LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials will target potential sex traffickers this year with more proactive law enforcement and an ad campaign at rest stops and other places where victims are coerced into prostitution, Attorney General Doug Peterson announced Thursday.

The new “Demand an End” initiative is the latest step in a multiyear effort to stop sex trafficking, particularly when the victims are minors. Lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts have increased penalties for traffickers and those who pay for sex in recent years and passed legislation intended to help those who are trafficked.

Peterson said the initiative is designed to send a message that state officials take the issue seriously and will prosecute trafficking cases. Law enforcement officers plan to focus on those who purchase sex.

“You’re going to pay a really significant price if you’re caught,” Peterson said at a Capitol news conference, where he was joined by dozens of elected state officials and advocates.

Many of the anti-trafficking advertisements will appear on YouTube and at rest stops on Interstate 80, which officials have identified as a major conduit for traffickers. They also will be posted at libraries, recreation centers, truck stops and businesses.

Peterson said the Nebraska State Patrol plans to increase its enforcement efforts later this year, and the newly passed laws will help. Soliciting a minor for sex now carries a penalty of 20 years to life in prison.

“The ball has now been handed to us,” the attorney general said.

The Human Trafficking Initiative has said 11 percent of the people sold online for sex in Nebraska are advertised as under the age of 21. In July, an Omaha man was sentenced to prison for his role in a sex trafficking ring near Offutt Air Force Base that involved a 15-year-old girl.

The campaign has attracted a broad, bipartisan coalition that includes law enforcement, advocates for women and children, nonprofits and the trucking industry.

Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln, who led the charge on several recent human trafficking bills, said the campaign will help prevent “the sale and resale of human flesh” in Nebraska.

“These people (who are trafficked) are subject to force, fraud and coercion,” she said.

Lawmakers will consider at least one bill this year designed to further restrict human trafficking. Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue has introduced legislation designed to prevent criminals from using digital currencies such as bitcoin for illegal purposes. Blood said such currencies help traffickers to buy and sell women and girls for sex.

The campaign started in Georgia and is being shared with Nebraska for free.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s state revenue tax collections surged in December, possibly due to the federal tax package approved that month.

The Department of Revenue announced Friday that net tax receipts were nearly 10 percent higher than projections for the month. The state saw net tax collections of $415 million, which is $37 million more than the certified state forecast.

Net individual income tax collections were more than 16 percent higher than projections, and net sales-and-use tax revenue was 6 percent higher. Net corporate income taxes came in more than 2 percent higher than projected, while net miscellaneous tax revenue was more than 9 percent lower.

The governor’s office cited media reports that many Americans prepaid their taxes to take advantage of state and local tax deductions that the federal tax bill eliminated.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — University of Nebraska officials fear new budget cuts proposed by the governor would make it tough for the system to remain affordable and still meet state economic needs.

Gov. Pete Ricketts wants to cut the university system’s state appropriation by 2 percent — a total of $11.4 million — for the remainder of this fiscal year. He also proposed cutting $23.2 million for the 2018-19 budget year.

University officials say the cuts could result in program elimination, fewer teachers, and higher tuition.

System President Hank Bounds said Thursday the university would be swallowing one-third of the statewide total once cuts to state agencies and programs are computed, although state support for the university makes up 13 percent of the total state budget.

Bounds says university leaders will be discussing options soon.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Average prices for high-quality farmland have dropped over the past year in Nebraska but slightly risen in Iowa, according to a farm management company.

Farmers National Co. gathered sale price information about 18 states from land-grant colleges, Farm Credit banks, and other industry sources.

An acre of irrigated cropland in Nebraska averaged $9,000 last year, down from $9,500 in 2016 and $10,000 in 2015, according to the company’s report. The average for farmland in Iowa was $10,500 last year, up from $10,100 in 2016 and 2015.

Low commodity prices mean low-quality cropland and grassland has been difficult to sell, said Paul Schadegg, a sales manager in Sidney, Nebraska. The average price for high-quality land rose last year in multiple states, including Nebraska and Iowa, according to Farmers National.

Prices are more stable than in previous years, despite a slight dip in prices in many states, said Randy Dickhut, senior vice president of real estate operations for Farmers National.

“We think this is just kind of a stabilizing time,” Dickhut said. “I’d still say there’s a trend that it will soften more. We don’t think we’re done going down.”

Last year’s stability may be due to a drop in farmland and ranchland properties for sale combined with a steady to slightly increased demand, he said.

It’s unclear if the stability is an indication of a longer-term turnaround, Dickhut said. Factors such as crop yields, interest rates, grain prices, equipment expenses and payments on previous land purchases could all influence prices. The new farm bill, as well as changes to U.S. trade policy, can also impact land prices, he said.

Average prices have been dropping steadily across the U.S. since 2013 because of lower prices for farm goods.