BROOKINGS — The launch of the nation’s first four-year degree in precision agriculture and the establishment of the Raven Precision Agriculture Center have contributed to South Dakota State University becoming a national leader in precision agriculture technology.
The university has even expanded its global reach by partnering with the University of Debrecen in Hungary to engage international students in precision agriculture technologies.
Although SDSU has been recognized as a leader in this area, a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering noticed a gap in precision technology coursework related to livestock. This gap prompted Dick and Jeune Nicolai’s gift.
Growing up on a farm, Dick Nicolai’s father taught him the value of adapting to the latest technology. For example, in 1958, they incorporated a slot air inlet for a power-ventilated swine barn rather than a single hole-in-the-wall type of inlet that would chill the pigs near the inlet.
After receiving his engineering degree, Nicolai worked for Ford Tractor and then returned to the farm. In 1994, he was approached by the University of Minnesota to cover for a professor on sabbatical, but upon the professor’s return, he was asked to continue helping a team of researchers addressing livestock air quality issues. This led to the development of a tool to predict the impact of odor on neighbors before the construction of a livestock facility.
When Nicolai was about to retire, he received a call from SDSU inviting him to apply for a job in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. That first day at SDSU was 25 years ago, and until his retirement in 2011, he taught classes and conducted research on environmental issues in agriculture. Since then, he has been asked to teach a class on agricultural livestock waste management several times, including this past semester.
For most of his career, Nicolai’s work has focused on technology, the environment and livestock. He noticed students were well trained in precision crop production thanks to SDSU’s thriving precision agriculture program, but he felt they would benefit from a deeper knowledge about integrating sensors, data systems and automation into livestock management.
“While assisting with various courses in animal science and agriculture systems, I noticed that students could benefit significantly from this opportunity to grow in precision livestock, especially in waste management,” Nicolai said. “But there are many more aspects of precision livestock that have developed recently and need to be covered in other courses, such as ventilation, pasture systems and virtual fencing. Technology is so much better than it was 20 years ago.”
Nicolai wanted to do something about this problem he’d encountered, so last spring he contacted Mark Sandager, development director for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at the SDSU Alumni & Foundation. Nicolai told Sandager he was willing to gift farm ground to support the university in developing a position and resources to close the gap in precision livestock education.
In March 2026, the gifted land, about 132 acres, was sold at auction for $2 million to fully fund the Richard and Jeune Nicolai Endowed Professor in Precision Livestock Systems. The proceeds will be invested in a market-based endowment fund, with approximately 4% distributed annually to support the position through salary enhancement and programmatic resources. This position will become the seventh endowed position across departments in the Raven Precision Agriculture Center and will also impact collaborative education and research opportunities in the Department of Animal Science.
Gifts like this enable SDSU to become a leader in many areas across the university, and they continue to grow, strengthening SDSU’s commitment to leadership and innovation. In 2017, there were 13 endowed faculty positions. Today, there are 67 endowed faculty positions either planned or in place. The university also offers more than double the number of scholarships than it did nine years ago, and capital projects continue to drive fundraising growth.
“As the university grows and stretches to achieve academic and research goals, endowed positions are one of the most important tools we have,” Sandager said. “We are able to attract the best and the brightest talent, make our university more resilient in the dynamic landscape of grant funding, and fulfill the land-grant mission of research, education and outreach much more comprehensively.”
The endowment will be awarded upon hiring an associate or full professor. This faculty member will be recognized at the 2027 University Leadership Honors hosted by the SDSU Alumni & Foundation. SDSU is currently taking applications for the Nicolai Endowed Professor in Precision Livestock Systems position. More information about the position can be found on the SDSU Employment website.
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