Six plus years of research on Palmer amaranth, sugar beets, and a new herbicide were recognized at the annual Gamma Sigma Delta Nebraska Chapter awards reception in Lincoln when Dr. Nevin Lawrence received the 2025 Outstanding Extension Program Award.
“Nevin developed a highly relevant research and extension program focused on weed management in crops commonly grown in the Nebraska Panhandle, including sugarbeet, dry bean, sunflower, potato, and other specialty and minor crops,” said Martha Mamo, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Agronomy and Horticulture Department Head.
Lawrence is an Associate Professor in the UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture and Nebraska Extension and Weed Management Specialist at the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff. He has been working closely with growers and the Western Sugar Cooperative in Scottsbluff for several years on the herbicide-resistant weed Palmer amaranth, a veritable powerhouse producing thousands of seeds per plant.
Beginning in 2018, Lawrence initiated research on metamitron, an herbicide not previously registered in the United States, for control of Palmer amaranth in sugarbeets. Between 2018 and 2023, his program generated the critical data needed to establish crop safety, application rates, and integration strategies. Based exclusively on this research, and following industry advocacy, the U.S. EPA granted a Section 18 Emergency Exemption for Goltix® (metamitron) in 2023 for 38,000 acres of sugarbeet in Nebraska and Colorado.
“Nevin’s work delivered a transformative impact for the sugarbeet industry. Palmer amaranth infestations had caused yield losses of up to 60%, threatening the economic viability of production,” said John Westra, UNL Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center Director.
The adoption of Goltix and an extensive Extension effort reached over 700 growers and addressed more than 75 producer inquiries in 2024. His program generated an estimated $7.8 million in yield savings and more than $21 million in economic impact in a single year. The success of this work led to the expansion of the Goltix label to Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon in 2025, extending its regional and national influence. In recognition of these contributions, Nevin received the Western Sugar Cooperative Award for Exemplary Research Achievements, the first time the honor was awarded to a university faculty member and was invited as a featured speaker at the WSG Ag Symposium.
“Nevin also plays a key role in organizing and delivering flagship Extension events such as the Panhandle Agriculture Research and Technology Tour and the High Plains Weed Management Field Day, both of which are well attended and highly valued by growers and industry,” Mamo said.
Lawrence also contributes to updating the “Guide for Weed, Disease, and Insect Management in Nebraska” (Extension Circular 130), one of the state's most important pest management resources.
