The U.S. Department of Agriculture has moved into its new home in downtown Lincoln and looks forward to the space providing collaboration and enhancing scientific work to mitigate climate change.
On Friday, the USDA hosted a grand opening for its new facility at 1121 Lincoln Mall. The building, called 2 Landmark Centre, is similar to the other buildings built by the Lincoln-based NEBCO Inc. All three Landmark buildings are between the Capitol and County-City Building.
The new space is home to the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Chief Information Office — Client Experience Center. The two national NRCS assets, the National Soil Survey Center and the National Design, Construction and Soil Mechanics Center, are also in the new building.
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John Berge, the acting deputy administrator for farm programs for the Farm Service Agency, said the new building will allow the different departments and scientists to work closely together for the same objective. When Berge previously worked as the state executive director of FSA, they were nearly 10 miles away from their Natural Resources Conservation Service colleagues.
“This is not just about the agencies that reside here, but really a collaborative center,” Berge said. “Being in a shared space with a shared mission, understanding shared goals and perspectives … is a really important part of an effective and efficient government.”
Natural Resources Conservation ServiceChief Terry Cosby said the world-class facility allows the varying departments and scientists to work closely together in addition to continuing their work in a brand-new laboratory.
“With the help of this facility that we have here, we’re going to be out there doing great work and we’re going to be able to quantify that work,” Cosby said. “We’re going to depend on the many bright minds that we have here doing this work, and we’re going to continue to enhance our understanding of soil science.”
Two years ago, the Biden-Harris administration authorized the Inflation Reduction Act, which dedicated $19.5 billion over the span of five years to support USDA’s conservation programs.
“We’re looking at how do we mitigate the climate. A lot of those dollars have been put on the ground out there, but are they being put wisely there and making sure that we’re using the most advanced technology to make that happen,” Cosby said. “We don’t want to waste money.”
The USDA focuses on areas such as the mitigation of climate, soil erosion and water quality with soil samples. With the new lab, Cosby said they will be able to work with new techniques and technology to make sure their practices are the right steps for conservation.
“We know that climate change is real. We know that we’re having severe fires, we’re having tornadoes, we’re having flooding and just all of the natural disasters that we’re responding to,” Cosby said. “Soil is a foundation for all of that and so how we treat our soil is how it’s going to treat us. And so we’re here as a conservation agency to help make sure we mitigate some of the climate defects.”
In Nebraska, Cosby said the information is valuable when looking at corn and soybeans, as well as drought and drought mitigation. They also look at irrigation and water management.
“It’s going to help all of these things and make sure we keep our producers on the farm, make sure they have a good profit margin, and that’s the number one goal,” Cosby said.
While focusing on helping farmers, Cosby said this is something that affects all taxpayers as the taxes are investments into conservation.
“We just want the public to understand that the work that we do is valuable,” Cosby said. “We’re talking about clean food, we’re talking about clean energy, just all the things that folks out there need to really enjoy a happy life here in the United States.”
The work being done in the new building is spread worldwide. Cosby said they have information and samples coming for about 70 different countries as well as all 50 states and the territories of America.
“The work that our team does here is so important and we have dedicated staff,” Cosby said. “Their number one goal is to make sure that anything that we put on the ground or put on the land that is going to be there, is going to be beneficial. It’s going to be resilient as far as climate change goes.”
At the grand opening, a portion of the new space was dedicated to a former member of the team, Dr. Luis “Louie” Tupas. He began serving in 2020 as the NRCS deputy chief for soil science and resource assessment until his death in August 2023.
His wife, Jerme Tupas, helped unveil the dedication plaque Friday that will be on display in the Dr. Luis M. Tupas Memorial Library on the second floor. Jerme Tupas said the library was fitting as her husband loved to learn not only from books, but from experiences over the years with different people.
“Louie was a lifelong learner, a teacher and a scientist,” she said. “His thirst for knowledge is surpassed by his love for teaching people and sharing so I’m really happy to see that this library is dedicated to him, because I see him as a walking library.”
Tupas was remembered by his former colleagues for being an esteemed oceanographer, a trailblazer in climate science and a strong leader.
“His absence has been very strong, but his memory and legacy are just as strong,” Cosby said.
When Cosby joined as the administrator chief, Louie Tupas was one of the first people he met.
“Louie had a smile that was contagious,” Cosby said. “He was an innovator, he was a mentor, and his leadership is really why we’re here today.”