Libby is a senior at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, serving as student body president and a member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
Though their leadership roles look different, both are guided by the same values—family, agriculture, hard work, and doing things the right way. Together, they share how those principles shape their approach to leadership, decision-making, and service, from rural Nebraska to a major university campus.
This conversation offers a thoughtful look at how leadership is learned, lived, and passed on—and why staying rooted in your values matters, no matter where you lead.
Nebraska, it's not just a place, but a way of life. It's 93 counties that are home to innovative individuals, caring community, and a spirit that runs deeper than its purpose. It's a story that should be told. Welcome to 93, the podcast.
SPEAKER_04:Welcome to 93. This is a podcast about Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry agriculture, and the people who make it happen. I'm Mark Folson, your host for today's episode, brought to you by Nebraska's law firm, Rembolt-Luty. And I'm also joined by my Rembolt-Lutti colleague, Tim Clare. Our guests for this episode are Brad Wilkins and his daughter, Libby Wilkins. Brad is the president and general manager of Pride Grain near Ainsworth and is a longtime member of the local school board. Daughter Libby is a senior at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. She serves as the student body president and is a member of the University of Nebraska Border Regents. Though their leadership roles look different, they share the same foundation, family, agriculture, hard work, and a commitment to doing things the right way. Brad Wilkins, Libby Wilkins, welcome to 93 the Podcast. Brad, let's start with you. Give folks your background.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, well, um, I am originally from Ainsworth, Nebraska. Um grew up there. Um how many kids in your graduating class? Uh I've always thought there were 55, but I was corrected recently. And I think we're down to about 46. So I count I counted the photos on the class graduating. So yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Were you val were you valedictorian? I was not. Oh, seriously. That surprises me.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. No, I was actually the salutatory. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:I knew you had to be up there. And after uh high school, where'd you go?
SPEAKER_02:Uh came to the University of Nebraska, uh, majored in ag honors, and uh the major that was destroyed by folks like you and me.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I think that's true, Mark. So it was a great major that uh but unfortunately they got rid of it. So after uh graduating from UNL, where'd you go?
SPEAKER_02:Uh I went to work for Conagra and uh worked for Conagra for about eight years, and then uh in in 1997 went back to the family farm and ranch and uh did that full time for about three years, and then I got involved in a uh feed and grain business. And the name of that is it's Pride Grain. Where at? It's uh we're located between Ainsworth and Bassett near Longpine. And family? Uh well I have uh my wife and then I have four children, and then uh my mom and dad are still uh living in the area. Um and so we have my oldest son just uh moved back a little over a year ago. Have a daughter in Atlanta and a son that's in Peoria, and then Libby.
SPEAKER_04:And Libby is here. Libby, give folks your background.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, also grew up in Ainsworth, Nebraska. I'm currently uh a senior in the agricultural leadership program at UNL. Um yeah, that's that's where I'm at.
SPEAKER_04:And you are the elected member of the border regions from the students, correct?
SPEAKER_00:Correct. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Why'd you run for that?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I uh I saw an awful lot of potential uh for growth, specifically within ASUN. So the the uh student government organization within UNL. Um, I saw yeah, just a lot of opportunity for students to get involved and make a meaningful impact on their campus. Um, and so I said, why don't why don't we take a stab at this?
SPEAKER_04:How is it serving on the border regions with Tim Clare?
SPEAKER_00:Oh boy, I tell you what, he has he has an awful lot of good wisdom. I would say some some great one-liners. Um, and yeah, I mean, he's just he's been such a mentor to me.
SPEAKER_04:Tim, is that true?
SPEAKER_01:Uh I don't know how to I don't know how to respond to that. But that that it's a passion. And and we are so lucky to have somebody like Libby on our on our board because she gives tremendous perspective of the student body and what's going on on campus that I'm not there every day. She is. She's boots on the ground and is telling us what's happening and what's important to the students, and so gives a great perspective. And she's you know, she's done a done a great job.
SPEAKER_04:Brad Pride Grain, how was harvest?
SPEAKER_02:It was long, Mark. It uh we had a slow start to harvest just uh because of the way the season was, and so um fortunately we had a good fall and uh were able to progress, but it was a definitely a slow start, and uh we finished our harvest uh on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. So it was uh nice to get it done.
SPEAKER_04:And are you are you do you have adequate storage capacity at Pride Grain or are you having to store some grain on the ground currently?
SPEAKER_02:You know, we actually do have adequate storage and uh even surplus, believe it or not, uh there was just a little disappointment, I think, from most of our farmers is the way that the year turned out as far as their yields were concerned. And uh yields and prices together combined to make it kind of a rough year out in the uh agricultural sector this year, at least for the cash grain farmer.
SPEAKER_04:So Ainsworth, what county? We're number 75. Is that Brown? It's Brown County, yes. Is it the county seat? It is. Okay. Yes. So Libya, I forgot to ask you what uh were did you were you valedictorian in your class?
SPEAKER_00:I was not. Well, I they changed it. By the time I was there, it wasn't valedictorian salutatorian. It was like, you know, if you got a 4-0 and there were there were several people and then an elected class speaker. So the class speaker was not me, but it was a girl who went to Yale. So I feel like it was it was okay. You know, I she deserved to uh speak at our graduation.
SPEAKER_04:And how many kids in your class?
SPEAKER_00:Um 40, 39, I think.
SPEAKER_04:So held roughly steady since dad was there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, ours was a big class, though. I would say that it's it has gotten smaller and smaller since I graduated.
SPEAKER_02:And ours was a small class. So I would say roughly um we're probably half. Uh our class size was about half what it what it was when I graduated.
SPEAKER_04:Brad, one of the ways you've given back is on the school board. How long have you served on the Ainsworth school board? Uh I believe I'll be starting my 14th year in January. And what's the biggest challenge of serving on that school board?
SPEAKER_02:2020 was an interesting time for all school board members. Um you know, there um there have always been challenges, but I think that um maybe people tend to be less civil than they used to be, especially with the advent of social media and things like that. Um there used to be a time when it was a face-to-face discussion of things, and now there's more of a social media uh uh aspect to it where people might say things that they wouldn't say in person. So, you know, even in small communities, that can be a challenge.
SPEAKER_04:You were named the 2024 Board Member of the Year by the Nebraska School Board Association. Uh what led to that award?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I'll tell you what, nobody was more shocked than I than I was to be named that. I mean, it that's a tremendous honor and uh just a privilege, you know, to uh to be considered even for that award. Uh I'd been involved with the Nebraska Association of School Boards for a number of years in different uh capacities. I've been on their legislative committee, and then uh we had an officer track. So uh I was part of the officer team for five years. And um, you know, it's just great work. The the association does great work in developing um school board members and just providing them with resources and opportunities for professional development. And um, so that that was been a great opportunity. And you know, education is just such an important part of uh, especially rural communities. You know, I talk about um that our schools are really uh drivers of economic development because in our communities we're gonna need to develop folks that want to come back and and be a part of our community and provide services and things like that. So, you know, I just I see our schools as being really important in small towns, especially.
SPEAKER_04:And in addition to the high school in Ainsworth, do you have elementary schools in some of the other cities or townships in the school district?
SPEAKER_02:We do not. There have been in the past, but now the elementary, it's it's a K-12 system, and we are the only one in Brown County. So Ainsworth is the is the only school system in Brown County.
SPEAKER_04:And where is Ainsworth if someone hasn't been there before?
SPEAKER_02:We're right along Highway 20. Usually, if I say that we're located somewhere between O'Neill and Ballantyne, uh that's pretty close to where we're at, right along Highway 20. And how far from the Niobrara River? Uh about 12 miles north.
SPEAKER_04:So Libby, let's uh shift the focus to you for a little bit. So uh what are your areas of focus as the student body president?
SPEAKER_00:I think that the the biggest thing that I came in with was I wanted to rebuild the culture of student government, you know. So ASUN, like I was talking about earlier, I I saw a lot of areas for growth. Um, and so and so one of the things that I wanted to do was invest in the senators so that they can do the projects that they want to do. Um, and so really just helping them overcome the obstacles that that come in their way. We we developed a uh senator retreat. So the first hopefully annual senator retreat um for any elected official, so I guess senators as well as uh committee members um that were elected. We did that the uh I guess it was Labor Day weekend, like the Sunday and Monday of Labor Day. Um, yeah, just to help develop those senator relationships. And uh we had a lot of new senators, people who had never been involved in student government before. Um, and so we did training during that time. And um, I think that that's been really helpful for the rest of our term. Um, we also had a leadership summit. So being an agricultural leadership student, I thought, you know, why do we not have something where all of the leaders from across campus can come together and uh, you know, just be invested in, right? Because those are the students that are the thermostatic campus. Um and so we were able to do that, and we had uh the chancellor and President Gold was there, and um, we had a leadership speaker, uh Dr. Lindsay Hastings, and um I would say those are kind of two of the of the big things that we've done during this term that have been a focus um that yeah, I would say a little bit over halfway through my term, I'm I'm really proud of.
SPEAKER_04:What leadership lessons have you learned from each other? Libby, I'm gonna start with you. What would you learn from your dad?
SPEAKER_00:Nothing beats hard work. Um, I think that growing up in small town Nebraska, and yeah, just the daughter of a guy who works really hard. Um it it did teach me that like things are not easy and and a job is not done until it's done. Um and so there was there was no uh time frame on when we were gonna be done irrigating. It was it was done when it got done. And a lot of times, uh a lot of times it took a lot longer than one would think because um I was actually able to to farm um just some of my own land. I rented and and farmed it when I was in high school um and with uh significant help from my dad. But um that was I learned a lot of leadership lessons through that experience. Um yeah, there were yeah, there were some good memories that we had there. Uh yeah, so I think just yeah, work, work hard and um yeah, just investing back in the community too, I think is is something that I just so um appreciate about him. And and I think that when you're in it and whatever, it's like, well, of course, yeah, you know, my dad's on the school board and he drives the bus. And wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second.
SPEAKER_04:He means he drives the bus.
SPEAKER_00:He was he was the bus driver for some of the, I mean, he had his his CDL, right? That's you just need a CDL to drive the bus.
SPEAKER_02:Right. Well, and then you have to take just the CDL.
SPEAKER_00:Sorry, it's not just the CDL. He he had he had a CDL and he had to take a class. But, you know, he was like, Well, I mean, I'm going to all these games anyways. I might as well just drive the bus, get paid to go, right? Entrepreneurial man that he is. So so, but yeah, he very um invested in the community.
SPEAKER_01:Did you figure out a money-making way to when you drive drove that bus?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I will tell you that um sitting in the hospitality room that they have for bus drivers, you learn you learn a lot. As a matter of fact, I found out most of the bus drivers that were there didn't realize that I was also a school board member. And I found out that most of the bus drivers actually run the schools that they work for uh because everything kind of goes through the bus driver. So, yeah, it was a it really is a great experience. And I I've kind of gotten away from it. It's been we've been fortunate. We have some other uh school board members who have kids in school that also um, you know, have their CDLs and have gone on to get their driving uh their credentials to drive the school bus. So we're fortunate because I know some districts struggle, but uh it was a great time and to be a part of uh that with my kids was super.
SPEAKER_04:Fun fact uh my mom was my school bus driver, and the bus was parked at our farm. And so I was the first one on and the last one off every day. So there are some benefits but some detriments to being the child of the school bus driver. They're always there. Brad, what what have you learned from Libby?
SPEAKER_02:I'll tell you the thing that that I am so proud of her is just that she doesn't shy away from making tough decisions. And uh I think that that's just an awesome thing. And uh, you know, her generation is gonna be faced with a lot of tough decisions. And um you know, I feel like that there may have been times that we kick the can down the road a little bit. And uh so I think I think the leadership of the future is gonna be marked with making tough decisions. And you know, the um the generation is also so team oriented and community oriented. I think that's a little different than it was maybe in my generation. So uh I I I feel confident in the future that that is being being developed here.
SPEAKER_04:Both of you were very active in FFA. Brad, you were active in high school and currently serve on the Nebraska FFA Foundation board. What impact did FFA have on you?
SPEAKER_02:I I would say that FFA probably had the greatest impact on my leadership development of anything that that I did uh in high school. Um just you know, the the world was a little bit bigger place when when I grew up and it a trip to Lincoln was kind of a big deal back in those days. And uh, you know, getting out and uh just being exposed to uh the world of opportunities that that exist. Um that was that was a big thing. And you know, I just I some of my colleagues that were on the Nebraska School Board Association, um, you know, one was a school board member here from Lincoln, and we were setting around and just visiting about our experiences and you know, leadership development and things like that. And you know, three of us had been actively involved in in FFA in high school. So, you know, FFA has a tremendous impact, not only in the agricultural sector, but also on the leadership of our state.
SPEAKER_04:Libby, you were very active even serving as a state FFA officer. What what did FFA do for you?
SPEAKER_00:I mean, very similar. Um, I think that it connected me with a lot of people, um, even several of the people that I know today. Um, and I think that it really did tee up opportunity for leadership at a different level. You know, um, I was even I was talking to my parents the other day about how lucky I am to have had all those years of parliamentary procedure practice. It's like, yeah, I totally know what's going on at the Board of Regents meetings.
SPEAKER_04:Um and have you had to correct Regent Clare on uh any mistakes he's made?
SPEAKER_00:No, not Regent Clare. I don't think so. I don't think so. But uh I would say some are more uh are are more fluent in Robert's rules of order than than others. Um but no, I I just think uh that is this it's a small thing, but um that is one thing. And and even within uh my state officer year, having the opportunity to connect with business and industry leaders across the state was such a cool opportunity. Um yeah, some of some of the greatest leaders within are within Lincoln and honestly throughout the state in the agriculture industry.
SPEAKER_04:What do you want to do with your degree? You're on the cusp of graduating, correct?
SPEAKER_00:I am on the cusp of graduating.
SPEAKER_04:What's next?
SPEAKER_00:Well, um, I actually just accepted an offer a couple of weeks ago um to be a focused missionary. So the fellowship of Catholic University students.
SPEAKER_04:Do you know where you'll go?
SPEAKER_00:I do not. So um in March I'll figure out where I go to training, and then I won't know until uh May what campus I'll be at.
SPEAKER_04:And how long what of a com time commitment is that?
SPEAKER_00:It's a two-year commitment.
SPEAKER_04:Okay. Good for you. Um Let me segue a little bit. So let's we're in the Christmas season, and this episode may actually run on Christmas Day. Are there any Wilkins family traditions that you look forward to for Christmas? What's the what's on the what's on the table for Christmas dinner?
SPEAKER_00:We typically have turkey. Turkey. We we have a brunch on like I mean, as we've gotten older and you know, my brother has his own family. We aren't actually doing our Christmas traditions on Christmas Day. But uh we have brunch. My mom has a famous coffee cake recipe that she always makes. Um I think every year we've started opening presents a little bit later and a little bit later. So sometimes we get done in time for lunch, sometimes we have to pause and and come back to opening presents.
SPEAKER_02:But the grandchildren are getting older, and so I think that probably that's uh we probably reach the latest and we're gonna start getting earlier and earlier as we as we go forward here.
SPEAKER_04:How many grandchildren do you have?
SPEAKER_02:Four.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So It's it's and that's my oldest son that's moved back. So they live uh on the pretty well, actually on the farm that I grew up, about um less than a mile from the house that I grew up in. And uh so they're they're less than 10 miles from where we live, so we get an opportunity to see them regularly.
SPEAKER_04:So if you're gathered as a family, and let's assume uh Brad or Wendy are not cooking, uh what's a what's your favorite eating spot in the in Brown County or the region?
SPEAKER_02:Wow, the the uh the the venues have gotten uh less over time. Uh Big Johns is kind of a famous breakfast spot, uh, but uh there is the elbow room in Johnstown, which I would recommend if uh if you want a good steak, stop at the elbow room. Also, there's Sandhills Lounge in uh in Longpine, and uh I prefer their uh chicken fried steak. Libby, what would you add to that?
SPEAKER_00:See, the Pizza Hut in Ainsworth, Nebraska, it's a classic, okay? I mean, it won like awards, like worldwide. There are Pizza Huts like everywhere in the world, and they won worldwide awards for their pizza when I was in middle school and high school. So, you know, there they got new managers, so I don't know that they're quite at world class anymore, but it's still good. And um, so yeah, I I would always take a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut.
SPEAKER_04:This Christmas season, Libby, what are you most thankful for?
SPEAKER_00:Man, there's so much to be thankful for. Um, I think as I'm as I'm coming to the close of my college career and just reflecting on um on all that has happened over the past four years, I just am continually grateful for all of the people who have poured into me and all of the people who have invested in my leadership, um, whether that be leadership professors or uh, you know, my state FFA advisors or people within the Ainsworth community who have just stayed in contact and been great cheerleaders. Um and I think that now more than ever, as I look back, you know, I see that it really does take a village to raise a child. And I am just so grateful for for the community, the village that raised me.
SPEAKER_04:Brad, what are you most thankful for?
SPEAKER_02:Wow, I just uh I have so many blessings. It's hard to count them all, actually. I mean, I'm I'm thankful for family, I'm thankful for friends, I'm thankful for our community. Um it's just uh and good health, all those things that are just uh just the intangible blessings.
SPEAKER_04:In addition to the school board, what other ways have you been involved in the Ainsworth or Brown County community?
SPEAKER_02:Primarily through through the school board has been my activity. Um and that's that can kind of be a full-time, full-time job. I mean, there's a lot of work that goes on also with the other um county elected officials and things like that. But uh that that's been my primary involvement.
SPEAKER_04:What's the biggest challenge facing Nebraska grain farmers?
SPEAKER_02:Well, obviously the obvious one is low prices. Uh you know, right right now we've had several we've had several years with good profits and then and now we've got uh some some lower prices. But we also are on the cusp of uh of a really kind of a tectonic shift from one generation to the other. You know, the average farmer in Nebraska is getting older, and uh it's it we need young people to come back and be involved in production agriculture in our communities. And um we need to provide them that opportunity so that they can get out there and get involved and and be able to make a living for their families and to grow in our small communities. And I think that that's that's a real challenge. Um and I often say that, you know, in the in the past it was not uncommon for farmers who were, you know, didn't have a successor to their business that they would choose someone, a young person in the community that wanted to be involved in agriculture. And you know, they'd say, you know, this is how much you could pay for my farm and make it work, and and then they would come forward and oftentimes they would finance the uh the land and and carry that for those folks. And and uh, you know, that that's part of growing our communities. And I don't know that there's that same amount of willingness now, but we some of us who are maybe a little more entrenched are definitely gonna have to be involved in being bringing on that next generation.
SPEAKER_04:Lebby, what's the biggest challenge facing your generation, the next generation of leaders in agriculture?
SPEAKER_00:You know, I I think that there's going to be um a massive shift in what AI looks like in our generation. Um, you know, I think that it's gonna reframe a lot of the ways that we do work, um specifically within the agriculture industry, but really uh within our entire generation. Um and so I'm I'm curious to see how um how that plays out. But I really do, I really do have hope. Um, a lot of hope for our generation and the leaders that that we are developing that they will grab it by grab it by the horns and and figure out what's next for um for the industry.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I just think I think somebody like you, and I I wanted to ask this question earlier when your your dad was talking about the leadership and what made him proud of you. We had a a meeting a couple weeks ago where we were talking about budget issues, and these issues were issues that that involved the potential elimination of some courses, some some uh colleges. Um uh talk about the conflicts that you had and the different interests that you you represent and then how it was going to impact you, and to say, you know, I look at it, I looked at it from my standpoint, and I had people telling me, you don't care about the University of Nebraska, I said, how can you even say that? My family has put in over 90 years of work. My family has 26 degrees from the University of Nebraska, and we don't care about it. Talk about the your where you came from and and talk about your conflicts that you had and how you had to wrestle with that to come to the decisions that you came to in that particular on that particular meeting.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, um, I did have a really interesting uh viewpoint because obviously I represent the students um at the University of Nebraska. Um and and I represent the students who were in the programs that were proposed for elimination, and I also represent every student that wasn't in a program that was proposed for elimination. Um I also sat on the academic planning committee, so that's the committee that that convenes um after the chancellor proposes any budget reductions. Um they meet and they uh review everything. So we had hearings uh for every program that was proposed for elimination. We heard reasoning, we heard um, you know, alternative solutions in some cases, and and um and then we gave back a proposal to the chancellor. Um so that was an interesting seat to be in. Um and then obviously I also sit on the Board of Regents, which um in that role, of course, I'm I'm representing the students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, but I also get to see the broader picture of what's happening throughout the entire university system and and what is best for the entirety of um the university. Um and so I I think that the thing that that kept rolling around in my mind is um, you know, in in these situations, you just have to be so uh analytical and logical about all of these things, right? Like money is real and and um and cuts have to happen from somewhere. And there were, I got to sit in on some really, really great proposals for ways that we could merge programs or change things up, you know, whatever, um, to realize some um yeah, just just realize some of those those deficits. And then uh from an efficiency standpoint. From an efficiency standpoint, absolutely. Um and so yeah, really what it came down to for me was um, you know, what what is going to be best for the vast majority of students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Um and of course, you know, after sitting in uh on public comment for five hours and 18 minutes to be exact.
SPEAKER_04:Not that you were counting.
SPEAKER_00:Not that I was counting or anything. Somebody else told me that. I I wasn't I wasn't counting, I promise. Um, no, but I think it's it's easy to think that you know this must be what everybody thinks. Um but sitting in a position, something that I've learned this year, right? Sitting in in that seat, you're representing everyone, um, every student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and you have to think about what is best long term. Um and so yeah, it's it wasn't an easy decision. Um it took a lot of hours of of work to develop that decision, but um the yeah, I I just I didn't see any alternative options. And so I guess that's that was that was my wrestle. That was my wrestling match.
SPEAKER_01:So I think you take that type of of attitude where you're you're looking at it looking at a decision from from each and every angle, and uh, and you think about the future of agriculture and how you're going to be uh involved from a leadership standpoint, how you're gonna be able to make those decisions. Uh I think it's easy to say today that the young people of our uh in our state or in our country aren't um gosh, they don't work as hard as we do, or they're not as engaged or or whatever we want to say. Probably they got the they got it, they're smarter because we I'm looking at Brad and Mark, uh we we just we worked all the time and and probably didn't have a good balance, and we still are that way. Um but it's the only way we know, right? Uh the this generation is probably more uh balanced, and yet that doesn't mean that they're any any less engaged or any less uh motivated, um inspired. Um I I think you you look at the the uh the field of agriculture and we have leaders like Libby out there, um the field of agriculture is in very good hands.
SPEAKER_04:So did you have an opportunity to bend your father's ear before that uh difficult vote given that he served on a school board and my guess has made a few tough votes in in his tenure?
SPEAKER_00:Oh I'm sure I'm sure he has. Um I I just talked to him after it. Said uh yeah, yeah, no, I um those border regents weeks, I I wish I had more time to uh to call and and and pick my dad's brain, but it's yeah, it's a it's a pretty packed week. So I didn't get to, but but I talked to him afterwards, and that was that was a helpful call.
SPEAKER_04:Brad, was it what's the most difficult uh vote you've taken as a board member?
SPEAKER_02:I would say probably the biggest issue that faces us as a board is property tax. Um uh I remember that we had uh I think it was a a work session of the board, and uh we had a large number of of our uh constituents that were there. You know, they'd they'd been they'd seen their property tax valuations go up, like we in agriculture have seen for numerous years. We've seen our valuations go up. And uh, you know, the the they were told, well, you the biggest user of your property tax dollar is the school board. So you need to go talk to the school board about your property taxes. And uh, you know, it it was great because it was in a work session and we could uh openly dialogue about you know what we're doing, and and really I think a lot of people don't understand that 75 to 80 percent of your budget goes for salaries. So if you want to cut the budget, you're basically talking about cutting salaries and and cutting programs. And uh I find it it's hard to find someone, a constituent, that wants to cut any specific program or any specific teacher at a school. I mean, we want budget cuts, but we don't want to cut programs and we don't want to cut teachers. And so, you know, it's great for uh the public to be involved and engaged in seeing those things. And so um, you know, we we are as a board, we've been very um conservative with the spending uh that we have had. And I'm really proud of, you know, the the four years previous to this year, we had kept our tax asking as the same amount or virtually the same amount. Now, before we break our arms, patting ourselves on the back, you know, we had a huge influx of federal dollars that came during COVID, and it enabled us to do some things and use those funds to do things like update our one-to-one initiative with laptops to purchase some new curriculum and to do some things like that that otherwise would have been on the back of our taxpayers. Um this year we asked for, I think it was about a$70,000 increase in our tax asking. And that primarily was an inflationary um event caused by salaries, you know, that that uh we're we all realize that inflation is a real thing, and and you can't keep your staff at the same salary that they've been at. But um, you know, that that's that's been the challenge uh on a local school board is people you know very concerned about their property taxes. And uh I'm a I'm a property taxpayer as well. And uh our other board members, you know, uh some of the largest taxpayers in our in our county set on our board. But we recognize that we cannot cut our taxes at the expense of cutting our future.
SPEAKER_04:Brad, Libby, one question we ask all of our guests, and you get just one word. What is the one word that to you best describes the state in which you were both born and raised in Brown County? Brad, where you currently run Pride Grand, Libby, where you currently serve as the student body president at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. What's your one word for Nebraska? And I'm gonna start with Brad.
SPEAKER_02:My one word is integrity.
SPEAKER_04:Can you explain?
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody's watching. And I think that that describes Nebraska to a T. And especially in the part of Nebraska that we live in, uh there's a lot of wide open spaces and a lot of people work uh where there's not a lot of people watching them. And uh, you know, the people do their jobs for an intrinsic satisfaction, and it's really not for the applause of others. And I think that that describes Nebraska to a T. Libby, what's your one word?
SPEAKER_00:Grit. Um yeah, I I think that as I was thinking about this, um I I was thinking about a conversation that I had just last weekend with some of my friends who were um, you know, they were born in Kansas City or Denver, you know, bigger cities around. And um and we went around and we said, you know, what was your first job? Like growing up, what was your first real job that you got a paycheck for? Um and I was like, well, do I do I say I worked at the grain elevator for that, you know, that week in the summer? No, no, no. Like what was my real first job? So I worked at a hog farm in Brown County, and I mean, everybody's eyes just got wide. They're like, what do you mean? And I was like, yeah, you know, I I uh I was in the farrowing unit. So, so I would like my job was to bird the pigs. And they're like, What do you mean? Like, how do you how did you do that? And I was like, Well, I don't know if we're about to eat, uh I'll tell you later.
SPEAKER_01:Um, no, but I think that just was bacon and ham on the menu for the evening.
SPEAKER_00:No, it was probably yeah, which was probably good. Well, uh, yeah, yeah, but I think that just so many people in the state of Nebraska and uh yeah, specifically Brown County, right? They know what it means to uh to be gritty and to work hard and um yeah, to to fail and persevere and and keep on keeping on with your community at your back.
SPEAKER_04:Brad Libby, thanks for joining us. If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app, and share it with someone who might find it of interest. Please keep on listening as we release additional episodes on Nebraska, it's great communities, Nebraska's number one industry, agriculture, and the folks who make it happen.
SPEAKER_03:Thanks. This has been Nighty Three, the podcast, sponsored by Nebraska's law firm, Rembolt Ludkey.
