Introduction 1 of 6

Nebraska has had only two official state names:

Source: Nebraska State Historical Society
  • The Tree Planter State, 1895 - 1945 and

  • The Cornhusker State, 1945 - present. (Many outsiders may think that this last title derived from the football team, rather than the other way around.)


Beef State license plate, 1956
Source: Nebraska State Historical Society

However, beef had become so important to Nebraska’s economy by the 1950s that from 1956 through 1965, the Nebraska license plate carried the motto, The Beef State. That title was never an official state name by act of the legislature, but it carried an important place in the hearts of Nebraskans.

Beef had become the center of attention in Nebraska,
not only at our tables, but in our pockets as well.


Source: Nebraska State Historical Society & NET Television
Beef boomed Nebraska’s economy. The tax revenue it generated helped support important, long sought-after building projects and created new institutions, such as:
  • the Nebraska State Historical Society’s museum in 1952,

  • the Nebraska ETV Network in 1954,

  • the governor’s residence in 1956,

  • and many more.


Double cheeseburger
Source: Nebraska State Historical Society


In Nebraska, the prosperity of the 1950s and ‘60s that the rest of the country also felt was directly a result of our beef economy.

Find out more about how beef helped Nebraska Prosper after World War II in this video. Video

 

Civil Defense

1925-1949 Beef Goes Modern
 
Follow THE STORY OF BEEF through the decades.
1850-1874
Beef Moves
to Nebraska		 1875-1899
High Falutin’
Beef		 1900-1924
Reforming
Beef		 1925-1949
Beef Goes Modern		 1950-1974
Beef
State		 2000-2024
NE Beef
Goes Global