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Surf & Turf Ag Adventure Tour 2026 July 17-18, 2026

Since 1995, the Nebraska LEAD Alumni have welcomed busloads of urban and rural leaders to visit greater Nebraska on the Ag Adventure Tour. Groups have toured the state from north to south and from east to west, learning about the best of the state from its leaders. The Covid pandemic forced a temporary halt to these tours, but after a successful one-day adventure in 2024, we are ready to hit the road this summer with the Surf & Turf Ag Adventure Tour. Our focus this year is on Southeast Nebraska. Friday morning, July 17th, participants can park their vehicles at Country Inn and Suites, 5353 North 27th Street in Lincoln and board the motor coach to begin this adventure. Our first stop will be in Beatrice at World Lawn, makers of residential and commercial lawn care equipment. We are planning to meet with the former president of World Lawn, Mr. Hardy Shao, who will share his experience as an investor and entrepreneur of this and other business ventures. Our next stop will be at the soon to be completed Lower Big Blue Natural Resource Districts’ new facility to receive a presentation on their programs. We are hoping to also hear from a representative of the Nebraska Game and Parks to share on how they restock fish in ponds and lakes in the state. Immediately following this presentation, the motor coach will deliver us to Riverside Park in west Beatrice for a hamburger and hotdog picnic lunch provided by local LEAD Alumni members.
We will visit with the owner of Blue Valley Sod Farm (more turf!) as we head to our next stop, the Homestead National Historical Park. Park rangers will share a homesteading video and speak to us about the tallgrass prairie. We will have plenty of time to study the exhibits and displays both inside the Heritage Center and on the walking trails. Before checking into the newly renovated Holiday Inn Express, we plan to visit Envision Landscaping for more “turf talk” along with Q&A about landscape choices for sustainability in our area. After having a chance to catch our breath, we will be driven to Kala’s Savory Bites for social time and an excellent dinner. Saturday starts with breakfast at the hotel followed by a visit to West End Farm. This one-acre farm is operated by a young entrepreneur named Katie Jantzen. Vegetables and honey are sold at the local farmers market or as box bundles delivered to her customers on a weekly basis while in season. Our next highlighted stop will be to visit with Brent Ailes, owner of Ailes Detasseling. We are not exactly sure in which field we will find him and his group of hard working teens, but we will find them. Many folks have asked what is involved with detasseling corn fields and this will be an interesting eye-opening experience. Lunch will follow at the Flat River Grill and then we will hit the surf part of our tour at Blue Valley Aquaculture near Sutton. We will spend time with Cole Schelcoff who owns this family business which was established in 1999. At Blue Valley, there are 16 production ponds encompassing approximately 10 acres. They have an indoor hatchery facility with grow-out tanks and raceways exceeding 120,000 gallons of capacity. On our way back to Lincoln, a stop at Sandy Meadows Golf Course near Waco will give us one last turf stop. The tour bus will arrive back at Country Inn & Suites between 4 and 5 PM. As we are traveling on the bus or during meals, we will have different speakers on a variety of topics that should inform and entertain. We want our guests to have a chance to share their experiences with the group, too, so don’t be surprised if you find a microphone in your hand! The cost for this Ag Adventure Tour is $150 per person. This includes meals and a shared room – you have the option to select a roommate if you are sending more than one from your company or business. Otherwise, we will pair you up with a smoking or non-smoking individual (your choice – but smoking is not allowed in the hotel). If you choose to have a single room, there is an extra $75 charge. Please refer to the flyer for a registration form and instructions on where to send your form and payment. We request that you register by June 17 to secure lodging and space on the motor coach. If you find that you are unable to attend, we can offer a full refund through July 10th. Don’t miss this opportunity to join us for the Surf & Turf Ag Adventure Tour! For more information, contact Tim Graff at timary92@icloud.com or by text or phone at (402) 239-8394.
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