Bill, you made every hour special and with your knowledge, guiding and sharing we covered more, saw more, learned more, enjoyed ourselves more, in 48 hours than would have been the case had we been there two weeks on our own. You provided awesome experience leverage.

Cattle veterinarian Bill Burdett’s lifelong interest in agriculture, geography, and history makes him the perfect ambassador to guide visitors through the state of Nebraska.  Bill is a rare blend of cowboy, scientist, grandpa, and disciple of Christ. His working knowledge of natural wonders including the sandhills, grasslands, pine ridge, rivers and valleys and farmlands will help you understand and enjoy this unique slice of American agriculture.   His respect for the people of rural Nebraska will be evident as you are introduced to the stewards of the land and their habitat.  Bill and I have worked together for many years in the cattle industry and have become personal friends with mutual respect for one another’s God-given talents.  He will introduce you to conversations with livestock producers that will mesmerize you and give you the rare opportunity to follow the less traveled roads of rural Nebraska with a guy that’s been on nearly all of them.

The best vacations are those for which you have no expectations. Such was the case for our time spent with Bill Burdett. We are diletante birders, but when a more accomplished birder was “surprised” that we had never seen the crane migration in Nebraska we decided to go. It seemed like Grand Island would be a good place for “base camp” so we contacted Dana in the Grand Island Tourism Office who offered several suggestions including the Crane Trust. At the end of her email she offered one additional “tidbit”. She suggested we contact Bill Burdett to supplement our crane viewing. It was excellent advice. Although Bill is a veterinarian by profession he is incredibly knowledgeable about all things Nebraska and the way of life on the prairie. He is a rancher, a naturalist a geologist and historian. We spent more or less 3 days with Bill. We all (6 of us) rode in the same vehicle wherever we went and Bill provided an interesting and informative narrative throughout our travels. Yes, we saw the cranes many times. On our own we did an evening blind tour on the Platt River at Crane Trust. There were tens of thousands of Sandhill cranes and also Whooping cranes! With Bill we also saw Sandhills at dawn on the Platt, during the day in the corn fields and in flight at the Audubon Rowe Sanctuary in Gibbon (also worth a visit). One of our crew wanted to see the prairie chickens “dance” and Bill arranged a visit to the “Prairie Winds Birding Tours” ranch in Odessa, which has an ancient and amazing lek where we watched more than 20 male prairie chickens “dance”. It’s an early and chilly morning visit but another must see if you like birding. But birds are not the half of it when it comes to Bill’s “value added”. He arranged a “private lecture” with Josh a biologist at the Crane Trust who gave us the backstory on how hard this organization works to support the cranes. Bill taught us about the Ogallala aquifer that undergirds the entire Nebraska economy and the ubiquitous pivots that depend on it. We visited monuments and museums and the remnants of the Mormon Wagon Trail from the mid 1800s, we spent incredibly interesting and informative visits at a dairy farm, at the organic Strait Arrow Bison Ranch and at a very ecologically conscious organic cattle farm at the edge of the Sand Hills. We learned how these family-owned but very large farms take seriously their role as stewards of the land, how sophisticated they are in their farming practices and how close to the financial margin they operate. We stopped for lunch in small towns like Broken Bow that we would have never otherwise visited.  We met the cowboy poet, R.P. Smith, and his wife on their sheep farm. R.P. recited several of his poems for us, which had a rhyming scheme somewhat reminiscent of iambic pentameter. (Who knew there is an entire genre of cowboy poetry compete with conferences and contests all focused on the West and western life). As is this wasn’t enough Bill borrowed an air pump from a friend that we kept in our rental van to replenish one tire that developed a persistent slow leak while we were touring. Bill and everyone one we met were charming and kind and invited us into their homes like we were old friends. They are unpretentious and warm, Bill most of all. You like him instantly and you can’t help but feel at ease all the time you are with him. If you go to Nebraska look him up. If you don’t your missing the best Nebraska has to offer.

Nebraska is an amazing state filled with exciting things to see and do. If you want to see the realNebraska, the behind-the-scenes Nebraska, you need Dr. Bill Burdett from Horizons Without Bounds. He knows the plains and prairies like the back of his hand. You’ll get to meet the most charming people and see things a mere tourist will never see.

Whatever your interests, wildlife, history, culture, scenery, adventure, Bill knows where to find it. We watched the prairie chickens establishing their territories, an amazing sight. And they were just a few feet away while we were cozy in our blinds. We saw the famous sandhill cranes and met with a researcher to learn all about them.

We visited absolutely charming Amish families on their farms and met with amazing ranchers who really care for their land, their cattle and their work. We saw a stable full of the most beautiful Belgian horses. They’re trained to work the farm just as draft horses did a hundred years ago.

We actually got to visit a ranch that raises bucking bulls. That was so much fun and a real eye opener! And we haven’t even talked about the fabulous food, yet.

There’s so much more, but you have to experience it for yourself. You haven’t really visited Nebraska until you’ve seen it with Bill Burdett and Horizons without bounds.

I have known Dr. Burdett for in excess of 20 years.  He has always exemplified himself as an honest, and energetic participant in the many ventures I’ve been privileged to join with him in. His knowledge of, and passion for Nebraska’s scenic beauty, and it’s agricultural lifeblood is second to none. His quick wit, and pleasant demeanor will put any and all at ease! I am certain you will have a truly memorable experience with “Dr. Bill” as your guide!

In early November our family of three spent several days with Bill Burdett in Central Nebraska.  During our time we experienced in-depth visits to two ranches with quite different approaches and objectives, spending some hours with the ranch owners who personally showed and explained to us what they did and why.  Visits to several farms during harvesting allowed us to see and understand what was going on and sometimes ride along with the ranchers doing their work.  Bill, who seemed to know people everywhere, kept up a constant interesting and informative narrative as we were shown many fascinating aspects of the area.  His Veterinary Medicine knowledge was often invaluable.  We were amazed at what was covered in such a short time, and can say that our experience was over the top and far exceeded our expectations.

Working side by side on many veterinary projects with Dr. Burdett for nearly ten years has given me a window into his integrity and enthusiasm for life.There is no one more knowledgeable about, and appreciative of, his natural surroundings and no one more willing to share this Knowledge. I am proud to call Bill my friend!

Dr. Bill Burdett owned a veterinary clinic in Nebraska and worked as a technical services veterinarian for many years.  In these jobs he traveled extensively throughout Nebraska and the U.S.  I can think of no better resource on the geography and history of Nebraska.